LP
- Long-Playing Record
eg. I recently decided to give all of my old LPs to a charity.
LPG
- Liquid Petroleum Gas
eg. The truck carrying LPG was in an accident on the highway last night.
labor of love
- something done for personal pleasure and not for money
eg. The book that he wrote was a labor of love and he doesn`t expect to make any money from it.
lady killer
- a man who some women find very charming and attractive
eg. The man in the movie was a lady killer who broke many women`s hearts before he left them.
lady`s man
- a man who is popular with women
eg. He is a lady`s man who always seems to have a lot of women interested in him.
laid up
- be confined to bed or unfit for work
eg. He has been laid up for a few days because of a cold.
lame duck
- public official who has a short time left to serve in office and therefore has less power than before
eg. He is a lame duck president so it is difficult for him to get things accomplished.
land on one`s feet
- come out of a bad situation successfully
eg. He always manages to land on his feet no matter how difficult the situation is.
land on one's feet
- come out of a bad situation successfully
eg. I was able to land on my feet even though our company had recently gone bankrupt.
lap up
- eat or drink with the tongue
eg. The dog lapped up the milk that his master had given him.
lash out
- try suddenly to hit someone
eg. He suddenly lashed out and hit the man who was sitting beside him.
last but not least
- in the last place but not the least important
eg. Last but not least he came up to the front of the class to receive his report card.
last straw
- the last insult or mistake that one can endure and which then causes some reaction
eg. The fourth time he came late was the last straw and we finally fired him.
last word
- the last remark in an argument, the final say in deciding something
eg. She always expects to have the last word when she and her husband go to the store to buy something important.
laugh off
- not take seriously
eg. He laughed off the attempt of his boss to tell him that he should try and come to work on time.
lay an egg
- fail to win the interest or favor of an audience
eg. Although he was supposed to be a good magician, his performance was terrible and it laid an egg with the audience.
lay away
- save
eg. They are trying to lay away some money for their holiday next year.
lay a finger on
- touch or bother someone
eg. I was told not to lay a finger on the son of the boss when he comes to work for us.
lay away money
- save money
eg. I am trying hard to lay away enough money to buy a house.
lay down the law
- tell someone what to do using your power or influence
eg. The new management plans to lay down the law to the workers regarding long lunch breaks.
lay eyes on
- see
eg. I have never laid eyes on a more beautiful dog in my life.
lay hands on something
- get hold of or find something
eg. If I can lay my hands on a slide projector I will show you the pictures of my trip tonight.
lay hands on someone
- do violence to, harm, hurt
eg. He said that if he ever lays hands on the person who stole his car he will take him directly to the police.
lay hold of
- get possession of
eg. If I can lay hold of a car this weekend we can go for a drive.
lay in
- store up a supply of something, get and keep for future use
eg. They are trying to lay in as much food as possible before winter comes.
lay it on the line
- say plainly so that there can be no doubt, tell truthfully
eg. The librarian finally had to lay it on the line and told everyone not to bring drinks into the library.
lay it on thick
- praise someone too much
eg. He really began to lay it on thick when he met me at the party.
lay low
- hide, keep out of sight for awhile
eg. He decided to lay low for awhile until his friend forgot that he had damaged his car.
lay off (someone)
- get rid of workers when business is bad
eg. Six hundred workers at the automobile factory were recently laid off.
lay off
- stop bothering, leave alone
eg. The players were told by the coach to lay off teasing the new player so that he could relax before the game.
lay one`s cards on the table
- let someone know one`s position and feelings openly, deal honestly about something
eg. He decided to lay his cards on the table and tell his boss about the job offer from the other company.
lay out
- spend or pay some money
eg. He will have to lay out a lot of money for his new apartment.
lay over
- arrive in one place and wait some time before continuing a journey
eg. We were told that we will have to lay over in London for nine hours before we go on to Kenya.
lay one's hands on
- get hold of, find, catch
eg. If I can lay my hands on a barbecue I will barbecue some chicken for dinner.
lay out
- spend, pay
eg. I had to lay out a lot of money to get my car fixed so now I don't have any money to go out.
lay to rest
- get rid of, put away permanently, stop
eg. They have been trying to lay to rest the rumors about the financial problems in the company.
