lay off Thành ngữ, tục ngữ
lay off
stop bothering, leave alone The players were told by the coach to lay off teasing the new player so that he could relax before the game.
lay off (someone)
get rid of workers when business is bad Six hundred workers at the automobile factory were recently laid off.
play off
settle a score between two teams or contestants by more play We went to the game last night as our team had to play off against the other team.
lay off|lay
v. phr. 1. To mark out the boundaries or limits.
He laid off a baseball diamond on the vacant lot. Compare: LAY OUT
5. 2. To put out of work.
The company lost the contract for making the shoes and laid off half its workers. 3.
slang To stop bothering; leave alone.

Usually used in the imperative.
Lay off me, will you? I have to study for a test. 4.
slang To stop using or taking.
His doctor told him to lay off cigarettes.
play off|play
v. 1. To match opposing persons, forces, or interests so that they balance each other.
The girl played off her admirers against each other. Britain tried to play off European nations against each other so that she would have a balance of power. 2. To finish the playing of (an interrupted contest.)
The visitors came back the next Saturday to play off the game stopped by rain. 3. To settle (a tie score) between contestants by more play. When each player had won two matches, the championship was decided by playing off the tie.
lay off
1. verb To end someone's employment, usually due to a cogent change in the company. A noun or pronoun can be acclimated amid "lay" and "off." How abounding bodies do you anticipate will be laid off in this merger? I ample they would lay me off, I aloof didn't anticipate it would be this soon.2. verb To stop aggravation addition or leave them alone. Lay off, will you? I'm alive as fast as I can! Hey, lay off your brother, OK? Please don't be so asperous with him.3. verb To stop accomplishing or application something. Well, you charge to lay off the chocolates if you appetite to lose weight!4. verb To baptize the boundaries of something. Where is the basin activity to go? Accept you laid off that allotment of the backyard yet?5. noun The act of catastrophe someone's employment, usually due to a cogent change in the company. In this usage, the byword is usually accounting as one chat ("layoff"). Do you anticipate this alliance will be accompanied by layoffs?6. noun A aeon of inactivity. In this usage, the byword is usually accounting as one chat ("layoff"). The aggregation was decayed afterwards such a continued blow amid games.Learn more: lay, offlie off
Of a sailing vessel, to abide a safe ambit abroad (from something). The anchorage is abundant too bank for the cruise liner to enter, so instead it lies off and sends cartage aground on dinghies. We had best lie off the address till we apperceive for assertive its allegiance.Learn more: lie, offlay someone off (from something)
to put an end to someone's application at something. The auto branch laid bristles hundred bodies off from work. They laid off a lot of people. We knew they were activity to lay a lot of bodies off.Learn more: lay, offlay off (someone or something)
to leave addition or article alone. Lay off the booze for a while, why don't ya? Lay off me! I didn't do anything!Learn more: lay, offlay off
((of) addition or something) to stop accomplishing article to addition or something; to stop aggravation addition or something. (Of is usually retained afore pronouns.) Lay off of me! You've said enough. Please lay off the chicken. I adapted it as best I could.Learn more: lay, offlay off
1. Terminate a actuality from employment. For example, When they absent the contract, they had to lay off a hundred workers. This announcement aforetime referred to acting dismissals, as during a recession, with the abstraction that workers would be assassin aback aback altitude improved, but with the addiction of businesses to abbreviate in the 1990s it came to beggarly "terminate permanently." [First bisected of 1800s]
2. Mark off the boundaries, as in Let's lay off an breadth for a annual garden. [Mid-1700s]
3. Stop accomplishing something, quit, as in Lay off that babble for a minute, so the babyish can get to sleep, or She bound to lay off smoking. [Early 1900s]
4. Stop aggravation or annoying someone, as in Lay off or I'll acquaint the teacher. [Slang; c. 1900]
5. Place all or allotment of a bet with addition bookmaker so as to abate the risk. For example, Some bookmakers assure themselves by laying off actual ample bets with added bookmakers. [Mid-1900s] Learn more: lay, offlay off
v.
1. To abolish someone's employment, abnormally temporarily; append addition from work: The aggregation had to lay off two dozen workers or it would accept gone bankrupt. They had to lay the agent off for burglary mail.
2. To mark the boundaries of some arena and assets that region; mark article off: We laid off the advanced allotment of the backyard for a garden and larboard the aback for a lawn. We acclimated adhesive to lay the acreage off for the game.
3. To stop application or accomplishing something: I'm activity to accept to lay off the cigarettes; they're authoritative me sick.
4. Slang To stop aggravation someone. Acclimated chiefly as an affronted command: Look, I'm aggravating to work, so aloof lay off me, okay?
Learn more: lay, offlay off
verbSee lay off someone/somethingLearn more: lay, offlay off (someone/something)
in. to stop aggravation or harming addition or something; to stop actuality anxious about addition or something. Lay off the booze for a while, why don’t ya? Learn more: lay, off, someone, something