Текст книги "Словарь американских идиом: 8000 единиц"

Автор книги: Adam Makkai

Соавторы: Maya Glinberg
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[lay for]{v.}, {informal} To hide and wait for in order to catch or 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 his office./

[lay hands on]{v. phr.} 1. To get hold of; find; catch. •/The treasure hunters can keep any treasure they can lay hands on./ •/If the police can lay hands on him, they will put him in jail./ Compare: LAY ONE’S HAND ON(2). 2. To do violence to; harm; hurt. •/They were afraid that if they left him alone in his disturbed condition he would lay hands on himself./

[lay hold of]{v. phr.} 1. To take hold of; grasp; grab. •/He laid hold of the rope and pulled the boat ashore./ 2. To get possession of. •/He sold every washing machine he could lay hold of./ 3. {Chiefly British} To understand. •/Some ideas in this science book are hard to lay hold of./

[lay in]{v.} To store up a supply of; to get and keep for future use. •/Mrs. Mason heard that the price of sugar might go up, so she laid in a hundred pounds of it./ •/Before school starts, the principal will lay in plenty of paper for the students' written work./ Compare: LAY UP.

[lay into] or [light into]{v.}, {informal} 1. To attack physically; go at vigorously. •/The two fighters laid into each other as soon as the bell rang./ •/John loves Italian food and he really laid into the spaghetti./ Syn.: PITCH INTO, SAIL INTO. 2. {slang} To attack with words. •/The senator laid into the opponents of his bill./ Syn.: LACE INTO, RIP INTO. Compare: BAWL OUT, TELL OFF.

[lay it on] or [lay it on thick] also [put it on thick] or [spread it on thick] or [lay it on with a trowel]{v. phr.}, {informal} To persuade someone by using very much flattery; flatter. •/Bob wanted to go to the movies. He laid it on thick to his mother./ •/Mary was caught fibbing. She sure spread it on thick./ Compare: PUT ON(2b).

[lay it on the line] See: LAY ON THE LINE(2).

[lay low]{v.} 1. To knock down; to force into a lying position; to put out of action. •/Many trees were laid low by the storm./ •/Jane was laid low by the flu./ 2. To kill. •/The hunters laid low seven pheasants./ 3. See: LIE LOW.

[layoff]{n.} A systematic or periodical dismissal of employees from a factory or a firm. •/Due to the poor economy, the car manufacturer announced a major layoff starting next month./

[lay off]{v. phr.} 1. To mark out the boundaries or limits. •/He laid off a baseball diamond on the vacant lot./ Compare: LAY OUT(5). 2. To put out of work. •/The company lost the contract for making the shoes and laid off half its workers./ 3. {slang} To stop bothering; leave alone. – Usually used in the imperative. •/Lay off me, will you? I have to study for a test./ 4. {slang} To stop using or taking. •/His doctor told him to lay off cigarettes./

[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 about something; how things are. •/The banker wanted to check the lay of the land before buying the stock./ •/Before the new boy will join our club, he wants to see how the land lies./

[lay on]{v.} 1. To spread on or over a surface; apply. •/He told us that we should lay on a second coat of paint for better protection against the weather./ 2. To beat; to strike. •/Little John seized a staff and began to lay on with great energy./ 3. See: LAY IT ON.

[lay one’s cards on the table] or [lay down one’s cards] or [put one’s cards on the table]{v. phr.}, {informal} To let someone know your position and interest openly; deal honestly; act without trickery or secrets. •/In talking about buying the property, Peterson laid his cards on the table about his plans for it./ •/Some of the graduates of the school were unfriendly toward the new superintendent, but he put his cards on the table and won their support./

[lay oneself open to]{v. phr.} To make oneself vulnerable to; expose oneself. •/If you don’t perform your job properly, you will lay yourself open to criticism./

[lay oneself out]{v. phr.}, {informal} To make an extra hard effort; try very hard. •/Larry wanted to win a medal for his school, so he really laid himself out in the race./

[lay one’s finger on] See: PUT ONE’S FINGER ON.

