Englishfor English speakers
lay
Verb
—
When you lay something, you place it down flat.
Sally carefully laid out her clothing on the bed.
—
When an animal lays an egg, it makes and places it outside its body.
hands
—
noun
(= custody)
(with 'in') guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
my fate is in your hands
too much power in the president's hands
your guests are now in my custody
the mother was awarded custody of the children
—
noun
(= work force)
the force of workers available
off
Preposition
—
Away from somewhere or some time.
I got ready and by 7:00 I was off to school.
There's a nice restaurant just off the main road.
Bye, I'll be off now.
He was standing about 50m off.
Your birthday's only a few days off now.
—
If something is off it is not on.
She took the hat off his head.
Keep your feet off the desk, please.
—
Out of a vehicle such as a train, bus, etc.
As the train stopped, he jumped off and ran to her.
—
If something that uses energy is off, it is not working.
It was dark in the room because the light was off.
He turned the TV off and went to bed.
—
If you are off, you do not have to go to work or to school.
I work evenings, but I have my afternoons off.
—
made smaller by a certain amount
They've taken 30% off the price.
We cut off a few pieces.
—
If a plan, event, etc. is off, it will not happen.
Tonight's game is off because of the rain.
They've called off the meeting.
—
If you're off something, you don't like or want something you wanted before.
That article really put me off meat.
—
If you're off some medicine, you are not using it any more.
He's been off the pain killers for a few weeks.
off
Adjective
—
If food is off, it is not good to eat anymore.
off
Verb
—
If a person offs someone, they kill him or her.
I heard they offed Jimmy by drowning.