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third-person singular simple present lays low, present participle laying low, simple past and past participle laid low
(transitive) To topple or overcome; to cause to fall; (of a person) to knock out. quotations examples
The dragon's ire, more fierce than fire, laid low their towers and houses frail.
1937, J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
(transitive) To put in an abject condition. quotations examples
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.
1979 April 28, Nancy Walker, “A Case of Mistaken Identity”, in Gay Community News, page 19
third-person singular simple present lays low, present participle laying low, simple past and past participle laid low or lay low
(informal, sometimes proscribed) To lie low, to be inconspicuous, especially when the potential object of search. quotations examples
We lay low until the shell went over and then would straighten up again.
1904, A Committee of the Survivors, History of the Twelfth Regiment, Rhode Island Volunteers, in The Civil War, page 219
Me and Dave layed low[sic] until then, and I guess the whole dummed town was at Philemon's that night.
1909, “Field and Stream”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), volume 14, page 540
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.
1911, Augusta Prescott, The Stairway on the Wall, page 259
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.
1917, Conrad Cato, The Navy in Mesopotamia 1914 to 1917, page 8
Laying low, seeking out the poorer quarters Where the ragged people go
1969, Paul Simon, Simon & Garfunkel, “The Boxer”, Bridge over Troubled Water, Columbia Records
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.
1997, Richard Herschlag, Brian Harris, Lay Low and Don't Make the Big Mistake, page 84
I laid low until the boys and Chancey went off somewhere, then I snuck up the road and stopped at the gate.
2007, Ann Pancake, Strange as this Weather Has Been, page 100
Bennett believed that he would lay low for a few years before bringing out another team of terrorists.
2012, Mitt Romney, Timothy Robinson, Turnaround: Crisis, Leadership, and the Olympic Games
In the meantime, he would lay low—not make waves if he could help it. He was good at not attracting attention.
2012, Jane Dews, The Cuckoo's Song, page 18
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, Elizabeth A. Laugeson, The PEERS® Curriculum for School Based Professionals
Jessie needed time to let things die down and decided to lay low.
2013, Robert Preston, A Dream To Kill
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, Thomas A. Whiting Jr., The Secrets That We Keep
We layed low[sic] until after dark, then mounted without the bugle sound.
2014, James Pickett Jones, Yankee Blitzkrieg: Wilson's Raid through Alabama and Georgia, page 138
simple past of lie low examples