lay up
- take out of active service, put in a boat dock or a garage
eg. The weather was getting cold so they decided to lay up their boat for the winter.
lay waste
- destroy and leave in ruins, wreck
eg. The army troops laid waste to the enemy territory.
lay (light) into
- attack physically, do (eat) something with energy
eg. He laid into the steak as soon as the waiter brought it to his table.
layaway plan
- a plan in which one pays some money down and then pays the rest little by little and the store holds the article until the full price has been paid
eg. He decided to buy the television set on the department store`s layaway plan.
lay/set eyes on
- see
eg. I have not set eyes on his new car yet even though he bought it last month.
lead a dog`s life
- live a hard life, work hard and be treated unkindly
eg. He says that he has been leading a dog`s life since he started his new job.
lead a merry chase
- delay or escape capture by someone, make a person work hard
eg. He led the investigators on a merry chase before they finally arrested him.
lead by the nose
- have full control of, make or persuade someone to do anything you want
eg. He isn`t very aggressive and always lets his boss lead him by the nose.
lead off
- begin, start, open
eg. The golfer was the first to lead off in the tournament.
lead on
- insincerely encourage
eg. I think he was leading me on when he told me about the new job.
lead the way
- go before and show how to go somewhere, guide
eg. I had to lead the way because nobody else knew where the new office was located.
lead a dog`s life
- work hard and be treated unkindly
eg. He is leading a dog`s life since he married the woman who everyone told him not to.
lead by the nose
- make or persuade someone to do anything you want
eg. My sister has been leading her husband by the nose since they got married.
lean on
- pressure someone by blackmailing or threats of physical violence to make the person comply with a request
eg. The gang decided to lean on the small shop owner to get him to sell his property.
learn the ropes
- learn how to do a job
eg. He is a new employee and is still learning the ropes.
leave a bad taste in one`s mouth
- leave a bad impression, make one feel disgusted
eg. The way that the company fired the workers left a bad taste in everyone`s mouth.
leave alone
- don`t disturb someone
eg. Please leave me alone so I can finish this essay.
leave behind
- leave something somewhere
eg. I left my coat behind in the restaurant.
leave hanging (in the air)
- leave undecided or unsettled
eg. Whether or not they will be leaving next year was left hanging in the air at the end of the meeting.
leave (someone) holding the bag
- leave someone else to take the blame
eg. He left me holding the bag when he ran away from the accident.
leave in the lurch
- desert or leave alone and in trouble, refuse to help or support someone
eg. He left me in the lurch when he didn`t come over to help me although he had promised to earlier in the day.
leave no stone unturned
- try in every way, do everything possible
eg. The police left no stone unturned when they were looking for the little girl who was lost.
leave out
- omit
eg. He told me about the accident but he left out some of the main points.
leave (let) well enough alone
- be satisfied with something that is good enough
eg. You should let well enough alone and be happy with your work schedule the way it is.
leave a bad taste in one`s mouth
- make a bad impression, make or feel disgusted
eg. The way that the company treated the workers left a bad taste in our mouth.
left-handed compliment
- an ambiguous compliment interpreted as offensive
eg. He gave her a left-handed compliment when he said that her dyed hair looked nice.
leg man
- someone who performs messenger services, an errand boy
eg. He was working as a leg man for the motion picture company.
leg to stand on
- a firm foundation of facts, facts to support one`s claims
eg. She doesn`t have a leg to stand on as far as her excuses for not finishing her work goes.
leg work
- physical work
eg. He was forced to do all of the leg work preparing for the meeting because his assistant was sick.
lend/give an ear to
- listen to
eg. I try to lend an ear to all of my friends when they have a personal problem that they want to talk about.
let alone
- certainly not
eg. I don`t have enough money to go to a movie let alone go on a holiday.
let bygones be bygones
- forget about problems that happened in the past
eg. We need to let bygones be bygones and forget about our past differences.
let down
- fail to do as well as expected, disappoint
eg. He let down his parents when he failed the university entrance exams.
let down easy
- refuse or say no to someone in a pleasant way
eg. I will talk to her tomorrow and try and let her down easy about her not getting the promotion.
let down one`s hair
- relax, act freely and naturally
eg. Everybody at the party let down their hair and had a good time.
