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lay up

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lay someone up

to cause someone to be ill in bed. A broken leg laid me up for two months. Flu laid up everyone at work for a week or more.

See also: lay, up

lay something up

 

1. to acquire and store something. Try to lay as much of it up as you can. I am trying to lay up some firewood for the winter.

2. [for something] to disable something. The accident laid up the ship for repairs. A wreck laid the bus up for months.

See also: lay, up

lay somebody up

to force someone to stay in bed or do very little She's been laid up with the flu for a week. The accident laid him up with a broken leg.

See also: lay, up

lay up

v.

1. To store or stock something for future use: We must lay up many supplies for our long journey. We bought a bushel of seed and laid half of it up for planting next year.

2. To confine someone with an illness or injury: A bad flu can lay you up for two weeks. Yellow fever laid up many of the people who worked on the Panama Canal. I was laid up for a month.

3. To put some sailing vessel in dock, as for repairs: We laid up the ship in Anchorage for six months. Let's lay the boat up at the next port.

4. To dock for repairs: The sailboat laid up in Charleston to have the rigging fixed.

5. To hit a golf shot less far than one is able so as to avoid a hazard: I was afraid of hitting the sand trap, so I laid up a bit.

See also: lay, up