[lay one’s hands on] or [get one’s hands on]{v. phr.} 1. To seize in order to punish or treat roughly. •/If I ever lay my hands on that boy he’ll be sorry./ Compare: LAY A FINGER ON. 2. To get possession of. •/He was unable to lay his hands on a Model T Ford for the school play./ Compare: LAY HANDS ON(1). 3. or [lay one’s hand on] or [put one’s hand on] To find; locate. •/He keeps a file of letters so he can lay his hands on one whenever he needs it./

[lay on the line] or [put on the line]{v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To pay or offer to pay. •/The sponsors had to lay nearly a million dollars on the line to keep the show on TV./ •/The bank is putting $5,000 on the line as a reward to anyone who catches the robber./ Compare: PUT UP. 2. To say plainly so that there can be no doubt; tell truthfully, •/I’m going to lay it on the line for you, Paul. You must work harder if you want to pass./ 3. To take a chance of losing; risk. •/The champion is laying his title on the line in the fight tonight./ •/Frank decided to lay his job on the line and tell the boss that he thought he was wrong./

[lay out]{v. phr.} 1. To prepare (a dead body) for burial. •/The corpse was laid out by the undertaker./ 2. {slang} To knock down flat; to hit unconscious. •/A stiff right to the jaw laid the boxer out in the second round./ 3. To plan. •/Come here, Fred, I have a job laid out for you./ 4. To mark or show where work is to be done. •/The foreman laid out the job for the new machinist./ 5. To plan the building or arrangement of; design. •/The architect laid out the interior of the building./ •/The early colonists laid out towns in the wilderness./ Compare: LAY OFF(1). 6. {slang} To spend; pay. •/How much did you have to lay out for your new car?/ 7. or [lay out in lavender]{slang} To scold; lecture. •/He was laid out in lavender for arriving an hour late for the dance./ Compare: JUMP ON, LAY INTO(2), LET HAVE IT(1c).

[layout]{n.} General situation; arrangement; plan. •/The layout of their apartment overlooking Lake Michigan was strikingly unusual./ Compare: LAID OUT.

[layover]{n.} A stopover, usually at an airport or in a hotel due to interrupted air travel. •/There were several layovers at O’Hare last month due to bad weather./

[lay over]{v.} 1. To put off until later; delay; postpone. •/We voted to lay the question over to our next meeting for decision./ 2. To arrive in one place and wait some time before continuing the journey. •/We had to lay over in St. Louis for two hours waiting for a plane to Seattle./

[lay rubber] or [lay a patch]{v. phr.}, {slang} To take off in a car or a motorcycle so fast that the tires (made of rubber) leave a mark on the pavement. •/Look at those crazy drag racers; they laid rubber in front of my house./

[lay the blame at one’s door]{v. phr.} To say that another person or group is responsible for one’s own failure. •/The angry coach laid the blame at the door of the players when our college lost the basketball game./

[lay the fault at one’s door] See: LAY THE BLAME AT ONE’S DOOR.

[lay their heads together] See: PUT THEIR HEADS TOGETHER.

[lay to]{v.} 1. To give the blame or credit to; to name as cause. •/He was unpopular and when he made money, it was laid to his dishonesty, but when he lost money, it was laid to his stupidity./ Compare: LAY AT ONE’S DOOR. 2. To hold a ship or boat still against the wind. •/The pirates decided to lay to that night and go ashore in the morning./ Compare: LIE TO. 3. To exert oneself; to work hard. •/He picked up a shovel and laid to with the rest of the gang./

[lay to heart] See: TAKE TO HEART.

[lay to rest]{v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To put a dead person into a grave or tomb; bury. •/President Kennedy was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery./ 2. To get rid of; put away permanently; stop. •/The Scoutmaster’s fears that Tom had drowned were laid to rest when Tom came back and said he had gone for a boat ride./ •/The rumor that the principal had accepted another job was laid to rest when he said it wasn’t true./

[lay up]{v.} 1. To collect a supply of; save for future, use; store. •/Bees lay up honey for the winter./ 2. To keep in the house or in bed because of sickness or injury; disable. •/Jack was laid up with a twisted knee and couldn’t play in the final game./ 3. To take out of active service; put in a boat dock or a garage. •/Bill had to lay up his boat when school started./ •/If you lay up a car for the winter, you should take out the battery./

[lay waste]{v. phr.}, {literary} To cause wide and great damage to; destroy and leave in ruins; wreck. •/Enemy soldiers laid waste the land./

[lead] See: ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME, BLIND LEADING THE BLIND.

