lie (redirected from lies ahead)

be/lie at the bottom of something

to be the real reason for something unpleasant. I don't know for certain why she dislikes you, but I suspect jealousy is at the bottom of it.

See also: bottom

couldn't lie straight in bed (Australian, informal)

if you say someone couldn't lie straight in bed, you mean they are very dishonest. Nothing you could say about Pete would surprise me. The man couldn't even lie straight in bed.

See also: bed, couldn't, straight

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, land, see

give the lie to something (formal)

to show that something is not true. The high incidence of cancer in the region surely gives the lie to official assurances that the factory is safe.

See also: give

let sleeping dogs lie

to not talk about things which have caused problems in the past, or to not try to change a situation because you might cause problems. His parents never referred to the shoplifting incident again. I suppose they thought it best to let sleeping dogs lie. It wasn't that we didn't want to improve the school - it was more a case of letting sleeping dogs lie.

See also: dog, let, sleep

lie doggo (British & Australian, old-fashioned)

to hide, especially in order to avoid doing something that someone wants you to do. 'Where's Mike?' 'Probably lying doggo till the washing up's done.'

lie down on the job

to not work as hard at something as you should. The new Police Chief fired two officers he accused of lying down on the job.

See also: down, job

lie low

to remain hidden so that you will not be found. We thought someone might have seen us leaving the building, so we figured we'd better lie low for a while.

See also: low

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: land

lie through your teeth

to tell someone something that you know is completely false. The man's lying through his teeth. He never said anything of the sort.

See also: teeth, through

live a lie

to live a life that is dishonest because you are pretending to be something that you are not, either to yourself or to other people. Walker, who admitted that he was gay last year, spoke of the relief he felt at no longer having to live a lie.

See also: live

a pack of lies (formal)

a story that someone has invented in order to deceive people. He dismissed recent rumours that he'd had affairs with a number of women as 'a pack of lies'. The entire account of where she'd been and who she'd been with that night was a tissue of lies.

See also: pack

time hangs/lies heavy (on someone's hands)

if time hangs heavy, it seems to pass slowly because you do not have enough to do. Time hangs heavy on your hands in prison.

See also: hang, heavy, time

a white lie

a lie that you tell in order not to upset someone. I don't see the harm in telling the occasional white lie if it spares someone's feelings.

See also: white

You've made your bed (and you'll have to lie in it).

something that you say in order to tell someone that they must accept that they will suffer as a result of something bad that they have done. Don't come crying to me if it all goes wrong. You've made your bed and you'll have to lie in it.

See also: bed, made, you've

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give the lie to something

to show that something is not true. He did not go into hiding, which gave the lie to the statement that he could not be found for an interview.

Usage notes: also used in the form give the lie to someone to show that someone has not been telling the truth: The latest soil tests give the lie to officials who say that the area is not contaminated.

See also: give

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, land

lie behind something

to explain or be the reason for something. I wonder what lay behind his decision to quit school.

See also: behind

lie in state

to place a person's body where it can be seen by the public. The President's body lay in state in the Capitol for three days and thousands walked by his coffin to pay their respects.

See also: state

lie in wait

1. to stay hidden, ready to attack. Police said the suspect was lying in wait in a dark hallway. This person was found behind a wall, as if he were lying in wait for someone.

2. to delay doing something until the best time for it. The smart thing to do is lie in wait for the right time to ask for a raise.

lie low

See also: wait

lie low

to hide so you will not be caught by someone. All we could think to do was to get into the woods — any woods — as fast as possible and just lie low.

Usage notes: often confused in form with lay someone low to weaken someone

lie in wait

See also: low

lie through your teeth

to say things that are not true in a way that seems sincere. Slater wasn't a doctor, he had never been to medical school, he just lied through his teeth and we believed him.

See also: teeth, through

live a lie

to spend your life as someone else. For all of his adult life, he lived a lie and didn't confess even to his family that he was a spy.

See also: live