To lay wait

To lay wait
Wait Wait, n. [OF. waite, guaite, gaite, F. guet watch, watching, guard, from OHG. wahta. See {Wait}, v. i.] [1913 Webster] 1. The act of waiting; a delay; a halt. [1913 Webster]

There is a wait of three hours at the border Mexican town of El Paso. --S. B. Griffin. [1913 Webster]

2. Ambush. ``An enemy in wait.'' --Milton. [1913 Webster]

3. One who watches; a watchman. [Obs.] [1913 Webster]

4. pl. Hautboys, or oboes, played by town musicians; not used in the singular. [Obs.] --Halliwell. [1913 Webster]

5. pl. Musicians who sing or play at night or in the early morning, especially at Christmas time; serenaders; musical watchmen. [Written formerly {wayghtes}.] [1913 Webster]

Hark! are the waits abroad? --Beau. & Fl. [1913 Webster]

The sound of the waits, rude as may be their minstrelsy, breaks upon the mild watches of a winter night with the effect of perfect harmony. --W. Irving. [1913 Webster]

{To lay wait}, to prepare an ambuscade.

{To lie in wait}. See under 4th {Lie}. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • lay wait — phrasal : to lie in wait : ambush * * * lay wait To lie in wait, or in ambush • • • Main Entry: ↑lay lay wait (archaic) To lie in wait • • • Main Entry: ↑wait …   Useful english dictionary

  • To lay wait for — Lay Lay (l[=a]), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Laid} (l[=a]d); p. pr. & vb. n. {Laying}.] [OE. leggen, AS. lecgan, causative, fr. licgan to lie; akin to D. leggen, G. legen, Icel. leggja, Goth. lagjan. See {Lie} to be prostrate.] 1. To cause to lie down,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • lay wait — ambush, hide out and wait to attack …   English contemporary dictionary

  • Lay — (l[=a]), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Laid} (l[=a]d); p. pr. & vb. n. {Laying}.] [OE. leggen, AS. lecgan, causative, fr. licgan to lie; akin to D. leggen, G. legen, Icel. leggja, Goth. lagjan. See {Lie} to be prostrate.] 1. To cause to lie down, to be… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Lay — Lay, v. i. 1. To produce and deposit eggs. [1913 Webster] 2. (Naut.) To take a position; to come or go; as, to lay forward; to lay aloft. [1913 Webster] 3. To lay a wager; to bet. [1913 Webster] {To lay about}, or {To lay about one}, to strike… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Wait — Wait, n. [OF. waite, guaite, gaite, F. guet watch, watching, guard, from OHG. wahta. See {Wait}, v. i.] [1913 Webster] 1. The act of waiting; a delay; a halt. [1913 Webster] There is a wait of three hours at the border Mexican town of El Paso. S …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • wait — v. & n. v. 1 intr. a defer action or departure for a specified time or until some expected event occurs (wait a minute; wait till I come; wait for a fine day). b be expectant or on the watch (waited to see what would happen). c (foll. by for)… …   Useful english dictionary

  • lay for — I (Roget s IV) v. Syn. await, waylay, wait; see ambush , attack 1 . II (Roget s Thesaurus II) verb Informal. To wait concealed in order to attack (someone): Idioms: lay wait for, lie in wait for. See ATTACK, SHOW …   English dictionary for students

  • lay, lie — Lay means to place and is a transitive verb requiring an object. Lie, in the context here, means to recline, is intransitive, and takes no object. I shall lay the rug on the floor. Please lie down here. The principal parts of lay are lay, laid,… …   Dictionary of problem words and expressions

  • Lay Lady Lay — ist ein Country Song von Bob Dylan, den dieser 1969 auf seinem Album Nashville Skyline erstmals veröffentlichte. Obwohl musikalisch für Dylan untypisch, erreichte die Single mit der B Seite Peggy Day Platz 7 der US Pop Charts. Inhaltsverzeichnis… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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