Lady|ship /le I diʃ I p/ (Ladyships ) N‑COUNT ; N‑PROPER In Britain, you use the expressions Your Ladyship , Her Ladyship , or Their Ladyships when you are addressing or referring to female members of the nobility or the wives of knights. [POLITENESS ] □ Her Ladyship's expecting you, sir.
lag /læ g/ (lags , lagging , lagged )
1 VERB If one thing or person lags behind another thing or person, their progress is slower than that of the other. □ [V + behind ] Britain still lags behind most of Europe in its provisions for women who want time off to have babies. □ [V + behind ] The restructuring of the pattern of consumption in Britain also lagged behind. □ [V amount + behind ] He now lags 10 points behind the champion. □ [V amount] They are lagging a point behind their rivals. □ [V ] Hague was lagging badly in the polls.
2 N‑COUNT A time lag or a lag of a particular length of time is a period of time between one event and another related event. □ [+ between ] There's a time lag between infection with HIV and developing AIDS. □ [+ of ] Price rises have matched rises in the money supply with a lag of two or three months.
3 VERB If you lag the inside of a roof, a pipe, or a water tank, you cover it with a special material in order to prevent heat escaping from it or to prevent it from freezing. [mainly BRIT ] □ [V n] If you have to take the floorboards up, take the opportunity to lag any pipes at the same time. □ [be V -ed] Water tanks should be well lagged and the roof well insulated.
4 → see also lagging
la|ger /lɑː gə r / (lagers ) N‑VAR Lager is a type of light beer. [BRIT ] □ …a pint of lager. □ He claims to sell the widest range of beers and lagers in the world. ● N‑COUNT A glass of lager can be referred to as a lager . □ Hewitt ordered a lager.
lag|gard /læ gə r d/ (laggards ) N‑COUNT If you describe a country, company, or product as a laggard , you mean that it is not performing as well as its competitors. □ [+ in ] The company has developed a reputation as a technological laggard.
lag|ging /læ g I ŋ/ N‑UNCOUNT Lagging is special material which is used to cover pipes, water tanks, or the inside of a roof so that heat does not escape from them or so they do not freeze. [mainly BRIT ]
la|goon /ləguː n/ (lagoons ) N‑COUNT A lagoon is an area of calm sea water that is separated from the ocean by a line of rock or sand.
lah-di-dah /lɑː di dɑː / → see la-di-da
laid /le I d/ Laid is the past tense and past participle of lay .
lai d-ba ck ADJ If you describe someone as laid-back , you mean that they behave in a calm relaxed way as if nothing will ever worry them. [INFORMAL ] □ Nothing worried him, he was really laid back.
lain /le I n/ Lain is the past participle of lie .
lair /leə r / (lairs )
1 N‑COUNT [usu with poss] A lair is a place where a wild animal lives, usually a place which is underground or well-hidden. □ …a fox's lair.
2 N‑COUNT [usu with poss] Someone's lair is the particular room or hiding place that they go to, especially when they want to get away from other people. [INFORMAL ] □ The village was once a pirates' lair.
laird /leə r d/ (lairds ) N‑COUNT A laird is someone who owns a large area of land in Scotland.
laissez-faire /le I se I feə r , le s-/ N‑UNCOUNT Laissez-faire is the policy which is based on the idea that governments and the law should not interfere with business, finance, or the conditions of people's working lives. [BUSINESS ] □ …a policy of laissez faire.
la|ity /le I I ti/ N‑SING [with sing or pl verb] The laity are all the people involved in the work of a church who are not clergymen, monks, or nuns. □ The Church and the laity were increasingly active in charity work. □ Clergy and laity alike are divided in their views.
lake ◆◇◇ /le I k/ (lakes ) N‑COUNT [oft in names] A lake is a large area of fresh water, surrounded by land. □ They can go fishing in the lake. □ The Nile flows from Lake Victoria in East Africa north to the Mediterranean Sea.
lake|side /le I ksa I d/ N‑SING The lakeside is the area of land around the edge of a lake. □ They were out by the lakeside a lot. □ …the picturesque Italian lakeside town of Lugano.
La-La land /lɑːlɑː lænd/ also La La land , la-la land
1 N‑UNCOUNT People sometimes refer to Los Angeles, in particular the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, as La-La land . [HUMOROUS , INFORMAL ] □ …her position as La-La land's premiere hairdresser.
2 N‑UNCOUNT People sometimes use La-La land to mean an imaginary place. [INFORMAL ] □ For much of the time he was in hospital, he was under sedation. 'I was in La La Land,' he said.
lam /læ m/ PHRASE If someone is on the lam or if they go on the lam , they are trying to escape or hide from someone such as the police or an enemy. [mainly AM , INFORMAL ] □ [+ for ] He was on the lam for seven years.
lama ◆◇◇ /lɑː mə/ (lamas ) N‑COUNT ; N‑TITLE A lama is a Buddhist priest or monk.
lamb /læ m/ (lambs )
1 N‑COUNT A lamb is a young sheep. ● N‑UNCOUNT Lamb is the flesh of a lamb eaten as food. □ Laura was basting the leg of lamb.