The cat laid the mouse before her mistress.
•Dave laid the present before her as a peace offering.
2. Fig. to present something for someone to judge. •All you can do is lay the matter before the teacher and hope for a favorable response.
•I want to lay this before you and let you decide.
Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.
lay something before — present material for consideration and action to (someone). → lay … English new terms dictionary
lay — lay1 [ leı ] (past tense and past participle laid [ leıd ] ) verb *** ▸ 1 put down flat/carefully ▸ 2 push egg from body ▸ 3 plan and prepare ▸ 4 lie ▸ 5 prepare table for meal ▸ + PHRASES 1. ) transitive lay on/in/across/against to put something … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
lay before — phrasal verb [transitive] Word forms lay before : present tense I/you/we/they lay before he/she/it lays before present participle laying before past tense laid before past participle laid before lay something before someone to offer something to… … English dictionary
lay — lay1 [lā] vt. laid, laying [ME leyen, new formation < 3d pers. sing. of earlier leggen < OE lecgan, lit., to make lie (akin to Goth lagjan, Ger legen) < pt. base of OE licgan, to LIE1] 1. to cause to come down or fall with force; knock… … English World dictionary
lay — 1 /leI/ verb the past tense of lie 1 2 verb past tense and past participle laid 1 PUT SB/STH DOWN (transitive always + adv/prep) to put someone or something down carefully into a flat position: lay sth in/on/under etc: Laying my coat carefully on … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
lay — I UK [leɪ] / US verb Word forms lay : present tense I/you/we/they lay he/she/it lays present participle laying past tense laid UK [leɪd] / US past participle laid *** Collocations: Lay means to put something in a particular place or position: I… … English dictionary
lay — I [[t]le͟ɪ[/t]] VERB AND NOUN USES ♦♦ lays, laying, laid (In standard English, the form lay is also the past tense of the verb in some meanings. In informal English, people sometimes use the word lay instead of … English dictionary
lay — lay1 verb (past and past participle laid) 1》 put down, especially gently or carefully. 2》 put down and set in position for use. ↘Brit. set cutlery on (a table) in preparation for a meal. ↘put the material for (a fire) in place.… … English new terms dictionary
before — [[t]bɪfɔ͟ː(r)[/t]] ♦ (In addition to the uses shown below, before is used in the phrasal verbs go before and lay before .) 1) PREP If something happens before a particular date, time, or event, it happens earlier than that date, time, or event.… … English dictionary
lay before — To submit (eg plans) to • • • Main Entry: ↑lay * * * ˈlay be ˌfore [transitive] [present tense I/you/we/they lay before he/she/it lays before … Useful english dictionary
lay — lay1 W2S1 [leı] v the past tense of ↑lie 1 lay 2 lay2 v past tense and past participle laid [leıd] ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(put somebody/something down)¦ 2 lay bricks/carpet/concrete/cables etc 3¦(bird/insect etc)¦ 4¦(table)¦ 5 lay the foundations/ … Dictionary of contemporary English