[lead] See: GET THE LEAD OUT OF ONE’S PANTS.

[lead a dog’s life]{v. phr.}, {informal} To live a hard life, work hard, and be treated unkindly. •/A new college student of long ago led a dog’s life./

[lead a merry chase]{v. phr.} To delay or escape capture by (someone) skillfully; make (a pursuer) work hard. •/The deer led the hunter a merry chase./ •/Valerie is leading her boyfriend a merry chase./

[lead by the nose]{v. phr.}, {informal} To have full control of; make or persuade (someone) to do anything whatever. •/Many people are easily influenced and a smart politician can lead them by the nose./ •/Don’t let anyone lead you by the nose; use your own judgment and do the right thing./

[leader] See: MAJORITY LEADER, MINORITY LEADER.

[lead-footed] See: HEAVY-FOOTED.

[leading light]{n. phr.} A prominent person in a community, company, or group. •/Alan is the leading light of our discussion group on music./

[lead off]{v.} To begin; start; open. •/Richardson led off the inning with a double./ •/We always let Henry lead off./ •/Mr. Jones led off with the jack of diamonds./ •/When the teacher asked if the film helped them to understand, Phil led off by saying that he learned a lot from it./

[lead on]{v. phr.} To encourage you to believe something untrue or mistaken. •/Tom led us on to believe that he was a world traveler, but we found out that he had never been outside our state./ •/We were led on to think that Jeanne and Jim were engaged to be married./

[lead one a merry dance]{v. phr.} To cause someone unusual discomfort or expense; tire someone by causing one to overdo. •/With her personal extravagances and constant social activities that cost a fortune, Carol led her husband a merry dance./

[lead the way]{v. phr.} To go before and show how to go somewhere; guide. •/The boys need someone to lead the way on their hike./ •/The men hired an Indian to lead the way to the Pueblo ruins./ •/That school led the way in finding methods to teach reading./

[lead to]{v. phr.} To result in. •/Such a heavy arms race can only lead to war./

[leaf] See: TURN OVER A NEW LEAF.

[leaf through]{v. phr.} To scan or glance through a book or other reading matter. •/I only had time to leaf through the program before the concert started./

[league] See: IN LEAGUE WITH, IVY LEAGUE.

[leaguer] See: TEXAS LEAGUER.

[leak out]{v. phr.} To become known; escape. •/The famous beauty queen tried to keep her marriage a secret, but news of it soon leaked out./

[leak to]{v. phr.} To purposely let a secret be known, as if conveying it in the strictest confidence. •/The movie star’s secret divorce was leaked to the tabloids by her housekeeper./

[lean on]{v. phr.}, {slang}, {informal} To pressure (someone) by blackmailing, threats, physical violence, or the withholding of some favor in order to make the person comply with a wish or request. •/I would gladly do what you ask if you only stopped leaning on me so hard!/

[lean over backward] See: BEND OVER BACKWARD.

[lean-to]{n.} 1. A shed for tools, such as spades, hoes, etc., attached to the wall of a house, •/Joe looked for the garden hose in the lean-to./ 2. A small cabin in the country. •/They spend their weekends in their modest lean-to in Wisconsin./

[leap] See: BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS.

[leap year]{n.} Every fourth year during which the month of February contains 29 rather than 28 days. •/During a leap year one must wait a day longer for one’s February pay check./

[learn] See: LIVE AND LEARN.

[learn by heart] See: BY HEART.

[learn by rote]{v. phr.} To blindly memorize what was taught without thinking about it. •/If you learn a subject by rote, it will be difficult to say anything original about it./

[learn one’s way around] See: KNOW ONE’S WAY AROUND.

[learn the hard way] See: HARD WAY.

[learn the ropes] See: THE ROPES.

[least] See: AT LEAST, IN THE LEAST, LAST BUT NOT LEAST, LINE OF LEAST RESISTANCE.

[leatherneck]{n.}, {slang}, {informal} A member of the United States Marine Corps. •/I didn’t know your son Joe became a leatherneck./

[leave] See: SHORE LEAVE, TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT, TAKE LEAVE OF, TAKE ONE’S LEAVE.

