/
[latch on] or [hitch onto]{v.}, {informal} 1. To get hold of;grasp or grab; catch. •/He looked for something to latch onto and keep fromfalling./ •/The football player latched onto a pass./ 2. {slang} Toget into your possession. •/The banker latched onto a thousand shares ofstock./ 3. {slang} To understand. •/The teacher explained the idea ofjet engines until the students latched onto it./ Syn.: CATCH ON. 4.{informal} To keep; to hold. •/The poor woman latched onto the littlemoney she had left./ 5. {slang} To stay with; not leave. •/Marie andDick wanted to go to the movies by themselves, but Mane’s little brotherlatched onto them./
[latch string]{n.} 1. A string that opens an old-fashioned door bylifting a small bar. •/The early settlers kept the latch string outside thedoor when they were working around the house, but at night they pulled it tothe inside./ 2. {informal} A warm welcome; a friendly greeting. — Usedin such phrases as "the latch string is out." •/Mary has her latch siring outfor everyone who comes./ Syn.: WELCOME MAT(2).
[late] See: BETTER LATE THAN NEVER, OF LATE.
[lately] See: JOHNNY-COME-LATELY.
[later] See: SOONER OR LATER.
[later on]{adv.} Later; not now. •/Finish your lessons. Later on, wemay have a surprise./ •/Bill couldn’t stand on his head when schoolstarted, but later on he learned how./
[lather] See: IN A LATHER.
[laugh] See: HE LAUGHS BEST WHO LAUGHS LAST, HAVE THE LAST LAUGH.
[laugh all the way to the bank]{v. phr.} To have made a substantialamount of money either by lucky investment or by some fraudulent deal andrejoice over one’s gains. •/If you had done what I suggested, you, too, couldbe laughing all the way to the bank./
[laughing matter]{n.} A funny happening; a silly situation. — Usuallyused with "no". •/John’s failing the test is no laughing matter!/ •/Wewere amused when our neighbor’s cat had five kittens, but when our own cat hadsix kittens it was no laughing matter./
[laugh in one’s beard] See: LAUGH UP ONE’S SLEEVE.
[laugh in one’s sleeve] See: LAUGH UP ONE’S SLEEVE.
[laugh off]{v.} To dismiss with a laugh as not important or notserious; not take seriously. •/He had a bad fall while ice skating but helaughed it off./ •/You can’t laugh off a ticket for speeding./ Compare:MAKE LIGHT OF.
[laugh one out of]{v. phr.} To cause another to forget his/her worriesand sorrows by joking. •/Jack was worried about getting airsick, but his sonand daughter laughed him out of it./
[laugh one’s head off]{v. phr.}, {informal} To laugh very hard; beunable to stop laughing. •/Paul’s stories are so wildly funny that I laugh myhead off whenever he starts telling one of them./
[laugh on the wrong side of one’s mouth] or [laugh on the other side ofone’s mouth] or [laugh out of the other side of one’s mouth]{v.phr.}, {informal} To be made sorry; to feel annoyance or disappointment;cry. •/Paul boasted that he was a good skater, but after he fell, he laughedout of the other side of his mouth./
[laugh up one’s sleeve] or [laugh in one’s sleeve] or [laugh in one’sbeard] To be amused but not show it; hide your laughter. •/He was laughingup his sleeve when Joe answered the phone because he knew the call would he ajoke./
[launch window]{n.}, {Space English}, {informal} 1. A periodof time when the line-up of planets, Sun, and Moon are such as to makefavorable conditions for a specific space launch. •/The mission was canceleduntil the next launch window which will be exactly six weeks from today./ 2.A favorable time for starting some kind of ambitious adventure. •/My nextlaunch window for a European trip isn’t until school is over in June./
[laurel] See: LOOK TO ONE’S LAURELS, REST ON ONE’S LAURELS.
[lavender] See: LAY OUT(7).
[law] See: LAY DOWN THE LAW, PARLIAMENTARY LAW, TAKE THE LAW INTO ONE’S OWNHANDS.
[law-abiding]{adj.} Obeying or following the law. •/Michael had beena law-abiding citizen all his life./
[lawful age] See: LEGAL AGE.
[law of averages]{n. phr.} The idea that you can’t win all the time orlose all the time. •/The Celtics have won 10 games in a row but the law ofaverages will catch up with them soon./
[law unto oneself]{n. phr.}, {literary} A person who does onlywhat he wishes; a person who ignores or breaks the law when he doesn’t like it.•/Everybody in Germany feared Hitler because he was a law unto himself./•/Mr. Brown told Johnny that he must stop trying to be a law unto himself./Compare: TAKE THE LAW INTO ONE’S OWN HANDS.
