land (redirected from lands)

be in the land of nod (old-fashioned)

to be sleeping. Joe's in the land of nod at last.

See also: nod

be in the land of the living (humorous)

to be awake. She was partying till the early hours so I don't imagine she'll be in the land of the living before lunchtime.

See also: living

do a land-office business (American, old-fashioned)

if a company does a land-office business, they are very successful in selling their product. They only set up the company eight months ago and they're doing a land-office business.

See also: business

find out/see how the land lies

to get information about a situation before making decisions or taking action. I thought I'd better call my mother and see how the land lies before inviting myself home for the weekend.

See also: find, how, lie, see

the land of milk and honey

a country where people from other countries would like to live because they imagine that the living conditions are excellent and it is easy to make money. People in poorer parts of the world still look on the States as the land of milk and honey.

See also: milk

land on your feet (British, American & Australian, British & Australian)

to be lucky or successful after you have been in a difficult situation. She really landed on her feet - she found an apartment right in the middle of San Francisco. Richard takes the most awful risks, but he always seems to fall on his feet.

See also: feet

land/sock someone one (informal)

to hit someone hard. She just walked up and landed him one.

See also: sock

the lie of the land (British & Australian, American & Australian)

find out/see how the land lies - to get information about a situation before making decisions or taking action. It's always a good idea to find out the lie of the land before applying to a company.

See also: lie

live in cloud-cuckoo land

to believe that things you want will happen, when really they are impossible. Anyone who thinks this project will be finished within six weeks is living in cloud-cuckoo land.

See also: live

live off the fat of the land

to have enough money to live in a very comfortable way without having to do much work. Times have changed for the upper classes, many of whom are no longer able to live off the fat of the land.

See also: fat, live

a never-never land

an imaginary place where everything is perfect in a way that it is not in the real world. The film is set in a pre-war English never-never land of roses and sunny days.

the promised land

a place that offers a lot of good opportunities. America was the promised land for many immigrant families.

See also: promise

---

how the land lies

the way a situation has been arranged or has developed. After a few days on the job, I began to understand how the land lies and which people would be helpful.

See also: how, lie

land of milk and honey

an imaginary place where there is more than enough of everything. She came to the United States thinking it was the land of milk and honey.

Etymology: from the Bible story in which the Lord promises to bring the Israelites out of Egypt and into a land flowing with milk and honey

See also: milk

land on your feet

to be in good or improved condition after a difficult experience. It may take a few months to get a job, but I'm sure you'll land on your feet.

See also: feet

the lay of the land

the way a situation has been arranged or has developed. If you see them together, you don't have to be a detective to understand the lay of the land.

See also: lay