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
MastermanMAS-tər-mənEnglish (Rare)
Maialen-Basque
JustynYUWS-tinPolish
Isidro-Spanish
Frano-Croatian
AlyceAL-isEnglish