[know something inside out]{v. phr.} To be extremely well conversant with something; be an expert in; have thorough knowledge of. •/Tom knows the stock market inside out./

[know the ropes] See: THE ROPES.

[know the score] See: THE SCORE.

[know what’s what] See: KNOW SOMETHING INSIDE OUT.

[know which side one’s bread is buttered on]{v. phr.} To know who can help you and try to please him; know what is for your own gain. •/Dick was always polite to the boss; he knew which side his bread was buttered on./

[know which way to turn] See: NOT KNOW WHICH WAY TO TURN.

[knuckle] See: BUCKLE DOWN or KNUCKLE DOWN, RAP ONE’S KNUCKLES.

[knuckle down] See: BUCKLE DOWN.

[knuckle under]{v. phr.} To do something because you are forced to do it. •/Bobby refused to knuckle under to the bully./ Compare: GIVE IN.

[labor movement]{n.} Groups which form, strengthen, and increase membership in labor unions. •/His father was connected with the labor movement in the 1920’s./

[labor of love]{n. phr.} Something done for personal pleasure and not pay or profit. •/Building the model railroad was a labor of love for the retired engineer./

[labor the point] See: BELABOR THE POINT.

[labor under]{v. phr.} To be the victim of; suffer from. •/Ken is obviously laboring under the delusion that Jennifer will marry him out of love./

[lace into] or [tie into] {v.}, {informal} To attack physically or with words; begin to hit or criticize. •/The boxer laced into his opponent./ •/The critics laced into the new movie./ Syn.: LAY INTO, RIP INTO. Compare: GIVE IT TO.

[ladies' room]{n. phr.} A public toilet and restroom for women. •/Can you please tell me where the ladies' room is?/

[lady friend]{n.} 1. A woman friend. •/His aunt stays with a lady friend in Florida during the winter./ 2. A woman who is the lover of a man. — Used by people trying to appear more polite, but not often used by careful speakers. •/The lawyer took his lady friend to dinner./ Syn.: GIRLFRIEND.

[lady-killer]{n.}, {informal} 1. Any man who has strong sex appeal toward women. •/Joe is a regular lady-killer./ 2. A man who relentlessly pursues amorous conquests, is successful at it, and then abandons his heartbroken victims. •/The legendary Don Juan of Spain is the most famous lady-killer of recorded history./ Compare: LADY’S MAN.

[lady of the house]{n. phr.} Female owner, or wife of the owner, of the house; the hostess. •/"Dinner is served," the lady of the house announced to her guests./

[lady’s man]{n.} A man or boy who likes to be with women or girls very much and is popular with them. •/Charlie is quite a lady’s man now./

[lake] See: GO JUMP IN THE LAKE.

[laid out]{adj.} Arranged. •/Her house is very conveniently laid out./

[laid up]{adj.} Sick; confined to bed. •/I was laid up for a couple of weeks with an ear infection./

[lam] See: ON THE LAM.

[lamb] See: GOD TEMPERS THE WIND TO THE SHORN LAMB, IN TWO SHAKES OF A LAMB’S TAIL.

[lame duck]{n.}, {informal} An elected public official who has been either defeated in a new election or whose term cannot be renewed, but who has a short period of time left in office during which he can still perform certain duties, though with somewhat diminished powers. •/In the last year of their second terms, American presidents are lame ducks./

[land] See: FAT OF THE LAND, LAY OF THE LAND also HOW THE LAND LIES.

[land all over] See: JUMP ON.

[landing ship]{n.} A ship built to land troops and army equipment on a beach for an invasion. •/The landing ship came near the beach, doors in the bow opened, and marines ran out./

[land-office business]{n.}, {informal} A great rush of business. •/It was a hot day, and the drive-ins were doing a land-office business in ice cream and cold drinks./

[land of nod]{n. phr.} Sleep. •/The little girl went off to the land of nod./

[land on] See: JUMP ON.

[land on one’s feet] also [land on both feet] {v. phr.}, {informal} To get yourself out of trouble without damage or injury and sometimes with a gain; be successful no matter what happens. •/No matter what trouble he gets into, he always seems to land on his feet./ •/Mary lost her first job because she was always late to work, but she landed on her feet and soon had a better job./

[landslide]{n.} An overwhelming victory during a political election. •/Ronald Reagan won the election of 1980 in a landslide./

[lane] See: LOVERS' LANE.

[lap] See: IN THE LAP OF LUXURY, IN THE LAP OF THE GODS.

[lap up]{v.} 1. To eat or drink with the tip of the tongue. •/The kitten laps up its milk./ 2. {informal} To take in eagerly. •/She flatters him all the time and he just laps it up./ •/William is interested in rockets and space, and he laps up all he can read about them./ Syn.: EAT UP(3).

[lardhead]{n.}, {slang} A stupid or slow-witted person. •/You’ll never convince Donald; he’s a lardhead./

[large] See: AT LARGE, BY AND LARGE.

[large as life] See: BIG AS LIFE.

[large-eyed] See: ROUND-EYED.

[large order]{n. phr.} Difficult job; a difficult task to fulfill. •/It is a large order to educate three children in college at the same time./ Compare: TALL ORDER.

[lash] See: TONGUE LASHING.

[lash out]{v.} 1. To kick. •/The horse lashed out at the man behind him./ 2. To try suddenly to hit. •/The woman lashed out at the crowd with her umbrella./ 3. To attack with words. •/The senator lashed out at the administration./ •/The school newspaper lashed out at the unfriendly way some students treated the visiting team./

[last] See: AT LAST, EVERY LAST MAN, EVERY SINGLE or EVERY LAST, FIRST AND LAST, HE LAUGHS BEST WHO LAUGHS LAST, HAVE THE LAST LAUGH, ON ONE’S LAST LEGS, TILL THE LAST GUN IS FIRED or UNTIL THE LAST GUN IS FIRED.

[last but not least]{adv. phr.} In the last place but not the least important. •/Billy will bring sandwiches, Alice will bring cake, Susan will bring cookies, John will bring potato chips, and last but not least, Sally will bring the lemonade./

[last ditch]{n.} The last place that can be defended; the last resort. •/They will fight reform to the last ditch./

[last-ditch]{adj.} Made or done as a last chance to keep from losing or tailing. •/He threw away his cigarettes in a last-ditch effort to stop smoking./ Compare: BACK TO THE WALL.

[last-ditch effort] See: LAST DITCH.

[last lap]{n. phr.} The final stage. •/Although the trip had been very interesting, we were glad that we were on the last lap of our tiring journey./ See: LAST LEG.

[last laugh] See: HAVE THE LAST LAUGH.

[last leg]{n. phr.} 1. Final stages of physical weakness before dying. •/The poor old man was on his last leg in the nursing home./ 2. The final stage of a journey. •/The last leg of our round-the-world trip was Paris to Chicago./ See: LAST LAP.

[last out]{v.} 1. To be enough until the end of. •/There is enough food in the house to last out the snowstorm./ •/Our candies won’t last out the night./ 2. To continue to the end of; continue to live after; live or go through. •/The old man is dying; he won’t last out the night./ •/This car will never last out the winter./ Compare: HOLD OUT.