lay it on the line, to

lay it on the line

To speak bluntly and directly. If you lay it on the line, maybe then they'll be able to understand how serious this situation is.See also: lay, line, on

lay it on the line

 and put it on the lineFig. to make something very clear; to be very definite about something. I am going to lay it on the line and you had better listen to me. If you eat any of these mushrooms, you will die. I've said it before, but this time I'm going to put it on the line. Don't eat the mushrooms!See also: lay, line, on
Note: If someone lays it on the line, they say what needs to be said truthfully and directly. He laid it on the line and said without treatment I had only three months to live. Note: You can also say that someone lays everything on the line. Mr. Dambar had planned to march straight over to the trailer and lay everything on the line. Note: Originally, `lay it on the line' may have been connected with gambling. It meant to lay a bet on the sideline in the game of craps, or on the counter of a betting window at a racecourse.

lay it on the line

or

not your line of country

BRITISH, OLD-FASHIONEDIf something is not your line of country, it is not a subject that you know much about, or one in which you are very interested. I am rather ignorant on this matter — it is not quite my line of country.See also: lay, line, on

lay (or put) it on the line

speak frankly.See also: lay, line, on

lay it on the ˈline

(informal) tell somebody something in an honest, direct and forceful way: She laid it on the line, telling us that we would fail the exam unless we worked harder.See also: lay, line, on

lay it on the line

tv. to speak very frankly and directly. I’m going to have to lay it on the line with you, I guess. See also: lay, line, on

lay it on the line, to

To speak frankly. This Americanism of the early twentieth century originally meant to hand over money (from about the 1920s). However, by mid-century it meant to speak plainly or categorically, and in the 1960s acquired still another sense, to lay something on the line, meaning to put that thing at risk (as in, “The Marines laid their lives on the line”).See also: lay, on