To lay over, verb. phr. (colloquial).—1. To excel.
1870. Bret Harte, Luck of Roaring Camp. A street that would lay
over any street in Red Dog.
A good lay, subs. phr. (tailors’).—An economical method of cutting;
anything beneficial.
Laycock. See Miss Laycock.
Layer, subs. (racing).—A bookmaker; a betting man.
Lay-out, subs. (American).—A company; an outfit (q.v.); a spread
(q.v.).
1869. McClure, Rocky Mountains, 219. A most expensive lay-out.
Layover. See Lareover.
Laystall (Leystall, or Layston), subs. (old).—See quots.
1590. Spenser, Faerie Queene, 1. v. 53. Scarce could he groping
find in that fowle way, For many corses like a great laystall lay,
Of murdred men, which therein strowed lay.
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. Leystall, a Dunghill.
1725. New Cant. Dict., s.v.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Laystall a dunghill on which the
soil brought from necessary houses is emptied. Idem, 3rd ed., s.v.
Laystall a dunghill about London, on which the soil brought from
necessary houses is emptied; or in more technical terms where the
old gold, collected at weddings by the Tom turd-man is stored.
Lay-up, subs. (common).—A drink; a go (q.v.).
1891. Newman, Scamping Tricks, 84. I would have given just then
some one else’s gold-mines for a strong lay-up of something neat.
Lazy. Lazy as Ludlam’s (or David Laurence’s) Dog, phr.
(old).—Excessively indolent; see quots. Also ‘Lazy as Joe the marine
who laid down his musket to sneeze.’
1670. Ray, Proverbs, s.v.
1678. Cotton, Scarronides, Note. ’Tis a proverb, Ludlam’s dog
leaned his head against a wall when he went to bark.
1811. Lex. Bal., s.v. Lazy. As lazy as Ludlam’s dog who leaned
against the wall to bark. As lazy as the tinker, who laid down his
budget to f—t.
Lazy-bones, subs. (common).—1. A loafer; also Lazy-boots. Fr. une
loche.
1593. Harvey, Pierces Superer. [Grosart (1885), ii. 283]. Was
legierdemane a sloweworme, or viuacitie a lasie-bones.
1596. Nashe, Have With You etc. [Grosart (1885), iii. 62]. Tell me
was euer ... Viuacitie a lazy-bones?
1626. Breton, Pasquil’s Madecapp [Grosart (1869), i. e, 12, 2.
31.]. Go tell the labourers, that the lazie bones That will not
worke, must seeke the beggars gains.
1860. Gaskell, Sylvia’s Lovers, ch. xxxv. Like a lazy-boots as she
is.
1877. Scribner’s Monthly, p. 526. Sharp at ten o’clock, snow-shoes
are strapped on again, and Indian file homeward they go, some
novices and lazy-bones walking home sans shoes by the road.
Lazy-Lawrence (or Larrence).—An incarnation of laziness. See quot.
1655. Prideaux, Readings in History [N. and Q. 7, S. xi. 212]. St.
Lawrence suffered martyrdom about the middle of the third century,
250 to 260 a.c. A traditional tale has been handed down from age to
age that at his execution he bore his torments without a writhe or
groan, which caused some of those standing by to remark, ‘How great
must be his faith!’ But his pagan executioner said, ‘It is not his
faith, but his idleness; he is too lazy to turn himself.’
Lazy-man’s load, subs. (old).—See quot.
1811. Lex. Bal., s.v. Lazy-man’s load. Lazy people frequently take
up more than they can safely carry, to save the trouble of coming a
second time.
Lazy-tongs, subs. (old).—See quot.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. An instrument like a pair of tongs
for old or very fat people, to take anything off the ground without
stooping.
1811. Lex. Bal., s.v.
Lead, subs. (theatrical).—(1) A leading or principal part; (2) the
person who plays it.
Friendly Lead, subs. (thieves’).—An entertainment—sing-song, dance, or
drinking party—got up to assist a friend in trouble (q.v.). Fr. une
bouline.
1851–61. H. Mayhew, London Lab. & Lon. Poor, vol. iii. p. 164. ‘We
went to a public-house where they were having a lead, that is a
collection for a friend who is ill, and the company throw down what
they can for a subscription, and they have in a fiddle and make it
social.’
1871. Daily Telegraph, 4 Dec. They distribute tickets for a
friendly lead, for the benefit of Bill, who is ‘just out of his
trouble.’
1889. Cassell’s Saturday Journal, 5 Jan. The men frequently club
together in a friendly lead to help a brother in distress.
1892. Ally Sloper, 2 Ap., p. 106, col. 3. My father takes the chair
at friendly leads.
To lead apes in hell, verb. phr. (old).—The employment jocularly
assigned to old maids in hell.
1575. Gascogne, Adv. Master F. J. [Hazlitt (1869), Poems, i. 463].
I am afrayde my marryage will be marred, and I may go lead apes in
hell.
1581. Lyly, Euphues (Arb.), 87. Rather thou shouldest leade a lyfe
to thine owne lyking in earthe, than ... leade apes in hell.
1600. Shakspeare, Much Ado etc., ii. 1. Therefore I will even take
sixpence in earnest of the bear-herd, and lead his apes into hell.
1605. Lond. Prodigal, i. 2. ’Tis an old proverb, and you know it
well, That women dying maids lead apes in hell.
1670. Ray, Proverbs [Bohn (1893), 45]. Old maids lead apes in hell.
1717. Mrs. Centlivre, Bold Stroke, ii. 1. Poor girl; she must
certainly lead apes, as the saying is.
1830. General P. Thompson, Exerc. (1842), I. 198. Joining with
other old women, in leading their apes in Tartarus.
1837. Barham, Ingoldsby Legends, ‘Bloudie Jacke.’ So they say she
is now leading apes ... below.
Leading Article, subs. phr. (common).—1. The nose. For synonyms see
Conk.
1886. Chambers’s Journal, 3 July, p. 428. Men of note almost
invariably possess decided and prominent leading articles, whilst
an insufficient nasal accompaniment not unfrequently denotes
inanity.