Word Study
lam
WORDNET DICTIONARY
Noun lam has 1 sense
- lam(n = noun.act) getaway - a rapid escape (as by criminals); "the thieves made a clean getaway"; "after the expose he had to take it on the lam" is a kind of escape, flight
Derived form verb lam1
Verb lam has 2 senses
- lam(v = verb.motion) break away, bunk, escape, fly the coop, head for the hills, hightail it, run, run away, scarper, scat, take to the woods, turn tail - flee; take to one's heels; cut and run; "If you see this man, run!"; "The burglars escaped before the police showed up" is one way to go away, go forth, leave
- lam(v = verb.contact) flail, thrash, thresh - give a thrashing to; beat hard; Array is one way to beat, beat up, work over
Derived form noun lam1
Sample sentences:
Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP
Sample sentence:
They want to lam the prisoners
CIDE DICTIONARY
lam, v. t. [Icel. lemja to beat, or lama to bruise, both fr. lami, lama, lame. See Lame.].
To beat soundly; to thrash. Beau. & Fl. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
lam, v. (lammed, lamming) sl.
1 tr. thrash; hit.
2 intr. (foll. by into) hit (a person etc.) hard with a stick etc.
1 tr. thrash; hit.
2 intr. (foll. by into) hit (a person etc.) hard with a stick etc.
lam, n.
Idiom
on the lam US sl. in flight, esp. from the police.
Etymology
20th c.: orig. unkn.
THESAURUS
lam
absquatulate, batter, beat, beat it, blow, breakout, decamp, dog it, drub, duck and run, duck out, flight, getaway, hammer, make off, paste, pelt, pound, powder, pummel, scape, scram, skedaddle, skin out, skip, skip out, slip, split, take a powder, take off, thrash, vamoose, wallop
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