lay one’s cards on the table
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idiom

lay one’s cards on the table

Meaning
to be open and honest about one’s intentions or feelings
Example
It’s time to **lay our cards on the table** and discuss the issue.
idiom

learn by doing

Meaning
to gain knowledge through practical experience
Example
Students **learn by doing** during the science experiments.
phrasal-verb

lay aside savings

Meaning
to save money for future use
Example
Families are advised to **lay aside savings** during good times.
phrasal-verb

look up to the future

Meaning
to think positively about what is coming next
Example
Even after the failure, she continues to **look up to the future**.
idiom

lock horns

Meaning
to get into an argument or fight
Example
They **locked horns** over the new proposal.
idiom

lock down

Meaning
to secure or restrict access to something completely
Example
After detecting the breach, the company **locked down** all servers.
idiom

lend a listening ear

Meaning
to listen attentively and sympathetically
Example
Whenever I feel down, she always knows how to **lend a listening ear**.
phrasal-verb

look deeper into yourself

Meaning
to examine your true intentions, feelings, and behaviors
Example
You must **look deeper into yourself** to understand why you feel insecure.
phrasal-verb

lash back

Meaning
to respond angrily to criticism or attack
Example
When criticized unfairly, she immediately **lashed back** with strong words.
phrasal-verb

lift someone’s spirits

Meaning
to make someone feel happier or more hopeful
Example
His words really **lifted my spirits** after the bad news.
phrasal-verb

loosen up

Meaning
to relax your body or mind; to become less tense
Example
You need to **loosen up** and stop being so serious.
idiom

lay all your cards on the table

Meaning
to be open and honest about your intentions or plans
Example
Let’s **lay all our cards on the table** and discuss the issue.
phrasal-verb

look set to

Meaning
to seem likely to happen soon
Example
The company **looks set to** dominate the market in the coming years.
phrasal-verb

lift someone up

Meaning
to make someone feel more hopeful or encouraged
Example
Her words always **lift me up** when I’m feeling low.
idiom

logged in

Meaning
to gain access to a computer or system
Example
She **logged in** to check her emails.
phrasal-verb

lift out of

Meaning
to help someone recover from sadness or depression
Example
Music often **lifts people out of** their sadness.
phrasal-verb

let go of confusion

Meaning
to stop overthinking or feeling uncertain
Example
Once she **let go of confusion**, everything became clear.
phrasal-verb

level off

Meaning
to stop rising or falling and remain steady
Example
After a rapid increase, the sales figures **leveled off**.
phrasal-verb

link up for

Meaning
to connect with others for a specific shared purpose
Example
Several banks **linked up for** cross-border payment solutions.
phrasal-verb

look out for each other

Meaning
to take care of and support one another
Example
In a strong team, members always **look out for each other**.
phrasal-verb

look down on

Meaning
to think that you are better than someone
Example
You should never **look down on** your relatives for their financial situation.
idiom

lock in

Meaning
to secure something so it cannot change
Example
Let's **lock in** the reservation before the price goes up.
phrasal-verb

lift out of poverty

Meaning
to help people or nations escape from poverty
Example
International aid has helped **lift millions out of poverty** worldwide.
phrasal-verb

look at

Meaning
to examine or consider something
Example
Now, let’s **look at** the data from last year.
phrasal-verb

laugh together

Meaning
to share laughter and joy with others
Example
We all **laughed together** remembering funny college stories.
idiom

lightning fast

Meaning
extremely fast
Example
She replied **lightning fast** to the email.
phrasal-verb

look back fondly on

Meaning
to remember something with affection or happiness
Example
She **looks back fondly on** her childhood memories.
idiom

lay the foundation

Meaning
to create the base or starting point for something
Example
They worked hard to **lay the foundation** for future growth.
phrasal-verb

loop in

Meaning
to include someone in communication or discussion
Example
Please **loop in** the designer when making changes.
phrasal-verb

light upon

Meaning
to discover or notice something that brings appreciation or gratitude
Example
I **lighted upon** an old letter that reminded me of your kindness.
phrasal-verb