[leave a bad taste in one’s mouth]{v. phr.} To feel a bad impression; make you feel disgusted. •/Seeing a man beat his horse leaves a bad taste in your mouth./ •/His rudeness to the teacher left a bad taste in my mouth./

[leave alone] See: LET ALONE.

[leave at the altar]{v. phr.} 1. To decide not to marry someone in the last minute; jilt. •/Ed left poor Susan at the altar./ 2. To overlook and skip for promotion; not fulfill deserved expectation. •/Once again I didn’t get my promotion and was left at the altar./

[leave behind]{v. phr.} 1. Abandon. •/Refugees on the run must sometimes leave old and sick people behind./ 2. To forget; go away without. •/We had reached our car when we noticed that we had left our keys behind./

[leave flat]{v. phr.}, {informal} To quit or leave suddenly without warning when wanted or needed; desert; forsake; abandon. •/Sam found that being a member of the trail-clearing group was a lot of hard work, so he left them flat./ •/My car ran out of gas and left me flat, ten miles from town./ Compare: LEAVE IN THE LURCH, WALK OUT(2).

[leave hanging] or [leave hanging in the air]{v. phr.} To leave undecided or unsettled. •/Because the committee could not decide on a time and place, the matter of the spring dance was left hanging./ •/Ted’s mother didn’t know what to do about the broken window, so his punishment was left hanging in the air until his father came home./ Compare: UP IN THE AIR.

[leave high and dry] See: HIGH AND DRY.

[leave holding the bag] or [leave holding the sack]{v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To cause (someone) not to have something needed; leave without anything, •/In the rush for seats, Joe was left holding the bag./ 2. To force (someone) to take the whole responsibility or blame for something that others should share. •/When the ball hit the glass, the team scattered and left George holding the bag./ •/After the party, the other girls on the clean-up committee went away with their dates, and left Mary holding the bag./

[leave in the lurch]{v. phr.} To desert or leave alone in trouble; refuse to help or support. •/The town bully caught Eddie, and Tom left him in the lurch./ •/Bill quit his job, leaving his boss in the lurch./ Compare: LEAVE FLAT, HIGH AND DRY(2), WALK OUT(2).

[leave it at that]{v. phr.} To avoid further and more acrimonious disagreement; not argue or discuss any further. •/Our opinion on health care is obviously different, so let’s just leave it at that./

[leave no stone unturned]{v. phr.} To try in every way; miss no chance; do everything possible. – Usually used in the negative. •/The police will leave no stone unturned in their search for the bank robbers./ Compare: ALL OUT, BEND HEAVEN AND EARTH, FINE-TOOTH COMB.

[leave off]{v.} To come or put to an end; stop. •/There is a high fence where the school yard leaves off and the woods begin./ •/Don told the boys to leave off teasing his little brother./ •/Marion put a marker in her book so that she would know where she left off./ Contrast: TAKE UP.

[leave one’s mark]{v. phr.} To leave an impression upon; influence someone. •/Tolstoy never won the Nobel Prize, but he left his mark on world literature./ See: MAKE ONE’S MARK.

[leave open]{v. phr.} To remain temporarily unsettled; subject to further discussion. •/Brad said that the question of health insurance would be left open until some future date./

[leave out]{v. phr.} To skip; omit. •/The printer accidentally left out two paragraphs from Alan’s novel./

[leave out in the cold] See: OUT IN THE COLD.

[leave out of account]{v. phr.} To fail to consider; forget about. •/The picnic planners left out of account that it might rain./ Contrast: TAKE INTO ACCOUNT.

[leave-taking] See: TAKE ONE’S LEAVE.

[leave the matter open] See: LEAVE OPEN.

[leave well enough alone] See: LET WELL ENOUGH ALONE.

[leave without a leg to stand on] See: LEG TO STAND ON.

[leave word with]{v. phr.} To leave a message. •/Hank left word with his secretary where he could be reached by phone while he was away from his office./

[left] See: OUT IN LEFT FIELD, RIGHT AND LEFT.

