Language: en
Meaning: (transitive,chieflyUS,idiomatic)(of an employer) Todismiss(workers) from employment,e.g.at a time of lowbusinessvolumeor through nofaultof the worker, often with aseverance package.; (transitive,of a bookmaker)Toplaceall or part of abetwith anotherbookmakerin order toreducerisk.Synonym:hedge one's bets; (transitive,idiomatic)Tocease,quit,stop(doing something).Lay offthe singing, will you! I'm trying to study.When are you gonnalay offsmoking?; (transitiveandintransitive,idiomatic)To stopbothering,teasing, orpesteringsomeone; to leave (someone) alone.Justlay off, okay! I've had enough!Things have been better since the boss has beenlaying offa little.I told him tolay offme but he wouldn't stop.Lay offit, already!2008,Xavier: Renegade Angel, season 1, episode10:First Xavier (Vernon Chatman): You're about as deep as a bowl of soup, and your tongue is as sharp as a soup spoon.Second Xavier (Vernon Chatman): Hey, say what you want about me, butlay offthe soup.; (ambitransitive,art)Inpainting, to apply gentle strokes to smooth a wet coat of paint so as to remove visible roller- or brush-marks, commonly using a dry brush; a similar technique, but using a loaded laying-off brush, may produce a smooth coat of paint when using a roller or the usual brush techniques would leave marks.Synonym:tip offAt anypropaint shop ask forlaying offbrushes. These arenaturalbristle, wide, thin brushes designed fortipping off, not for holding a paint load.(Sourced from a web forum exchange)He shows me how tolay offthe paint — and moves his paintbrush across the section he had already painted, again and again.; (transitive)To plan out (a navigational course) using a chart.
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