lay of the land
16
4.5
- idiom
- Informal
:
situación
- As a new manager, it was important for him to get a clear view of the lay of the land in his department.
- know the lay of the land
So the defense mechanisms are then kind of determining the lay of the land, right.
- So the defense mechanisms are then kind of determining the lay of the land, right.
- And the first stage of that was for the GAO to do a report sort of looking at the lay of the land, talking to some experts.
- But hopefully this gives you the lay of the land for early Greek philosophy.
- What's your sense about the lay of the land for the future of Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies in the positive impact they may have in the world?
- So so you at least have like a rough lay of the land of the the knowledge landscape.
- You need to figure out where you're at, what you're the lay of the land.
Examples
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I try and make it a point when I'm in a new place to get the lay of the land...
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Okay, I gotta get the lay of the land.
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Just keep on, get a lay of the land, go all the way around.
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We're going to get the lay of the land.
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Still learning the lay of the land.
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Give me the lay of the land.
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Check out the lay of the land.
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We needed somebody who knew the lay of the land.
Fiction book (2001) -
Let's get the lay of the land.
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- This isn't my usual gig, so I just need to get a lay of the land, if you don't mind?
Synonyms
187
4.7
The general situation in a particular field, for example business or politics
151
4.6
The present situation in society, politics, or the economy
33
3.4
The general situation at a certain time
Antonyms
How Clear
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase evokes the physical arrangement of land (how things "lie" or are positioned) so its meaning as the current state of affairs is a metaphorical extension of the constituents. However, the form "lay"/"lie" usage here is somewhat archaic and the idiomatic sense (‘state of affairs’) is not fully predictable for a B1 learner who only knows the basic senses of the words, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Lay of the land may come from people who studied the lay of the land, meaning how fields, roads and buildings were placed. That's why it now means knowing the whole 'situation' before you act.