Idioms/L

Idioms beginning with L. Select an idiom for more details.

a law unto themselves

If somebody is a law unto themselves, they do things their own way and follow their own ideas about how to live instead of following what others do.

labour of love | labor of love

A labour of love is work that's done for pleasure or for someone's benefit rather than for money.

lay down the law

If you lay down the law, you tell people what they should do in a forceful and stern way.

lead the way

If you lead the way, you show others where to go or what to do.

lead you astray

If someone leads you astray, they set a bad example and you behave badly also, or they encourage you to do the wrong thing.

learn the ropes

If you learn the ropes, you learn how to do a job properly, or how things work and how to get things done.

learn your lesson

If you learn your lesson, you learn something about life from making a mistake.

leave no stone unturned

If you leave no stone unturned, you look everywhere in order to find something, or try everything in order to achieve something.

leave well enough alone | let well enough alone American English

If you leave well enough alone, or let well enough alone, you don't try to improve or change something that's already good enough.

lend someone a hand

If you lend someone a hand, you help them.

let off steam

If you let off steam, you do something to release pent-up emotion or energy.

let the cat out of the bag

If you let the cat out of the bag, you let someone know a secret.

let your hair down

If you let your hair down, you enjoy yourself by doing whatever you feel like doing and not worrying about what other people might think.

life of the party | life and soul of the party

If you are the life of the party, or the life and soul of the party, you are the liveliest and most entertaining person at a social gathering.

light at the end of the tunnel

If you can see light at the end of the tunnel, you can see some sign of the end of a difficult period.

like a fish out of water

You feel like a fish out of water if you're surrounded by people who are different to you, and it's making you feel a little uncomfortable.

live it up INFORMAL

If you live it up, you enjoy yourself by doing things that cost a lot of money.

live on your wits | live by your wits

If you live on your wits, or live by your wits, you don't have a regular job but you survive by cleverly manipulating people or situations.

lock, stock and barrel

You can say "lock, stock and barrel" to mean every single thing when you're talking about a collection of things.

lose face

If you lose face, your status falls and you aren't respected as much as you were.

lose your head

If you lose your head, you become very angry about something.

lost for words

You are lost for words if you're so surprised by something that you can't think of anything to say.

love at first sight

If you experience love at first sight, you love someone from the first moment you see them.

the last straw

Something is the last straw if it's the latest in a series of annoying or upsetting events, and it's the one that finally makes you do something about the situation.

the lion's share

You can say something is the lion's share if it's the biggest share or portion of something.

Contributor: Matt Errey