Dictionary

lay off

Verb

lay off

(transitive, chiefly US, idiom) (of an employer) To dismiss (workers) from employment, e.g. at a time of low business volume or through no fault of the worker, often with a severance package.
(transitive) (of a bookmaker) To place all or part of a bet with another bookmaker in order to reduce risk.
(transitive, idiomatic) To cease, quit, stop (doing something).
Lay off the singing, will you! I'm trying to study.
When are you gonna lay off smoking?
(transitive and intransitive, idiomatic) To stop bothering, teasing, or pestering someone; to leave (someone) alone.
Just lay off, okay! I've had enough!
Things have been better since the boss has been laying off a little.
I told him to lay off me but he wouldn't stop.
Lay off it, already!
(transitive and intransitive, artisanal terminology) In painting, to apply gentle strokes to smooth a wet coat of paint so as to remove visible roller- or brush-marks, commonly using a dry brush; a similar technique, but using a loaded laying-off brush, may produce a smooth coat of paint when using a roller or the usual brush techniques would leave marks.
At any pro paint shop ask for laying off brushes. These are natural bristle, wide, thin brushes designed for tipping off, not for holding a paint load. (Sourced from a web forum exchange)
He shows me how to lay off the paint — and moves his paintbrush across the section he had already painted, again and again.

Synonyms

(to dismiss workers from employment) make redundant, let go
The following synonyms carry a harsher context than "lay off":
- can, dismiss, fire, sack, terminate, give the axe, give the boot, give (someone) their cards, give the chop, give the elbow, give the old heave-ho
The following is a synonym for the sense of painting:
- tip off
See also Thesaurus:lay off

Translations

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