AMERICAN IDIOMS (L)
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Idioms starting with L
Here is our list of popular "L" idioms that are used in American English:
(A) lady-killer:
A handsome man; a man who charms women.
ex. "He thinks of himself as quite the ladykiller. Unfortunately for him, women don't see him that way."
Last but not least:
Last in order but not last in importance.
ex. "Last but not least, I'd like to thank my parents."
Last ditch (adj.):
Final (*has a slight connotation of "desperate"*).
ex. "They made a last-ditch effort to win the game, but came up short."
(To) lay a finger on someone:
To touch someone even very slightly.
ex. "If you so much as lay a finger on him, you will be in trouble."
(To) lay low:
SEE "KEEP A LOW PROFILE"
(To) leave a bad taste in someone's mouth:
To leave a negative impression on someone.
ex. "The experience left a bad taste in my mouth."
(To) leave someone high and dry: *somewhat antiquated*
To leave someone helpless.
Laid back (adj.) : Relaxed, easy-going.
ex: "I like Tom. He's really laid-back."
Lame (adj.) : Inadequate; Bad.
ex: "That's the lamest excuse I've ever heard."
Last-ditch (adj.) : Final, desperate. (Often used with the words "effort", "attempt", etc.)
ex: "He made a last-ditch effort to catch up to the front-runner."
Later: Short for "See you later."
Laugh (one's) head off: To laugh very hard.
ex: "I laughed my head off throughout the whole movie."
Leave a bad taste in (someone's) mouth: Leave (someone) with bad feelings.
ex: "That whole experience left a bad taste in my mouth."
(To) leave someone alone:
To stop bothering someone.
ex. "Leave me alone! I don't want to talk to anyone."
Leave someone hanging: To not help someone when they ask for help, when they're in trouble.
ex: "Don't leave me hanging... I'm counting on you!"
Legit (adj.): Short for "legitimate".
Lemme: Short for "let me".
Let-down (n.): Disappointment.
ex: "I was sure that my team would win, but they lost. What a let down!"
(To) let off steam:
To release energy or anger.
ex. "P1: Victor went drinking, and got into a fight. P2: That's OK, he's just letting off a little steam."
Let (someone) have it : To attack someone (physically or verbally) with force. "Let them have it" is often shortened as "To let 'em have it"
ex: "After the boys broke Mr. Smith's window, he came out and really let 'em have it."
(To) let someone off the hook:
To release someone from responsibility.
ex. "Natalie said she didn't want to wash the dishes, but her mom didn't let her off the hook."
(To) let something slide:
To neglect something. To ignore something.
ex. "I'm going to let it slide this time, but next time be more careful!"
(A) lift:
A ride.
ex. "She gave me a lift to the airport."
Lighten up (v.): To relax; to not take things too seriously.
ex: "You gotta learn to lighten up a bit!"
Little by little:
Slowly, gradually.
ex. "Little by little she started to like living in New York City."
(A) little off:
Not quite even, normal.
ex. "There was something a little off about the way she was behaving."
(To) lock horns:
To argue; to have a dispute; to disagree.
ex. "Peter and his counterpart in France locked horns about how to implement the new regulations."
(To) look the other way:
To ignore something on purpose.
ex. "In some countries, customs officials can be paid to look the other way."
(A) long shot:
Something that has a slim (small) chance of happening.
ex. "They might win, but it's a long-shot."
(To) lose (someone):
This is often used when someone is chasing someone OR being chased by someone. If you're being chased by someone and you manage to get away you can say - "I lost him!" - The person chasing you can say the same thing - "I lost him".
(To) lose one's temper:
To become angry.
ex. "He has a short fuse, and loses his temper quite often."
(To) lose one's train of thought:
To forget what one was thinking/ talking about.
ex. "What was I saying? I lost my train of thought."
Loser (n.): A person who fails at everything s/he tries/does in life.
Lost in thought:
Busy thinking.
Lousy (adj.): Terrible.
ex: "She's a lousy singer!"
Lowball, low-ball (v.): To (deliberately) underestimate or make an offer for something that is significantly below it's fair value.
(To) lower one's voice:
To talk more softly.
ex. "Lower your voice, my parents are asleep."
(A) lucky break:
Good luck, good fortune.
ex. "I was supposed to speak at the meeting today, but I found out it was cancelled. What a lucky break!"
KEYWORDS: Englische Redewendungen lernen, Liste der amerikanischen englischen Redewendungen, modern American slang, list of American idioms, Amerikanische Slang-Ausdrücke
