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
WinnifredWIN-i-fridWelsh, English
ÁIle-Sami
AlgernonAL-jər-nahnEnglish
Yotam-Biblical Hebrew
Alhazen
Akhila-Indian, Telugu, Malayalam