lay of the land, the

Idioms and Phrases

The nature, arrangement, or disposition of something, the general state of affairs, as in Once we know the lay of the land, we can plan our advertising campaign . A related expression is how the land lies , as in Let's be cautious till we know how the land lies . This usage originated in Britain about 1700 as the lie of the land and is still so used there.

Example Sentences

Isabella, who “majored in psychology,” wastes no time in letting her opinions be known — I mean, I’d hang back a little, get the lay of the land, instead of thinking my suggestions, based on a day’s experience, needed to be taken seriously.

From Los Angeles Times

“What we have here before us is an opportunity to end a corrosive practice where, strategically, people avoid primaries to see what the lay of the land is, and then pick the candidate best suited for November after the primary has been settled on the other side,” Harmon said.

From Seattle Times

An initial masterplan by the colonial authorities took into consideration the lay of the land and designed measures to prevent disasters.

From BBC

“Just registering, getting the lay of the land. I’m going to talk to my psychologist this afternoon — he’s flying in tonight — and we’ll have a good game plan, some goals, and kind of get the ball rolling tomorrow.”

From Seattle Times

“Just having patrons out and stuff, that’s something I’ve not experienced. Even the locker room is a different spot now than it was when I was here, so I’m getting the lay of the land as the day is going.”

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• contour