lay-by

a place to stop a vehicle on the side of the road

TRANSLATION

lay-by = die Haltebucht, die Pannenbucht lay-by = Ausbuchtung der Fahrbahn am Straßenrand zum Anhalten --- GOOGLE INDEX lay-by: approximately 600,000 Google hits

STATISTICS

IN THE PRESS

A man who was found tied up in a LAY-BY said he was kidnapped by a hitchhiker and told to drive there at knifepoint.

(BBC News)

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The Moon as a lunar LAY-BY. Telegraph View: Why not fill up on the way to Mars?

(Headline - The Telegraph)

Did you
know?

lay-by
noun

- a place at the side of a road where a vehicle can stop for a short time without interrupting other traffic

(Cambridge Dictionary)

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In the expression lay-by, lay refers to stopping or resting and the preposition "by" is used in the context of "at or to." So a lay-by is simply a place to stop at so you can rest or take a break from driving. In the US a lay-by is called a rest stop.

In the nautical world, a lay-by is an anchorage in a narrow waterway, away from the channel. In the railroad business, it refers to a small siding where rolling stock may be stored or parked

In Australia, lay-by also refers to a system of paying for goods in small amounts and receiving the goods after the full amount has been paid, or goods bought in this way.

Finally, lay-by is also a verb meaning to set aside or save for future needs or in nautical terms to cause a vessel to stop in open water.

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SYNONYMS

rest stop, rest area, pull in

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SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation

"If you want to talk on the mobile phone while in your car, pull over into a lay-by first."

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Thanks to Volker for suggesting today's word!

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