(the principle of) allowing people's activities, especially business activities, to develop without control: a laissez-faire attitude/policy
la·i·ty /'leɪtɪ/ n [the+P] members of a religious group without the special training of priests; laymen (LAYMAN)
lake¹ /leik/. n 1 a large area of water, especially non-salty water, surrounded by land: sailing on the lake | Lake Michigan → compare POND 2 a very large amount of the stated, usually liquid, product that is additional to what is needed or used: European economic policies have created a wine lake. → compare MOUNTAIN
$  \text{lake}^2 n [U]  $ a deep bluish-red colour, especially of paint
Lake, Ric•ki /'riki/ (1968-) a US actress and talk show HOST. Her programme, which is called Ricki Lake, started in 1993 and was one of the first talk shows for younger people.
'Lake District, the an area in northwest England known for its beautiful lakes and mountains and visited by many tourists. The highest mountain in England, Scafell Pike, is in the Lake District, and the area is connected in people's minds with many writers and poets who lived there, especially William WORDSWORTH and his sister Dorothy. → see also GRASMERE → see colour photo on page A42
Lake Okeechobee → see OKEECHOBEE
Lake Wo·be·gon /leik 'wəubigənl-gən/ an imaginary town in stories written by Garrison KEILLOR, which is intended to be typical of a small US town in Minnesota
lakh /laek/ determiner n. led/ & rak/ 2 hundred thousand
lakh /læk/ determiner, n IndE & PakE a hundred thousand
'La-la, Land n AmE infml 1 another name for LOS ANGELES, used to mean that the people who live there are slightly crazy 2 in La-la Land if you say that someone is in La-la Land, you mean that they are slightly crazy
La·lique, Re·né /læ'liːk, 'reneɪlɪrə'nei/ (1860–1945) a French designer of jewellery and GLASSWARE (=objects made of glass) in the ART NOUVEAU style
lam¹ /læm/ -mm- v
lam into sbdy./sthg. phr v [T] BrE slang to beat or attack physically or with words
lam² n AmE infml on the lam escaping, especially from the police: He broke out of jail and now he's on the lam.
la·ma /ˈlaːmə/ n a Buddhist priest of Tibet, Mongolia etc → see also DALAI LAMA
La·ma·is·m /'la:mə-izəm/ n [U] a form of the Buddhist religion common in Tibet, Mongolia etc
La Manche /læ 'mɒnʃ|lɑː 'maːnʃ/ the French name for the ENGLISH CHANNEL
La-marr, He·dy /le'ma:r, 'herdi/ (1913–2000) an actress born in Austria, who made films in HOLLYWOOD and who was thought to be one of the most beautiful actresses during the 1930s and 1940s.
La-maze meth-od, the /le'maiz ,meθəd/ trademark a series of breathing exercises and other exercises for women giving birth, designed to give them better control over the process and to help to decrease pain. The method was developed by a French doctor, Fernand Lamaze, and became especially popular in the 1980s.
$ \text{lamb}^1/\text{laem}/n\ 1[\text{C}]\text{ a young sheep} \rightarrow \text{see also BAA}\ 2[\text{U}]\text{ the meat of a young sheep} \rightarrow \text{see MEAT (USAGE)}\ 3[\text{C}]\text{ infml a harmless gentle person}\ 4\text{ as/like a lamb to the slaughter} \text{said of blameless people who are about to experience something bad which they do not deserve or know about: The minister walked into the press conference as a lamb to the slaughter.} $
$ \text{lamb}^2 v $ [1] to give birth to lambs: The sheep are lambing this week.
