Children and parenting · People and relationships
lay down the law
set strict rules
To make rules very clearly and insist that people obey them.
This vs that
The manager laid down the law.
The manager set some ground rules.
Hear it in real life
What happened after the party?
Dad laid down the law about having people over without asking.
When the children kept fighting, their mum laid down the law.
Which sounds natural?
Psst — which one would you actually say?
Lay down the law is the natural idiom for an unusually forceful set of rules.
The mistake everyone makes
Not: My dad laid down the laws when I came home late.
Say: My dad laid down the law when I came home late.
Law is normally singular in this idiom.
Say it together
Whole chunks natives use with it.
lay down the law about ___
The landlord laid down the law about late-night noise.
My parents laid down the law about using the car.
Phrases to borrow
More for talking about children and parenting.
have children of your own
You understand parents better when you have children of your own.
get a child to ___
It took ages to get the child to sleep.
Children and parenting words
People and relationships · Children and parenting: the words around “lay down the law”.
More connectionsMore children and parenting words8
More children and parenting words
Your turn: say it out loud
Her dad really laid down the law.
Say it out loud two or three times, until it feels like yours.
lay down the law
set strict rules
“When the children kept fighting, their mum laid down the law.”
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