lay low

English

Etymology 1

Verb

lay low (third-person singular simple present lays low, present participle laying low, simple past and past participle laid low)

1. (transitive) To topple or overcome; to cause to fall; (of a person) to knock out.

   He was laid low by a vicious blow to the head.

   • 1937, J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit:

     The dragon's ire, more fierce than fire, laid low their towers and houses frail.

2. (transitive) To put in an abject condition.
   • 1979 April 28, Nancy Walker, “A Case of Mistaken Identity”, in Gay Community News, page 19:

     My lover had remained in New York with her family because she had picked up the plague, or something just as bad, that had laid her quite low.

Etymology 2

Verb

lay low (third-person singular simple present lays low, present participle laying low, simple past and past participle laid low or lay low)

1. (informal, sometimes proscribed) To lie low, to be inconspicuous, especially when the potential object of search.
   • 1904, A Committee of the Survivors, History of the Twelfth Regiment, Rhode Island Volunteers, in The Civil War, page 219:

     We lay low until the shell went over and then would straighten up again.

   • 1909, “Field and Stream”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), volume 14, page 540:

     Me and Dave layed low^[sic] until then, and I guess the whole dummed town was at Philemon's that night.

   • 1911, Augusta Prescott, The Stairway on the Wall, page 259:

     Under you drop, and you work yourself along until you come to the partition between the two rooms; there you'll find a secret chamber; it isn't big enough for more than one person at a time, but there's a cot in it and you can lay low.

   • 1917, Conrad Cato, The Navy in Mesopotamia 1914 to 1917, page 8:

     As for the Turk , he played his old game of Brer Rabbit, laying low, until the three launches came nicely round the bend into a direct line of fire.

   • 1969, Paul Simon, Simon & Garfunkel, “The Boxer”, Bridge over Troubled Water, Columbia Records:

     Laying low, seeking out the poorer quarters
     Where the ragged people go

   • 1997, Richard Herschlag, Brian Harris, Lay Low and Don't Make the Big Mistake, page 84:

     Since you are trying to lay low, your effort should take the form of a suggestion at the least or a modest proposal at the most.

   • 2007, Ann Pancake, Strange as this Weather Has Been, page 100:

     I laid low until the boys and Chancey went off somewhere, then I snuck up the road and stopped at the gate.

   • 2012, Mitt Romney, Timothy Robinson, Turnaround: Crisis, Leadership, and the Olympic Games:

     Bennett believed that he would lay low for a few years before bringing out another team of terrorists.

   • 2012, Jane Dews, The Cuckoo's Song, page 18:

     In the meantime, he would lay low—not make waves if he could help it. He was good at not attracting attention.

   • 2013, Elizabeth A. Laugeson, The PEERS® Curriculum for School Based Professionals:

     Say, “The first step for changing a reputation is to lay low. This means you need to keep a low profile for a while and not draw attention to yourself. This will give your reputation a chance to die down before you try to make friends.

   • 2013, Robert Preston, A Dream To Kill:

     Jessie needed time to let things die down and decided to lay low.

   • 2014, Thomas A. Whiting Jr., The Secrets That We Keep:

     Richie, I know you don't like people telling you what to do and all but I think you should lay low until we can figure this thing out.

   • 2014, James Pickett Jones, Yankee Blitzkrieg: Wilson's Raid through Alabama and Georgia, page 138:

     We layed low^[sic] until after dark, then mounted without the bugle sound.

Etymology 3

Verb

lay low

1. simple past of lie low

Usage notes

• The verb to lay is a transitive verb, which means it requires an object (such as an egg). In this case the word 'low' could be substituted for any prepositional phrase, such as in the straw.

  Future: 'The hen is going to lay an egg low.'

  Present: 'The hen is laying an egg low.'

  Past: 'The hen laid an egg low.'

  Past perfect: 'The hen had laid an egg low.'

• The alternation between lie low and lay low stems from the fact that the past tense of to lie (intransitive verb) is lay; whereas the past tense of to lay (transitive verb) is laid. Also, in this case lie low is an idiom so both words must be used together; this is consistent with many other idioms, such as 'hurry up,' for example.

Synonyms

• (to remain hidden): lie low