let go
- allow something to pass, do nothing about something
eg. Although I was angry at his remark I decided to let it go.
let go of
- release
eg. He let go of the rope and the suitcase fell from the bus.
let grass grow under one`s feet
- be idle, be lazy, waste time
eg. He is always working hard and is not the type of person to let grass grow under his feet.
let it all hang out
- not to disguise anything, let the truth be known
eg. She decided to let it all hang out and told her boss about the mistakes she had made with the new sales account.
let it lay
- forget it, leave it alone
eg. You should let it lay and stop worrying about what she did to you last year.
let it rip
- become involved and make the most of something, really try to win
eg. He let it rip and set off from the shore in the motorboat.
let loose
- set free, give up one`s hold on something, release something being held
eg. They decided to let loose the injured bird that they had found in the park.
let off
- discharge (a gun), explode
eg. The children let off many firecrackers during the festival.
let off steam
- get rid of your extra energy or strong feelings by doing some activity
eg. He was very angry at first but he has let off a lot of steam and has calmed down now.
let on
- reveal, inform
eg. Please don`t let on that you saw me at the movie last night.
let out
- allow to go out or escape
eg. I let out our dog this morning and he hasn`t come home yet.
let one`s hair down
- act freely and naturally, relax
eg. We were able to let our hair down at the party and have a good time.
let sleeping dogs lie
- don`t make trouble if you don`t have to
eg. You should let sleeping dogs lie and not worry about what she said to you last summer.
let the cat out of the bag
- reveal a secret
eg. Don`t let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party for the boss.
let the chips fall where they may
- don`t worry about the results of your actions
eg. I am not going to worry about whether or not the company will go broke or not. I will let the chips fall where they may.
let the cat out of the bag
- tell something that is supposed to be a secret
eg. She let the cat out of the bag when she began talking about the plans for the new department.
let the grass grow under one`s feet
- be idle, be lazy, waste time
eg. That man is never content to let the grass grow under his feet. He is always busy.
let up
- become less or weaker, become slower or stop
eg. The rain finally let up around noon so we were able to go back outside.
let (something) go
- pay no attention to, neglect
eg. She seems to be letting her appearance go since she lost her job.
let (someone) have it
- hit someone hard
eg. He really let the other man have it when they got into a fight on the bus.
let (someone) know
- tell, inform
eg. Let me know when you are ready to go to the movie.
let (someone) off the hook
- excuse someone from a penalty or promise
eg. He let me off the hook and I didn`t have to stay after work and help clean the office.
let (something) ride
- continue without changing a situation
eg. We should forget about his recent problems at work and just let the whole matter ride.
lie in state
- after death a famous person lies in a state of honor (in an open coffin) so the public can see their body
eg. The President lay in state for three days after his death.
lie in wait
- watch from hiding in order to attack or surprise someone
eg. The police decided to lie in wait for the bank robbers to appear at the bank.
lie low
- stay quietly out of sight, try not to attract attention
eg. He is very angry at you so I think that you should lie low for a few days until he calms down.
life of Riley
- a soft easy life, pleasant way of living
eg. He has been living the life of Riley since he retired from his job last year.
lift a finger (hand)
- do something, do one`s share, help
eg. Although he is a nice person he will never lift a finger to help anyone else.
lift/raise a finger
- do something, do one's share, help
eg. Her daughter will never lift a finger to help anyone.
light up
- suddenly look pleased and happy
eg. As soon as I told him about our summer holiday plans his face lit up and he started smiling.
like father, like son
- a son usually acts like his father
eg. Like father, like son the man said as he watched the boy playing baseball exactly like his father.
like a ton of bricks
- strongly or forcefully
eg. The news of his retirement hit me like a ton of bricks.
like crazy
- very fast, with great energy
eg. They were running like crazy but still they couldn`t catch up with their friend.
like hell
- with much effort and energy, not so, untrue
eg. I had to run like hell this morning in order to catch the bus for work.
like mad
- very fast, with great energy
eg. I worked like mad but I was unable to finish the project by noon as I had hoped.
like water off a duck`s back
- without effect, without changing one`s feelings or opinion
eg. He always criticizes his friend who always ignores it so it falls away like water off a duck`s back.