[left field]{n.} 1. The part of a baseball out-field to the batter’s left. •/Right-handed batters usually hit to left field./ Compare: CENTER FIELD, RIGHT FIELD. 2. See: OUT IN LEFT FIELD. – [left fielder]{n.} The player in baseball who plays in left field. •/The scoreboard in the ball park is on the fence behind the left fielder./

[left-handed]{adj.}, {informal} 1. Using the left hand habitually. 2. Crooked; phoney; homosexual. •/Morris is such a left-handed guy./ 3. Clumsy; untoward; awkward. •/Grab that hammer and stop acting so left-handed./

[left-handed compliment] An ambiguous compliment which is interpretable as an offense. •/I didn’t know you could look so pretty! Is that a wig you’re wearing?/

[left-wing]{adj.} That which is or belongs to a group of people in politics that favors radical change in the direction of socialism or communism. •/The left-wing faction called for an immediate strike./

[leg] See: ON ONE’S LAST LEGS, PULL ONE’S LEG, SHAKE A LEG, TAIL BETWEEN ONE’S LEGS.

[legal age] or [lawful age] The age at which a person is allowed to do a certain thing or is held responsible for an action. •/In most states the legal age for voting is 27./ •/He could not get a driver’s license because he was not of lawful age./

[leg man]{n.}, {informal} 1. An errand boy; one who performs messenger services, or the like. •/Joe hired a leg man for the office./ 2. {slang}, {semi-vulgar}, {avoidable} A man who is particularly attracted to good looking female legs and pays less attention to other parts of the female anatomy. •/Herb is a leg man./

[leg-pulling] See: PULL ONE’S LEG.

[Legree] See: SIMON LEGREE.

[leg to stand on]{n. phr.} A firm foundation of facts; facts to support your claim. – Usually used in the negative. •/Jerry’s answering speech left his opponent without a leg to stand on./ •/Amos sued for damages, but did not have a leg to stand on./

[leg work]{n.}, {informal} The physical end of a project, such as the typing of research reports; the physical investigating of a criminal affair; the carrying of books to and from libraries; etc. •/Joe, my research assistant, does a lot of leg work for me./

[leisure] See: AT LEISURE or AT ONE’S LEISURE.

[lend a hand] or [give a hand] also [bear a hand]{v. phr.} To give help; make yourself useful; help. •/The stage manager asked some of the boys to lend a hand with the scenery./ •/Dick saw a woman with a flat tire and offered to give her a hand with it./ Compare: LIFT A FINGER.

[lend an ear to] See: GIVE AN EAR TO.

[lend color to] See: GIVE COLOR TO.

[lend itself to]{v. phr.} To give a chance for or be useful for; to be possible or right for. •/Bob was sick and did not go to Jane’s party, but his absence lent itself to misunderstanding./ •/The teacher’s paperweight was a heavy piece of metal which sometimes lent itself to use as a hammer./ •/This poem lends itself to our program very well./ Compare: LEND ONESELF TO.

[lend oneself to]{v. phr.} To give help or approval to; encourage; assist. •/Alice wouldn’t lend herself to the plot to hide the teacher’s chalk./

[length] See: AT LENGTH, GO TO ANY LENGTH, KEEP AT A DISTANCE or KEEP AT ARM’S LENGTH.

[less] See: MORE OR LESS, MUCH LESS.

[lesson] See: TEACH A LESSON.

[less than]{adv.} Not; little. •/We were busy and less than delighted to have company that day./ •/The boys were less than happy about having a party./ Contrast: MORE THAN.

[less than no time]{n. phr.}, {informal} Very quickly. •/We can be ready to go in less than no time./ •/It took Sally less than no time to get dinner ready./

[let] See: LIVE AND LET LIVE.

[let alone]{conj. phr.} 1. Even less; certainly not. – Used after a negative clause. •/I can’t add two and two, let alone do fractions./ •/Jim can’t drive a car, let alone a truck./ Compare: MUCH LESS, NOT TO MENTION. 2. [let alone] or [leave alone]{v.} To stay away from; keep hands off; avoid. •/When Joel gets mad, just let him alone./ •/Little Patsy was warned to leave the birthday cake alone./ Compare: LET BE.

[let be]{v.} To pay no attention to; disregard; forget. •/Let her be; she has a headache./ Compare: LET ALONE.

[let bygones be bygones]{v. phr.} To let the past be forgotten. •/After a long, angry quarrel the two boys agreed to let bygones be bygones and made friends again./ •/We should let bygones be bygones and try to get along with each other./ Syn.: FORGIVE AND FORGET. Compare: BURY THE HATCHET, LIVE AND LET LIVE.