[lay] See: KILL THE GOOSE THAT LAID THE GOLDEN EGG.
[lay about one]{v. phr.} To hit out in all directions. — Used with areflexive object: "her", "him", or "them". •/The bandits surrounded thesheriff, but he laid about him so hard, with his gun used as a club, that theystepped back and let him escape./ •/Mrs. Franklin didn’t kill the mouse,but she laid about her so hard with the broom that she scared it away./
[lay a finger on]{v. phr.} To touch or bother, even a little. — Usedin negative, interrogative, and conditional sentences. •/Don’t you dare lay afinger on the vase!/ •/Suppose Billy fakes his brother with him; wilt themean, tough boy down the street dare lay a finger on him?/ •/If you so muchas lay a finger on my boy, I’ll call the police./ Compare: LAY HANDS ON, PUTONE’S FINGER ON.
[lay an egg]{v. phr.}, {slang} To fail to win the interest orfavor of an audience. •/His joke laid an egg./ •/Sometimes he is asuccessful speaker, but sometimes he lays an egg./
[lay aside]{v. phr.} 1. To put off until another time; interrupt anactivity. •/The president laid aside politics to turn to foreign affairs./2. To save. •/They tried to lay aside a little money each week for theirvacation./
[lay at one’s door]{v. phr.}, {literary} To blame (something) on aperson. •/The failure of the plan was laid at his door./ Compare: LAYTO(1).
[lay away]{v.} 1. To save. •/She laid a little of her pay away eachweek./ 2. To bury (a person). — Used to avoid the word "bury", which somepeople think is unpleasant. •/He was laid away in his favorite spot on thehill./
[lay-away plan]{n.} A plan for buying something that you can’t paycash for; a plan in which you pay some money down and pay a little more whenyou can, and the store holds the article until you have paid the full price.•/She could not afford to pay for the coat all at once, so she used thelay-away plan./
[lay bare]{v. phr.} To expose; reveal; divulge. •/During histestimony the witness laid bare the whole story of his involvement with theaccused./
[lay by]{v.} To save, especially a little at a time. •/The studentslaid a little money by every week till they had enough for a trip toFlorida./ •/The farmer laid by some of his best corn to use the next yearfor seed./
[lay down]{v.} 1. To let (something) be taken; give up or surrender(something). •/The general told the troops to lay down their arms./ •/Hewas willing to lay down his life for his country./ Compare: GIVE UP. 2. Toask people to follow; tell someone to obey; make (a rule or principle). •/Thecommittee laid down rules about the size of tennis courts./ 3. To declare;say positively; say surely; state. •/She laid it down as always true that "afool and his money are soon parted."/ 4. To store or save for future use,especially in a cellar. •/They laid down several barrels of cider./
[lay down one’s arms]{v. phr.} To cease fighting; surrender. •/TheCivil War ended when the Confederate army finally laid down its arms./
[lay down one’s cards] See: LAY ONE’S CARDS ON THE TABLE.
[lay down one’s life]{v. phr.} To sacrifice one’s life for a cause orperson; suffer martyrdom. •/The early Christians often laid down their livesfor their faith./
[lay down the law]{v. phr.} 1. To give strict orders. •/The teacherlays down the law about homework every afternoon./ 2. To speak severely orseriously about a wrongdoing; scold. •/The principal called in the studentsand laid down the law to them about skipping classes./ Compare: TELL ONEWHERE TO GET OFF.
[lay eyes on] or [set eyes on]{v. phr.} To see. •/She knew hewas different as soon as she laid eyes on him./ •/I didn’t know the man; infact, I had never set eyes on him./
[lay for]{v.}, {informal} To hide and wait for in order to catchor attack; to lie in wait for. •/The bandits laid for him along the road./•/I knew he had the marks for the exam, so I was laying for him outside hisoffice./
[lay hands on]{v. phr.} 1. To get hold of; find; catch. •/Thetreasure hunters can keep any treasure they can lay hands on./ •/If thepolice can lay hands on him, they will put him in jail./ Compare: LAY ONE’SHAND ON(2). 2. To do violence to; harm; hurt. •/They were afraid that if theyleft him alone in his disturbed condition he would lay hands on himself./
[lay hold of]{v. phr.}