lay on the line

1. Make ready for payment, as in They laid hundreds of thousands of dollars on the line to develop the new software . [c. 1900]

2. lay it on the line . Speak frankly and firmly, make something clear. For example, The professor laid it on the line: either hand in a term paper or fail the course . [c. 1920]

3. Put something at risk, as in The troops sent overseas were laying their lives on the line . [Mid-1900s]

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