| 词源 |
lay out in lavender. The aromatic lavender plant has been cul- tivated for centuries. Its many uses include the use of its branches to beat just-washed clothes. In allusion to this, lay out in lavender first meant to give someone a physical beating, to knock some- one down or unconscious. In time, however, the phrase came to mean to give someone a verbal beating or to chastise, as in “If I debate him, I’ll lay him out in lavender. See also lavender. |