line up
- take places in line or formation, stand one behind another
eg. We were forced to line up in front of the movie theater for over one hour.
lip service
- support shown by words only and not by action
eg. They paid lip service to the proposal but I don`t think that they really support it.
little by little
- gradually
eg. He broke his leg while skiing but little by little it is getting better.
little frog in a big pond
- an unimportant person in a large group or organization
eg. He transferred to the headquarters branch but he is a little frog in a big pond and nobody knows him now.
little pitchers have big ears
- little children often overhear things that they are not supposed to hear
eg. Little pitchers have big ears she said when she saw her daughter standing at the door listening to her talking to her husband.
live down
- remove blame or distrust by good conduct, cause to be forgiven by not repeating something
eg. He is trying to live down his reputation of being a hard person to work for.
live from hand to mouth
- live on little money
eg. Her brother is an artist and has to live from hand to mouth because he has no money.
live high on the hog
- live very luxuriously or comfortably
eg. He has been living high on the hog since he won the money in the lottery.
live it up
- have a good time
eg. He likes to live it up every weekend when he gets paid.
live out of a suitcase
- stay away from your home with only the belongings in your suitcase
eg. I dislike this job because I am often on a business trip and must live out of my suitcase.
live up to
- come up to, agree with, act according to
eg. He is trying very hard to live up to his reputation as a smart busnessman.
live high on the hog
- have the best of everything
eg. He has been living high on the hog since he changed jobs and moved to Texas.
live from hand to mouth
- live on very little money
eg. My friend has been living from hand to mouth since he lost his job.
live high off the hog
- have the best of everything, live in great comfort
eg. My mother and father have been living high off the hog since they won the lottery.
living end
- great, fantastic, the ultimate
eg. She said that her new boyfriend was the living end.
loaded
- have lots of money
eg. His new boss is really loaded.
lock the barn door after the horse is stolen
- be careful or try to make something safe when it is too late
eg. If you try and prevent a flood after the rains have started it is like locking the barn door after the horse is stolen.
lock up
- to be assured of success
eg. The candidate has already locked up the nomination to be a candidate for president in the next election.
lock the barn door after the horse is gone
- be careful or try to make something certain after it is too late
eg. Now he wants to try and fix his house but it is like locking the barn door after the horse is gone. There was already a flood and the damage is done.
long face
- a sad look, a disappointed look
eg. He had a long face when he came into work this morning. What is the matter with him?
long haul
- a long distance or trip
eg. He is a long-haul trucker and is always out of town working.
long shot
- a bet or other risk taken though not likely to succeed
eg. It was a long shot that he would get the job so he was very happy when he did get it.
long face
- a sad or disappointed look
eg. He had a long face after he was fired from his job.
look after someone
- take care or attend to someone
eg. She has been looking after her mother since her recent illness.
look a gift horse in the mouth
- complain if a gift is not perfect
eg. Even if you don`t like the present from the company you shouldn`t complain. Remember don`t look a gift horse in the mouth.
look at the world through rose-colored glasses
- see only the good things about something, be too optimistic
eg. I told him not to be so naive and always look at the world through rose-colored glasses.
look down one`s nose at someone or something
- show your dislike of someone or something
eg. He always looks down his nose at the other members of his class.
look down on someone
- regard with contempt or a feeling of superiority
eg. She looks down on the activities and life of most small towns.
look for
- think likely, expect
eg. They are looking for John to become the next sales director of the company.
look forward to something
- anticipate with pleasure
eg. He`s been looking forward to the concert for a long time.
look in on
- go to see, make a short visit with, make a call on
eg. Could you please look in on the baby and see if she is sleeping.
look into
- investigate or check something
eg. They have been looking into the cause of the accident for many months.
look like a million dollars
- look well and prosperous, appear healthy and happy
eg. He was looking like a million dollars when I saw him at the party last weekend.
look like the cat that ate (swallowed) the canary
- seem very self-satisified like you have just had some kind of success
eg. He looked like the cat that ate the canary when he came in with a smile on his face.
look on
- be a spectator
eg. There were over a hundred people who gathered to look on after the accident.
look out
- take care, be careful, be on guard
eg. Look out! There is a large truck coming down the highway.