Lamb, Charles (1775–1834) a British writer of ESSAYs, who worked with his sister Mary Lamb (1764–1847) on Tales from Shakespeare, a book for children that tells the stories of Shakespeare's plays in simple language
lam·ba·da /læm'bɑːdə/ [the] (a piece of music for) a sexually suggestive dance originally from Brazil, which became fashionable in Britain in the early 1990s —lambda v [|]
lam•baste /'læmbeɪst/ also lam•bast /-bæst/ v [T] infml to beat or attack fiercely, either physically or with words: Her new play was really lambasted by the critics.
lam·bent /'læmbənt/ adj lit 1 (of a flame) having a soft light and moving over a surface without burning it 2 (of light) softly shining 3 gently or playfully clever: lambent wit
Lam·beth Con·fe·rence, the /,læmbæθ 'kɒnfərsənsl
- 'kɑːn-/ a formal meeting of all the BISHOPS (=high-ranking priests) of the CHURCH OF ENGLAND from all over the world, which takes place every 10 years
,Lambeth 'Palace a large very old building that is the official home in London of the ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY. The name Lambeth Palace is sometimes used in news reports to mean the people who are in charge of the Church of England: Lambeth Palace has condemned government policies on the inner city.
,Lambeth 'Walk, The a dance which was especially popular in the UK in the 1930s and 1940s, in which dancers form a long line, usually in the street. It was danced to a popular song, also called The Lambeth Walk, and is thought of as a typical COCKNEY song.
,Lamb of 'God, the another name for JESUS
lamb·skin /ˈlæm,skɪn/ n [C;U] (leather made from) the skin of a lamb, especially with the wool on it
lambs·wool /ˈlæmzwʊl/ n [U] soft wool from LAMBs, used for making clothes: lambswool jumper/sweater/blanket etc
lame¹ /leɪm/ adj 1 not able to walk properly because one's leg or foot is hurt or has some sort of weakness: The horse went lame. 2 infml not easily believed; weak: a lame excuse
—~ly adv —~ness n [U]
lame² v [T] to cause to become lame
la-mé /'la:meɪlla:'meɪ/ n [U] cloth containing gold or silver threads: a gold lamé skirt
lame·brain /'leɪmbreɪn/ n AmE slang a stupid person: Don't do it that way, lamebrain! You'll break it.
'lame 'duck n 1 a person or business that is helpless or ineffective 2 AmE a political official whose period in office will soon end: a lame duck president/presidency
la·ment¹ /lə'ment/ v [l(over);T] 1 to feel or express deep sorrow (for or because of): The nation lamented the passing (=death) of its great war leader. | (fml or pomp) The decline in good manners is to be lamented. 2 the late lamented fml or humor the recently dead (person)
lament $ ^{2} $ n [(for)] a strong expression of deep sorrow, especially in the form of a song or piece of music; a common form of bagpipe music (BAGPIPES)
lam·en·ta·bie /'laeməntəbəl, lə'mentəbəl/ adj fml very unsatisfactory: This government's performance/attitude is absolutely lamentable. —bly adv
lam·en·ta·tion /,læmən'teɪʃən/ n [C;U] fml or bibl (an expression of) deep sorrow: There was lamentation throughout the land at the news of the defeat.
lam·i·nate¹ /'læmʃneɪt/ v [T] 1 to make (a strong material) by joining many thin sheets of the material on top of each other: laminated steel 2 to cover with thin sheets of metal, plastic, wood, glass etc: The work surface is made of wood laminated with plastic.
lam·i·nate² /'læminʃt, -neɪt/ n [C;U] material made by laminating sheets of plastic, metal, wood, glass etc
lamp /læmp/ n 1 an apparatus, especially a movable one, for giving light, using oil, gas, or electricity: to light an oil lamp | A miner's lamp is fixed onto his helmet. | a table lamp | a streetlamp → see picture at BICYCLE 2 an electrical apparatus used for producing health-giving forms of heat: an infrared lamp → see also BLOWLAMP, HURRICANE LAMP, SAFETY LAMP, SUNLAMP 3 new lamps for old → see ALADDIN
'lamp-black n [U] a fine black colouring material made from the SOOT (=black powder) produced by the smoke of a burning oil or gas lamp
lam·poon¹ /læm'pʊn/ n a piece of writing fiercely attacking a person, government etc, by making them seem foolish
lampoon² v [T] to attack in a lampoon: In his essays he lampooned all the major political figures of the time.
lamp·post /ˈlæmp-pəʊst/ n a tall thin support for a lamp which lights a street or other public area
lam·prey /'læmpri/ n a snakelike fish with a sucking mouth
lamp·shade /'læmpfeɪd/ n a usually decorative cover placed over a lamp, especially to reduce or direct its light