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
