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Definition

To fetter, to shackle; to imprison.

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In Context

  • "As I live, If the king blame me for 't, I'll lay ye all By the heels , and suddenly; and on your heads Clap round fines , for neglect"
  • "[M]y Lord Chief Justice Keeling hath laid the constable by the heels to answer it next Sessions: which is a horrid shame."
  • "I […]could not but wonder that none of the Middlesex justices took care to lay some of them by the heels."
  • "I read the papers with some attention during my sojourn in France, on the look-out for any chance of laying him by the heels."
  • "If you will come with us to-night I shall be able to help you to lay him by the heels."
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Related Idioms

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lay off

(of an employer) To dismiss (workers) from employment, e.g. at a time …

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lay hands on

To find, obtain, or procure.

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lay to rest

To bury someone who has died.

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lay a finger on

To merely touch.

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lay an egg

To produce a failure or flop; to do something which is unsuccessful.

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lay the groundwork

To create a foundation; to provide the basics or fundamentals.
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