See lay down the law on Wiktionary
{
"forms": [
{
"form": "lays down the law",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "laying down the law",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "laid down the law",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "laid down the law",
"tags": [
"past"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "lay<,,laid> down the law",
"head": "lay down the law"
},
"expansion": "lay down the law (third-person singular simple present lays down the law, present participle laying down the law, simple past and past participle laid down the law)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "14 39 47",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with 1 entry",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "15 40 45",
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},
{
"_dis": "19 37 43",
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},
{
"_dis": "23 35 42",
"kind": "other",
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"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1982, “Mesopotamia”, performed by The B-52's:",
"text": "Six or eight thousand years ago / They laid down the law / In Mesopotamia",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2004, John Lierman, The New Testament Moses, page 125:",
"text": "[I]n other words, some Jews thought of Moses as the one who laid down the Law, while others saw him more as a prophet.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To promulgate law."
],
"id": "en-lay_down_the_law-en-verb-meW0iwzJ",
"links": [
[
"promulgate",
"promulgate"
]
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "topical",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Law",
"orig": "en:Law",
"parents": [
"Justice",
"Society",
"All topics",
"Fundamental"
],
"source": "w"
},
{
"_dis": "14 39 47",
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},
{
"_dis": "23 35 42",
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}
],
"glosses": [
"To present the law that applies to a given case."
],
"id": "en-lay_down_the_law-en-verb-~f0zW7lH",
"links": [
[
"law",
"law#English"
],
[
"case",
"case"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(law, dated) To present the law that applies to a given case."
],
"related": [
{
"_dis1": "33 54 13",
"word": "read the riot act"
}
],
"tags": [
"dated"
],
"topics": [
"law"
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "7 39 53",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
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{
"_dis": "10 29 62",
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{
"_dis": "19 37 43",
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{
"_dis": "22 33 45",
"kind": "other",
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"source": "w+disamb"
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{
"_dis": "20 33 47",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Italian translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "21 35 44",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Russian translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "23 35 42",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Welsh translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1818, Sir Walter Scott, The Heart of Mid-Lothian, chapter 4:",
"text": "He concluded this sentence with a self-important cough, as one who has laid down the law in an indisputable manner.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1908, Upton Sinclair, The Moneychangers, chapter 19:",
"text": "Montague could picture the grim, hawk-faced old man, sitting at the head of the council board, and laying down the law to the masters of the Metropolis.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2003, Robert Ludlum with Gayle Lynds, The Altman code, page 357:",
"text": "Looks like the governor's laid down the law about the guards getting too lax, so we have to be damned careful.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To authoritatively or dogmatically assert what is permitted or not permitted."
],
"id": "en-lay_down_the_law-en-verb-2Hy5KpkS",
"links": [
[
"authoritatively",
"authoritatively"
],
[
"dogmatically",
"dogmatically"
],
[
"assert",
"assert"
],
[
"permit",
"permit"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) To authoritatively or dogmatically assert what is permitted or not permitted."
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "4 7 89",
"code": "hy",
"lang": "Armenian",
"roman": "eġanak steġcel",
"sense": "to assert what is permitted",
"word": "եղանակ ստեղծել"
},
{
"_dis1": "4 7 89",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to assert what is permitted",
"word": "faire la loi"
},
{
"_dis1": "4 7 89",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to assert what is permitted",
"word": "faire la pluie et le beau temps"
},
{
"_dis1": "4 7 89",
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "to assert what is permitted",
"word": "fare il bello e il cattivo tempo"
},
{
"_dis1": "4 7 89",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "delatʹ pogodu",
"sense": "to assert what is permitted",
"word": "делать погоду"
},
{
"_dis1": "4 7 89",
"code": "cy",
"lang": "Welsh",
"sense": "to assert what is permitted",
"word": "rhoi'r ddeddf i lawr"
},
{
"_dis1": "4 7 89",
"code": "cy",
"lang": "Welsh",
"sense": "to assert what is permitted",
"word": "dweud y drefn"
}
]
}
],
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{
"audio": "En-au-lay down the law.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/ef/En-au-lay_down_the_law.ogg/En-au-lay_down_the_law.ogg.mp3",
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"word": "lay down the law"
}
{
"categories": [
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English lemmas",
"English multiword terms",
"English verbs",
"Entries with translation boxes",
"Pages with 1 entry",
"Pages with entries",
"Terms with Armenian translations",
"Terms with French translations",
"Terms with Italian translations",
"Terms with Russian translations",
"Terms with Welsh translations"
],
"forms": [
{
"form": "lays down the law",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "laying down the law",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "laid down the law",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "laid down the law",
"tags": [
"past"
]
}
],
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{
"args": {
"1": "lay<,,laid> down the law",
"head": "lay down the law"
},
"expansion": "lay down the law (third-person singular simple present lays down the law, present participle laying down the law, simple past and past participle laid down the law)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"related": [
{
"word": "read the riot act"
}
],
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1982, “Mesopotamia”, performed by The B-52's:",
"text": "Six or eight thousand years ago / They laid down the law / In Mesopotamia",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2004, John Lierman, The New Testament Moses, page 125:",
"text": "[I]n other words, some Jews thought of Moses as the one who laid down the Law, while others saw him more as a prophet.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To promulgate law."
],
"links": [
[
"promulgate",
"promulgate"
]
]
},
{
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"English dated terms",
"en:Law"
],
"glosses": [
"To present the law that applies to a given case."
],
"links": [
[
"law",
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],
[
"case",
"case"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(law, dated) To present the law that applies to a given case."
],
"tags": [
"dated"
],
"topics": [
"law"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English idioms",
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1818, Sir Walter Scott, The Heart of Mid-Lothian, chapter 4:",
"text": "He concluded this sentence with a self-important cough, as one who has laid down the law in an indisputable manner.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1908, Upton Sinclair, The Moneychangers, chapter 19:",
"text": "Montague could picture the grim, hawk-faced old man, sitting at the head of the council board, and laying down the law to the masters of the Metropolis.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2003, Robert Ludlum with Gayle Lynds, The Altman code, page 357:",
"text": "Looks like the governor's laid down the law about the guards getting too lax, so we have to be damned careful.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To authoritatively or dogmatically assert what is permitted or not permitted."
],
"links": [
[
"authoritatively",
"authoritatively"
],
[
"dogmatically",
"dogmatically"
],
[
"assert",
"assert"
],
[
"permit",
"permit"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) To authoritatively or dogmatically assert what is permitted or not permitted."
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"audio": "En-au-lay down the law.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/ef/En-au-lay_down_the_law.ogg/En-au-lay_down_the_law.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/En-au-lay_down_the_law.ogg"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "hy",
"lang": "Armenian",
"roman": "eġanak steġcel",
"sense": "to assert what is permitted",
"word": "եղանակ ստեղծել"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to assert what is permitted",
"word": "faire la loi"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to assert what is permitted",
"word": "faire la pluie et le beau temps"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "to assert what is permitted",
"word": "fare il bello e il cattivo tempo"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "delatʹ pogodu",
"sense": "to assert what is permitted",
"word": "делать погоду"
},
{
"code": "cy",
"lang": "Welsh",
"sense": "to assert what is permitted",
"word": "rhoi'r ddeddf i lawr"
},
{
"code": "cy",
"lang": "Welsh",
"sense": "to assert what is permitted",
"word": "dweud y drefn"
}
],
"word": "lay down the law"
}
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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-02-03 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-01-20 using wiktextract (05fdf6b and 9dbd323). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
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