look over something
- inspect, survey or examine
eg. Please take some time to look over these documents before you sign them.
look to
- attend to, get ready for, take care of
eg. She is a wonderful nurse and spends a great deal of time looking to the needs of her patients.
look (something) up
- search for something in a dictionary or other book
eg. I`ll look up their name in the telephone book.
look (someone) up
- seek and find
eg. When I was in New York I looked up my friend from university.
look up to
- think of someone as a good example to copy, respect someone
eg. I always look up to the president of our company as someone I would like to be like.
look a gift horse in the mouth
- complain if a gift is not perfect
eg. He shouldn`t look a gift horse in the mouth and should be happy that he got a present from her.
look like the cat that swallowed the canary
- look very self-satisfied, look as if one just had a great success
eg. You look like the cat that swallowed the canary. What happened?
look at (see) the world through rose-colored glasses
- see only the good things about something, be too optimistic
eg. He always looks at the world through rose-colored glasses and is never able to understand that some people are dishonest.
look down one`s nose at
- think of as worthless, feel scorn for
eg. She looks down her nose at people who she thinks are not as smart as she is.
look the picture of health
- be in good health
eg. My uncle was looking the picture of health when I saw him last week.
loose ends
- without something definite to do
eg. He has been at loose ends since he lost his job.
lord it over
- act as the superior and master of someone, be bossy over someone
eg. She likes to lord it over the other members of the staff since she became a supervisor.
lose face
- be embarrassed or ashamed by an error or failure, lose dignity
eg. He lost face when his employees decided not to support him during the meeting.
lose ground
- go backward, become weaker, not improve
eg. The government has been losing ground in their fight against inflation.
lose heart
- become discouraged
eg. She has begun to lose heart in her studies to learn the piano.
lose one`s marbles
- go crazy or act irrationally
eg. He seems to have lost his marbles and doesn`t make any sense at all.
lose one`s shirt
- lose a lot of money
eg. I think he is going to lose his shirt on that new business venture.
lose one`s way
- become lost
eg. The first time she went to New York City she lost her way.
lose one`s temper
- become angry
eg. He lost his temper when the child broke the dish.
lose out
- fail to win, miss first place in a contest
eg. He lost out on a chance to go to Mexico City because he was too busy with other things.
lose sight of
- forget, fail to see
eg. Don't lose sight of the main reason that you are planning to go on the business trip.
lose touch with
- fail to keep in contact or communication with someone
eg. I lost touch with everyone who I worked with at my summer job.
lose track of
- lose contact with someone (or something)
eg. I`ve lost track of many of my friends from high school.
lose one`s shirt
- lose all or most of one`s money
eg. He lost his shirt gambling and now is in serious financial difficulty.
lose face
- be embarassed or ashamed by an error or failure, lose self-respect
eg. The manager lost face when the person that she hired to help her was useless as a worker.
lose heart
- feel discouraged because of failure, lose hope of success
eg. I tried not to lose heart even though I had failed my driver`s exam for the second time.
lose one`s shirt
- lose all or most of one`s money
eg. I lost my shirt in a business venture and now I have no money.
loudmouth
- a noisy, boastful or foolish talker
eg. He is a loudmouth and nobody at work likes him.
loudmouth/bigmouth
- a noisy, boastful or foolish talker
eg. My friend is a loudmouth and is always making foolish plans that he never carries out.
louse up
- throw into confusion, make a mess of, spoil
eg. She loused up her job interview and has no chance at all now to get the job.
lover`s lane
- a hidden road or walkway where lovers walk or park in the evening
eg. After the movie they drove to the local lover`s lane.
lowdown
- the inside facts of a matter, the total truth
eg. I met with him after the presentation and he gave me the lowdown on the new computer equipment.
luck out
- suddenly get lucky when it looks like you won`t succeed
eg. He lucked out with the concert tickets and was able to get four of them.
lucky star
- a certain star or planet which is thought to bring a person good luck and success in life
eg. You should thank your lucky star that you don`t have to go to work on a rainy day like today.
(not) lay a finger on someone
- not touch someone, not bother to do something (not even a little)
eg. He was told by the police never to lay a finger on his wife again.
Last Update: 2005/12/18