find out how the land lies



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. (British & Australian)
See also: find, how, land, lie, out

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
ReRAYEgyptian Mythology
Rodrigue-French
ToirÉAsa-Irish
Gaultier-French
Ioannis-Greek
Isaurus-Late Roman