the lay of the land

the lay of the land
(the lay (или the lie) of the land)
положение дел, положение вещей [букв. очертания земли]

‘Yes’, he said succinctly. ‘I see the lay of that land, but what do I get out of it?’ (Th. Dreiser, ‘The Titan’, ch. LIV) — - Так, - резко сказал он, - я понимаю, как обстоит дело, а какая выгода будет для меня лично?

‘I've a good idea of the lie of the land,’ Reid resumed in a tone so confidential it thrilled me through and through. (A. J. Cronin, ‘The Qreen Years’, book II, ch. 7) — - Я довольно точно представляю себе положение вещей, - снова заговорил Рид таким задушевным тоном, что я затрепетал от восторга.

...it would not hurt to make acquaintances and get the lay of the land. (W. Du Bois, ‘Mansart Builds a School’, ch. I) — ...завести кое-какие знакомства и прощупать почву ему не мешает.

Gorin has come down ahead of time to get the lay of the land. (M. Wilson, ‘Live with Lightning’, book III, ch. I) — Горин приехал пораньше, чтобы разнюхать что к чему.


Большой англо-русский фразеологический словарь. - М.: «Русский язык-Медиа».. 2006.

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Смотреть что такое "the lay of the land" в других словарях:

  • the lay of the land — Lay Lay, n. 1. That which lies or is laid or is conceived of as having been laid or placed in its position; a row; a stratum; a layer; as, a lay of stone or wood. Addison. [1913 Webster] A viol should have a lay of wire strings below. Bacon.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • the lay of the land — the lay (Brit. lie) of the land the way in which the features or characteristics of an area present themselves ■ figurative the current situation or state of affairs she was beginning to see the lay of the land with her in laws * * * the lay of… …   Useful english dictionary

  • (the) lay of the land — the lay of the land american phrase the lie of the land Thesaurus: general words for situations and circumstancessynonym views and landscapessynonym difficult situations and experiencessynonym Main entry …   Useful english dictionary

  • the lay of the land — ► the lie (N. Amer. lay) of the land 1) the features or characteristics of an area. 2) the current situation or state of affairs. Main Entry: ↑lie …   English terms dictionary

  • (the) lay of the land — the way a situation has been arranged or has developed. If you see them together, you don t have to be a detective to understand the lay of the land …   New idioms dictionary

  • the lie of the land — ► the lie (N. Amer. lay) of the land 1) the features or characteristics of an area. 2) the current situation or state of affairs. Main Entry: ↑lie …   English terms dictionary

  • The Lay of the Land — infobox Book | name = The Lay of the Land title orig = translator = caption = First edition cover author = Richard Ford cover artist = country = United States language = English series = genre = publisher = Knopf release date = October 2006 media …   Wikipedia

  • the lay of the land — See get the lay of the land …   English idioms

  • the lay of the land — American the lie of the land …   English dictionary

  • lay of the land — the disposition of circumstances which one is considering wanted to know more about the lay of the land before investing * * * the general state or condition of affairs under consideration; the facts of a situation: We asked a few questions to… …   Useful english dictionary

  • lay of the land — also[how the land lies] {n. phr.} 1. The natural features of a piece of land, such as hills and valleys. * /The style of house the contractor builds depends partly on the lay of the land./ 2. The way something is arranged; the important facts… …   Dictionary of American idioms


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