let down walls

Meaning
to stop being emotionally guarded
Example
It took time for her to **let down walls** and trust again.
phrasal-verb

look for

Meaning
to search for something you need
Example
I’m **looking for** a new job because I need more stability.
phrasal-verb

listen openly

Meaning
to pay attention without judgment or interruption
Example
A good friend will **listen openly** when you share your emotions.
phrasal-verb

look ahead to

Meaning
to think about or plan for what is going to happen in the future
Example
We should **look ahead to** the challenges we might face in the next decade.
idiom

lazy bones

Meaning
a lazy person
Example
Come on, **lazy bones**, get out of bed!
phrasal-verb

leak out

Meaning
to become known accidentally; to escape from secrecy
Example
Sensitive information **leaked out** before the official announcement.
phrasal-verb

lean on each other

Meaning
to rely on teammates for help or support
Example
In challenging projects, we often **lean on each other** for motivation.
phrasal-verb

link up

Meaning
to connect or join with another group or organization
Example
We plan to **link up** with regional chambers of commerce.
phrasal-verb

lace up for

Meaning
to tie your shoes or gear in preparation for something
Example
I **lace up for** my morning run as soon as the sun comes up.
phrasal-verb

lift your spirits

Meaning
to make yourself or someone feel happier or more positive
Example
A walk in the park can really **lift your spirits**.
idiom

life of the party

Meaning
the most lively and entertaining person at a party
Example
Jake is always the **life of the party**.
phrasal-verb

look beyond bias

Meaning
to see past personal prejudices and focus on fairness
Example
We must **look beyond bias** to make objective hiring decisions.
idiom

lose your cool

Meaning
to become angry or impatient
Example
Don’t **lose your cool**; the situation will get better.
phrasal-verb

lighten your mood

Meaning
to make yourself feel happier and less stressed
Example
Watching a funny movie can really **lighten your mood**.
idiom

love is blind

Meaning
people in love do not see each other's faults
Example
They say **love is blind**, and he proves it every day.
idiom

light the fire

Meaning
to inspire or motivate people to act passionately
Example
Her speech really **lit the fire** in the employees’ hearts.
phrasal-verb

limit yourself to

Meaning
to restrict your actions or choices for a specific goal
Example
Try to **limit yourself to** one hour of social media per day.
phrasal-verb

lay out a plan

Meaning
to present or explain a strategy or proposal clearly
Example
The finance minister **laid out a plan** for sustainable growth.
phrasal-verb

look up

Meaning
to visit someone after a long time
Example
When you are in town, **look me up**.
phrasal-verb

lighten off

Meaning
to feel or make something less serious or stressful
Example
Talking to friends helped me **lighten off** the pressure.
phrasal-verb

let positivity flow

Meaning
to freely express and share positive emotions
Example
When you smile and help others, you **let positivity flow**.
phrasal-verb

learn to cope with

Meaning
to learn how to manage or handle failure
Example
You have to **learn to cope with** setbacks if you want to grow.
idiom

live from hand to mouth

Meaning
to barely have enough money to survive
Example
Many laborers **live from hand to mouth** every day.
idiom

Living beyond one’s means

Meaning
Spending more money than one can afford.
Example
Many people get into debt by **living beyond their means**.
idiom

learning on the fly

Meaning
to adapt and learn quickly without prior preparation
Example
AI systems are **learning on the fly** from user data.
phrasal-verb

link together

Meaning
to connect or unite people or organizations
Example
The new initiative aims to **link together** researchers from across the globe.
phrasal-verb

lift up

Meaning
to improve someone's mood or spirit
Example
Her kind words really **lifted up** my mood today.
idiom

lovey-dovey

Meaning
showing a lot of affection publicly
Example
The couple was being **lovey-dovey** at the restaurant.
idiom

line up with

Meaning
to match or agree with something
Example
These metrics **line up with** our targets.
phrasal-verb

lash into

Meaning
to criticize someone angrily
Example
The teacher **lashed into** the students for being noisy.
phrasal-verb

