lay about one

1. Strike blows on all sides, as in When the dogs cornered the old man, he laid about him with his cane . [Early 1400s]

2. Act vigorously, make strenuous efforts, as in When there was an opportunity for profit, he laid about him . [c. 1600]

Example Sentences

Hens can lay about one egg every 24 hours or so.

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Meanwhile they passed the square, and began to turn toward the starosta's house, which lay about one furlong and a half farther on, near the roadside.

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The gold on this field was found in “leads”—that lay about one hundred and sixty feet below the surface of the ground.

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Fort Laramie lay about one hundred miles north of Cheyenne, and Sergeant Wells had come down with the paymaster's escort a few days before, bringing Ralph's pet, his beautiful little Kentucky sorrel "Buford," and now the boy and his faithful friend, the sergeant, were visiting at Fort Russell, and waiting for a safe opportunity to start for home.

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Far to the south, on the Wabash River, in what is now the State of Indiana, was another fort called Vincennes, which lay about one hundred and fifty miles to the east of Fort Kaskaskia.

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