The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms, Second Edition by Ammer Christine

Author:Ammer, Christine [Ammer, Christine]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Published: 2013-05-07T00:00:00+00:00

l

labor of love Work done for one’s satisfaction rather than monetary reward. For example, The research took three years but it was a labor of love. This expression appears twice in the New Testament (Hebrews 6:10, Thessalonians 1:3), referring to those who do God’s work as a labor of love. [c. 1600]

lace into Also, light into. Attack, assail, as in He laced into me for arriving late, or She lit into him for forgetting the tickets. The first of these colloquial terms employs lace in the sense of “beat up or thrash,” a usage dating from the late 1500s. The idiom with light dates from the late 1800s and stems from the verb alight, meaning “descend.”

ladder → See BOTTOM OF THE LADDER.

ladies’ man Also lady’s man. A man who enjoys and attracts the company of women. For example, Because women seemed to seek him out at parties, Brian got the reputation for being quite a ladies’ man. [Late 1700s]

laid up 1. Also, sick in bed. Ill and confined to bed, as in I was laid up for a week with the flu, or Sally can’t come outside; she’s sick in bed. [Mid-1500s] 2. Put in a safe place, as in The ship was laid up in dock with engine trouble, or The hikers were laid up in a cave during the storm. [Mid-1600s] Also see under LAY IN; LAY SOMEONE LOW.

la-la land 1. Los Angeles, California (often abbreviated L.A.). This expression pokes fun at the alleged eccentricities of the city’s inhabitants. For example, What do you expect? Frederick has lived in la-la land for ten years and it has rubbed off on him. [Slang; c. 1980] 2. A state of being out of touch with reality, as in I don’t know what’s going on with Amy—she seems to be in la-la land. [Slang; c. 1980] Also see CLOUD-CUCKOO LAND; NEVER-NEVER LAND.

lam → See ON THE LAM.

lamb → See HANGED FOR A SHEEP AS A LAMB; IN TWO SHAKES (OF A LAMB’S TAIL); LIKE A LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER.

lame duck An elected officeholder whose term of office has not yet expired but who has failed to be re-elected and therefore cannot garner much political support for initiatives. For example, You can’t expect a lame duck President to get much accomplished; he’s only got a month left in office. This expression originated in the 1700s and then meant a stock-broker who did not meet his debts. It was transferred to officeholders in the 1860s. The Lame Duck Amendment, 20th to the U.S. Constitution, calls for Congress and each new President to take office in January instead of March (as before), thereby eliminating the lame-duck session of Congress.

land → In addition to the idioms beginning with LAND, also see CLOUD-CUCKOO LAND; FALL (LAND) ON ONE’S FEET; FAT OF THE LAND; LA-LA LAND; LAY OF THE LAND; NEVER-NEVER LAND.

land in Also, land up. Arrive at, end in something. For example, This situation could land you in a terrible mess, or I never thought I’d land up with a reward for excellence.

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