long for

Meaning
to wish very strongly for something that cannot happen or is far away
Example
He still **longs for** the days when he could have made things right.
idiom

let your imagination run wild

Meaning
to allow yourself to think freely and creatively
Example
When writing stories, I always **let my imagination run wild**.
idiom

look into

Meaning
to investigate or examine something
Example
They promised to **look into** the billing error today.
idiom

line up for

Meaning
to queue in anticipation of something
Example
Fans will **line up for** tickets at dawn.
phrasal-verb

look out after

Meaning
to take care of someone, especially someone younger or weaker
Example
My parents taught me to **look out after** my younger cousins.
phrasal-verb

light up

Meaning
to illuminate or brighten with lights or joy
Example
The entire hall **lit up** as the cultural show began.
phrasal-verb

look within

Meaning
to examine your own feelings and motives
Example
To grow emotionally, you must **look within** yourself.
phrasal-verb

layer on

Meaning
to add layers or levels to a piece of art or design
Example
He **layered on** different textures to make the painting richer.
idiom

lose your mind

Meaning
to become mentally unstable or extremely upset
Example
He nearly **lost his mind** after the breakup.
phrasal-verb

look into partnerships

Meaning
to investigate or explore potential collaborations
Example
They are **looking into partnerships** with international NGOs.
idiom

Light a fire under someone

Meaning
To motivate someone to take action or work harder.
Example
The coach’s speech really **lit a fire under** the players.
idiom

like one big happy family

Meaning
people living or working together in harmony
Example
Our office team works **like one big happy family**.
phrasal-verb

lie around

Meaning
to spend time lazily doing nothing
Example
I just want to **lie around** and do nothing today.
idiom

Left no stone unturned

Meaning
To try every possible way to achieve something.
Example
The detective **left no stone unturned** to find the truth.
idiom

light up someone’s day

Meaning
to make someone happy
Example
Your kind words **lighted up my day**.
phrasal-verb

lead with

Meaning
to begin with a polite or positive statement before criticism
Example
It’s always better to **lead with** appreciation before giving feedback.
idiom

left speechless

Meaning
so surprised that you cannot speak
Example
I was **left speechless** by her generosity.
phrasal-verb

let positivity in

Meaning
to allow optimistic thoughts and feelings into your mind
Example
Take a deep breath and **let positivity in**.
phrasal-verb

lend support to

Meaning
to give help or approval to something
Example
Many celebrities **lend support to** environmental causes.
idiom

lose ground

Meaning
to lose advantage or control in a situation
Example
During the talks, one side began to **lose ground** quickly.
phrasal-verb

lift oneself up

Meaning
to regain strength or confidence after being low or discouraged
Example
She managed to **lift herself up** after facing several disappointments.
phrasal-verb

let down

Meaning
to disappoint someone
Example
I felt really **let down** when my friend didn’t show up.
idiom

lucky break

Meaning
a sudden opportunity or good fortune
Example
Getting that job was a **lucky break** for her.
phrasal-verb

lift your mood

Meaning
to make yourself or someone feel happier
Example
Listening to uplifting music can **lift your mood** instantly.
phrasal-verb

lift out of recession

Meaning
to help the economy move away from a downturn
Example
New export policies helped **lift the economy out of recession**.
idiom

luck of the Irish

Meaning
good fortune associated with Irish people
Example
He found gold! Must be the **luck of the Irish**.
phrasal-verb

leave out

Meaning
to omit or not include something in writing or speech
Example
Don't **leave out** important details when you write the summary.
phrasal-verb

let stress fade out

Meaning
to gradually allow stress to disappear or lessen
Example
After meditation, I could feel my worries **fade out** slowly.
idiom