[letdown]{n.} A disappointment; a heartbreak. •/It was a major letdown for John when Mary refused to marry him./

[let down]{v. phr.} 1. To allow to descend; lower. •/Harry let the chain saw down on a rope and then climbed down himself./ 2. To relax; stop trying so hard; take it easy. •/The horse let down near the end of the race and lost./ •/The team let down in the fourth quarter because they were far ahead./ Compare: LET GO. 3. To fail to do as well as (someone) expected; disappoint. •/The team felt they had let the coach down./

[let down easy]{v. phr.} To refuse or say no to (someone) in a pleasant manner; to tell bad news about a refusal or disappointment in a kindly way. •/The teacher had to tell George that he had failed his college examinations, but she tried to let him down easy./ •/The boss tried to let Jim down easy when he had to tell him he was too young for the job./

[let down one’s hair] See: LET ONE’S HAIR DOWN.

[let drop]{v. phr.} 1. To cease to talk about; set aside; forget. •/This is such an unpleasant subject that I suggest we let it drop for a few days./ 2. To disclose; hint. •/He unexpectedly let drop that he was resigning and joining another firm./

[let fall] See: LET DROP.

[let George do it]{v. phr.}, {informal} To expect someone else to do the work or take the responsibility. •/Many people expect to let George do it when they are on a committee./ Compare: PASS THE BUCK.

[let go]{v.} 1a. To stop holding something; loosen your hold; release. •/The boy grabbed Jack’s coat and would not let go./ – Often used with «of». •/When the child let go of her mother’s hand, she fell down./ Compare: GIVE UP(1a), LET LOOSE. 1b. To weaken and break under pressure. •/The old water pipe suddenly let go and water poured out of it./ Syn.: GIVE WAY. Contrast: HOLD ON TO. 2. To pay no attention to; neglect. •/Robert let his teeth go when he was young and now he has to go to the dentist often./ •/After she was married, Jane let herself go and was not pretty anymore. / 3. To allow something to pass; do nothing about. •/When Charles was tardy, the teacher scolded him and let it go at that./ •/The children teased Frank, but he smiled and let it go./ Compare: LET OFF(2), LET RIDE. 4. To discharge from a job; fire. •/Mr. Wilson got into a quarrel with his boss and was let go./ 5. To make (something) go out quickly; shoot; fire. •/The soldiers let go a number of shots./ •/Robin Hood let go an arrow at the deer./ •/Paul was so angry that he let go a blow at the boy./ •/The truck driver saw the flat tire and let go a loud curse./ •/The pitcher let go a fast ball and the batter swung and missed./ Compare: CUT LOOSE, LET OUT. 6. or [let oneself go]{informal} To be free in one’s actions or talk; relax. •/Judge Brown let go at the reunion of his old class and had a good time./ •/The cowboys worked hard all week, but on Saturday night they went to town and let themselves go./ Syn.: CUT LOOSE, LET LOOSE(3), LET OFF STEAM(2).

[let go hang] See: GO HANG.

[let go of]{v. phr.} To release one’s grasp. •/As soon as Sally let go of the leash, her dog ran away./

[let go of one’s mother’s apron strings] See: TIED TO ONE’S MOTHER’S APRON STRINGS.

[let grass grow under one’s feet]{v. phr.} To be idle; be lazy; waste time. – Used in negative, conditional, and interrogative sentences. •/The new boy joined the football team, made the honor roll, and found a girlfriend during the first month of school. He certainly did not let any grass grow under his feet./

[let it all hang out]{v. phr.}, {slang}, {informal} Not to disguise anything; to let the truth be known. •/Sue can’t deceive anyone; she just lets it all hang out./

[let it lay]{v. phr.}, {used imperatively}, {slang} Forget it; leave it alone; do not be concerned or involved. •/Don’t get involved with Max again – just let it lay./

[let it rip]{v. phr.}, {used imperatively}, {slang} Don’t be concerned; pay no attention to what happens. •/Why get involved? Forget about it and let it rip./ 2. (Imperatively) Do become involved and make the most of it; get in there and really try to win. •/Come on man, give it all you’ve got and let it rip!/

