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Discussion Groups / English Usage / December 2006To lay round a little ...
Hello: What could be the meaning of "to lay round" in the following? ----- [The Boss (the State Governor) talking to Hugh Miller, a seemingly idealistic lawyer, who had been up until that time the State's Attorney General] You sat in your law office fifteen years and watched the sons-of-bitches warm chairs and not do a thing, and the rich get richer and the pore get porer. Then I came along and slipped a Louisville Slugger in your hand and whispered to you low, "You want to step in and lay round a little?" And you did. You had a wonderful time, you made the fur fly and you put nine tinhorn grafters in the pen. All the King's Men, by Robert Penn Warren, p. 186 ----- I understand that the "Louisville Slugger" is a special baseball bat. Thanks. Marius Hancu > Hello: > [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > All the King's Men, by Robert Penn Warren, p. 186 > ----- I'd have thought "wait, hang, stand around" would all be about the same. I actually find the use of "round" strange, as I thought that AmE speakers mostly used the full form, and this is one place where I would too.  SignatureRob Bannister >> Hello: >> [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > actually find the use of "round" strange, as I thought that AmE speakers > mostly used the full form, and this is one place where I would too. If so then surely it would be 'lie round'. The Fred entity posted thusly: >>> Hello: >>> [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > >If so then surely it would be 'lie round'. And he certainly would not have "made the fur fly" or "put nine tinhorn grafters in the pen" by "lying around". > Hello: > [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > I understand that the "Louisville Slugger" is a special baseball bat. It is. Popular with Al Capone and his crew. I'd say "lay round" was the same as "lay around" which is the same as "lay about" which is to rain blows on those in the immediate vicinity. SignatureJohn Dean Oxford > > You sat in your law office fifteen years and watched the > > sons-of-bitches warm chairs and not do a thing, and the rich get [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > time, you made the fur fly and you put nine tinhorn grafters in the > > pen. > I'd say "lay round" was the > same as "lay around" which is the same as "lay about" which is to rain blows > on those in the immediate vicinity. OK, fits fine in the context. Thanks. Marius Hancu >>Hello: >> [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > same as "lay around" which is the same as "lay about" which is to rain blows > on those in the immediate vicinity. That certainly explains the lay/lie thing, which I took to be common mistake. SignatureRob Bannister >It is. Popular with Al Capone and his crew. I'd say "lay round" was the >same as "lay around" which is the same as "lay about" which is to rain blows >on those in the immediate vicinity. I've laid around and stayed around this old town too long, Summer's almost gone. SignatureSteve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/stevesig.htm E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk > I've laid around and stayed around this old town too long, > Summer's almost gone. Yes, I've thought about this "idle" meaning myself ... Marius Hancu >> It is. Popular with Al Capone and his crew. I'd say "lay round" was >> the same as "lay around" which is the same as "lay about" which is >> to rain blows on those in the immediate vicinity. > > I've laid around and stayed around this old town too long, > Summer's almost gone. Winter's coming on ... SignatureJohn "All together now ..." Dean Oxford > >> It is. Popular with Al Capone and his crew. I'd say "lay round" was > >> the same as "lay around" which is the same as "lay about" which is [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Winter's coming on ... ...drawers on. SignatureMike. [snip] > Then I came along and slipped a > Louisville Slugger in your hand and whispered to you low, "You want to [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > All the King's Men, by Robert Penn Warren, p. 186 [snip] The excerpt below is from a 1916 Ring Lardner short story, the line ostensibly being in a baseball player's letter: http://www.ibiblio.org/eldritch/rl/unomeal.htm "... I'm going to rest and lay round home a while and try to forget this rotten game..." In fielding practice, a batter grounds a number of ball to players positioned around the diamond, and I wouldn't be surprised if that was called, c1916, "laying round" - but this is speculation. Aloha ~~~ Ozzie Maland ~~~ San Diego The tinwhistler entity posted thusly: >[snip] >> Then I came along and slipped a [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] >positioned around the diamond, and I wouldn't be surprised if that >was called, c1916, "laying round" - but this is speculation. Not at all the same thing, even if it was called "laying round", which I doubt. John Dean had it right. The real tip off is the "you made the fur fly and you put nine tinhorn grafters in the pen." It's metaphorical, of course. In literary UK English, a person who "lay about himself" with fists, sword or cudgel etc, was understood to have dealt blows in a number of directions, often to ward off attackers. > In literary UK English, a person who "lay about himself" with fists, > sword or cudgel etc, was understood to have dealt blows in a number of > directions, often to ward off attackers. Correction: present tense: I lay, you lay, he lays, we lay, you lay, they lay past tense: laid Also one can "lay into" someone else physically, verbally or in writing. > In literary UK English, a person who "lay about himself" with fists, > sword or cudgel etc, was understood to have dealt blows in a number of > directions, often to ward off attackers. Would be interested in seeing other uses of "lay" in give-a-thrashing words:-) Thanks. Marius Hancu > > In literary UK English, a person who "lay about himself" with fists, > > sword or cudgel etc, was understood to have dealt blows in a number of [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Marius Hancu I don't know of any others, offhand. "Then I came along and slipped a Louisville Slugger in your hand and whispered to you low, "You want to step in and lay round a little?" has the same meaning as Mike said. A Louisville Slugger is a baseball bat! However, it is metaphorical here. And, oh yes -- we Americans hardly ever use "round" except as an adjective describing a physical shape. In modern, educated, carefully enunciated speech, anyway. ;-) Cece >> In literary UK English, a person who "lay about himself" with fists, >> sword or cudgel etc, was understood to have dealt blows in a number of >> directions, often to ward off attackers. > >Would be interested in seeing other uses of "lay" in give-a-thrashing >words:-) "Lay on, Macduff". SignatureTony Cooper Orlando, FL >>> In literary UK English, a person who "lay about himself" with >>> fists, sword or cudgel etc, was understood to have dealt blows [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > "Lay on, Macduff". "Give him forty lashes, and mind you lay them on well." -- John "Caton, that is" Dean http://www.law.du.edu/russell/lh/alh/docs/caton.html |
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