Lay bricks for the future

Meaning
To build a strong foundation for future success.
Example
Education helps children **lay bricks for the future**.
idiom

living the dream

Meaning
living a life that one always desired
Example
After years of hard work, he’s finally **living the dream**.
phrasal-verb

let feelings pass

Meaning
to allow emotions to come and go without fighting them
Example
Instead of holding on to anger, I try to **let feelings pass** naturally.
idiom

lend a helping hand

Meaning
to offer assistance or support
Example
She always tries to **lend a helping hand** to those in need.
phrasal-verb

look over

Meaning
to examine or review something quickly
Example
Can you **look over** this proposal before submitting it?
idiom

long story short

Meaning
to summarize something briefly
Example
**Long story short**, we missed the train.
idiom

leap of faith

Meaning
to do something without knowing the outcome
Example
Starting his own company was a **leap of faith** for him.
phrasal-verb

lean upon

Meaning
to rely on someone for emotional or physical support
Example
You can **lean upon** me whenever you feel down.
phrasal-verb

listen carefully

Meaning
to pay close attention when someone is speaking
Example
Good manners require you to **listen carefully** when others speak.
phrasal-verb

look deeper into

Meaning
to examine something more carefully or in detail
Example
The scientist decided to **look deeper into** the mysterious phenomenon.
idiom

Lead the charge

Meaning
to be at the forefront of an action or movement
Example
He was the one to **lead the charge** in the new project.
idiom

loose lips sink ships

Meaning
talking too much can cause trouble
Example
Remember, **loose lips sink ships**—don’t share sensitive information.
phrasal-verb

lock horns with

Meaning
to get into a serious conflict with someone
Example
Two parties **lock horns with** each other over reform details.
phrasal-verb

let yourself breathe

Meaning
to allow yourself time to relax and calm down
Example
You should **let yourself breathe** when things get overwhelming.
phrasal-verb

level up skills

Meaning
to improve or upgrade your abilities or qualifications
Example
Professionals often need to **level up skills** to stay competitive.
phrasal-verb

lay out trade policies

Meaning
to explain or present trade strategies clearly
Example
The finance minister will **lay out trade policies** for the upcoming fiscal year.
phrasal-verb

learn to accept

Meaning
to come to terms with failure as part of life
Example
You must **learn to accept** failure if you want to succeed.
phrasal-verb

listen to feedback

Meaning
to pay attention to and consider others’ opinions or advice
Example
A wise leader always **listens to feedback** before making changes.
phrasal-verb

learn to let go

Meaning
to accept something and move on emotionally
Example
You must **learn to let go** of your past regrets.
phrasal-verb

look into research

Meaning
to study or investigate something deeply
Example
You need to **look into research** materials before writing your paper.
idiom

let the cat out of the bag

Meaning
to reveal a secret accidentally
Example
She **let the cat out of the bag** about the surprise party.
phrasal-verb

look back at

Meaning
to think about something that happened in the past
Example
When I **look back at** my college days, I realize how much I’ve learned.
phrasal-verb

look kindly upon

Meaning
to regard someone or something with appreciation or favor
Example
She **looked kindly upon** the people who helped her career.
phrasal-verb

look beyond

Meaning
to think about the future or consider wider possibilities
Example
Good leaders **look beyond** short-term results to long-term growth.
phrasal-verb

log in

Meaning
to enter a website or app by typing your username and password
Example
You need to **log in** to access your account.
phrasal-verb

look inside

Meaning
to reflect on your own emotions and motivations
Example
You need to **look inside** yourself to understand your anger.
idiom

like father, like son

Meaning
a son behaves like his father
Example
Tom loves cars just like his dad — **like father, like son**!
phrasal-verb

look up to

Meaning
to admire or respect someone
Example
I really **look up to** my father for his honesty and kindness.
phrasal-verb

light the way

Meaning
to inspire hope or positivity for others
Example
Her success will **light the way** for many others.
idiom

lean over

Meaning
to bend your body forward or downward
Example
Please don’t **lean over** the railing during the show.
phrasal-verb

let emotions out

Meaning
to express feelings that you have been holding in
Example
It’s healthy to **let emotions out** instead of suppressing them.
phrasal-verb

learn local customs

Meaning
to study and follow the traditions of the local culture
Example
Expats often try to **learn local customs** to show respect to the host country.
idiom

laid-back

Meaning
calm, relaxed, and not easily upset
Example
He’s a very **laid-back** person who rarely gets angry.