[let know]{v. phr.} To inform. •/Please let us know the time of your arrival./

[let loose]{v.} 1a. or [set loose] or [turn loose] To set free; loosen or give up your hold on. •/The farmer opened the gate and let the bull loose in the pasture./ •/They turned the balloon loose to let it rise in the air./ 1b. or [turn loose] To give freedom (to someone) to do something; to allow (someone) to do what he wants. •/Mother let Jim loose on the apple pie./ •/The children were turned loose in the toy store to pick the toys they wanted./ 1c. To stop holding something; loosen your hold. •/Jim caught Ruth’s arm and would not let loose./ Compare: LET GO, LET OUT. 2a. {informal} To let or make (something) move fast or hard; release. •/The fielder let loose a long throw to home plate after catching the ball./ 2b. {informal} To release something held. •/Those dark clouds are going to let loose any minute./ Syn.: CUT LOOSE, LET GO. 3. {informal} To speak or act freely; disregard ordinary limits. •/The teacher told Jim that some day she was going to let loose and tell him what she thought of him./ •/Mother let loose on her shopping trip today and bought things for all of us./ Syn.: CUT LOOSE, LET GO.

[let me see] or [let us see]{informal} 1. Let us find out by trying or performing an action. •/Let me see if you can jump over the fence./ 2. Give me time to think or remember. •/I can’t come today. Let me see. How about Friday?/ •/Let’s see. Where did I put the key?/

[let off]{v.} 1. To discharge (a gun); explode; fire. •/Willie accidentally let off his father’s shotgun and made a hole in the wall./ Syn.: GO OFF, LET LOOSE(2). 2. To permit to go or escape; excuse from a penalty, a duty, or a promise. •/Two boys were caught smoking in school but the principal let them off with a warning./ •/Mary’s mother said that she would let Mary off from drying the supper dishes./ •/The factory closed for a month in the summer and let the workers off./ Compare: LET GO. 3. or {informal}[let off the hook] To miss a chance to defeat or score against, especially in sports or games. •/We almost scored a touchdown in the first play against Tech but we let them off the hook by fumbling the ball./ •/The boxer let his opponent off the hook many times./

[let off steam] or [blow off steam]{v. phr.} 1. To let or make steam escape; send out steam. •/The janitor let off some steam because the pressure was too high./ 2. {informal} To get rid of physical energy or strong feeling through activity; talk or be very active physically after forced quiet. •/After the long ride on the bus, the children let off steam with a race to the lake./ •/When the rain stopped, the boys let off steam with a ball game./ •/Bill’s mother was very angry when he was late in coming home, and let off steam by walking around and around./ •/Bill had to take his foreman’s rough criticisms all day and he would blow off steam at home by scolding the children./ Compare: BLOW ONE’S TOP, LET GO(6).

[let off the hook] See: LET OFF(3).

[let on]{v.}, {informal} 1. To tell or admit what you know. – Usually used in the negative. •/Frank lost a quarter but he didn’t let on to his mother./ 2. To try to make people believe; pretend. •/The old man likes to let on that he is rich./

[let one have it]{v. phr.} 1a. {slang} To hit hard. •/He drew back his fist and let the man have it./ •/Give him a kick in the pants; let him have it!/ Syn.: GIVE IT TO. 1b. {slang} To use a weapon on; to shoot or knife. •/The guard pulled his gun and let the robber have it in the leg./ Compare: OPEN UP. 1c. or [let one have it with both barrels]{slang} To attack with words; scold; criticize. •/Mary kept talking in class until the teacher became angry and let her have it./ Syn.: LIGHT INTO(2). 2. {informal} To tell about it. – Used in the imperative phrase, «let’s have it». •/Now, Mary, let’s have it from the beginning./ •/We will take turns reading; John, let’s have it from page one./

[let one in on]{v. phr.} To reveal a secret to; permit someone to share in. •/If I let you in on something big we’re planning, will you promise not to mention it to anyone?/

[let oneself go] See: LET GO(6).

[let one’s hair down] or [let down one’s hair]{v. phr.}, {informal} Act freely and naturally; be informal; relax. •/Kings and queens can seldom let their hair down./ •/After the dance, the college girls let their hair down and compared dates./ Compare: LET GO(6).