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Glite Dictionary
to laid by the heels

to laid by the heels

9.9
Held by the police or other officials and not allowed to go free
  • idiom
  • Archaic
translation icon : detenido
  • He was laid by the heels for refusing to comply with the officer's orders.

Examples

  • After the protest turned violent, the authorities laid by the heels several ringleaders.

  • We shall lay the culprit by the heels soon enough.

    Around the World in Eighty Days (1956)

  • The police laid by the heels the suspect after a long chase.

Synonyms

in chains
vsto laid by the heels
33 6.3

A person who has metal bands on the hands or feet so they cannot move

is held by authority or force, not only physically chained
shackled
vsto laid by the heels
7.0

Held by chains around the ankles so the person cannot move freely

is detained by authority or force rather than only ankle restraints
pinioned
vsto laid by the heels
9.7

A person or animal held tightly with the arms tied behind the back

is detained by force or authority rather than limb binding
by the heels
vsto laid by the heels
9.0

Held so you cannot move or escape

is detention by authority or force rather than mere helplessness

Antonyms

release
279 1.8

An act of letting someone or something go free from being held

liberated
4.9

Free from traditional social rules in behavior and personal relationships

How Detained

detention
155 3.9
to laid by the heels
  • Archaic
9.9
to arrest
∞ 3.4
capture
112 3.2

Surface Forms

laid by the heels infinitive
laid by the heels past
laid by the heels past participle
laying by the heels present participle
lays by the heels third person singular

Morphology

lay + by + the + heels

The literal meanings of 'lay' (to set down), 'by' (near), and 'heels' (backs of the feet) do not compose to the sense 'arrested/captured' in an obvious way; a B1 learner who knows the parts would not reliably infer this idiomatic meaning. The phrase is archaic and idiomatic rather than compositional, so its meaning is not transparently derivable from the constituents and would require prior exposure.

Etymology

The phrase laid by the heels may come from the image of a person forced down with their heels held so they are laid flat and cannot move. That's why the phrase now means 'arrested' or 'captured'.