lay something on someone

lay (something) on (someone or something)

1. To set or rest something down on someone or something. Lay those magazines on the coffee table, please. If you lay the baby's favorite blanket on her, she should stop crying.

2. To tell someone something. OK, lay it on me—what did your mother do this time?

3. To impose or foist something on someone or something. You made that decision all on your own, so you can't lay that one on me. My parents are always laying their expectations on me—it's so frustrating.

See also: lay, on

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

lay something on someone

1. tv. to present a plan or an idea to someone. Here is this century’s greatest idea. Let me lay it on you.

2. tv. to attempt to make someone feel guilty about something. Don’t lay that stuff on me. Face your own problem.

See also: lay, on, someone, something

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.