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)

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Mirsada	-	Bosnian
Radoslava	rah-dah-SLAH-vah (Russian)	Czech, Bulgarian, Russian, Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian, Medieval Slavic
Margaretta	mahr-gə-RET-ə	English
Tempest	TEM-pəst	English (Rare)
Coleen	kah-LEEN	English
Amon	AH-mun (English)	Egyptian Mythology (Anglicized)