LawProse Lesson #203: “Lie low” or “lay low”?

LawProse Lesson #203: “Lie low” or “lay low”?

Lie low or lay low?      Both phrases could be correct—it depends on the tense you are using. Use lie low in the present tense; lay low in the past tense. Ex.: The celebrity is lying low for a few weeks to avoid news reporters. Ex.: Last month, that same celebrity lay low to avoid the paparazzi. Ex.: He has lain low for almost a year. The base verb used here, of course, is lie, conjugated lielaylain, not the transitive lay as is often misused in phrases such as lie down and lie low. Two interesting examples of the latter were drawn to our attention by Michael J. Young of Florence, South Carolina. He noted that the Associated Press writer got it wrong in reporting on the arrest of the “wealthy, eccentric” Robert Durst after an HBO documentary based on his life and alleged connection with three murders. Durst had been arrested, the reporters wrote, in a New Orleans hotel “where he had been laying low.” Read lying low. On the same day, Reuters got it right in a piece on Russian president Vladimir Putin. The reporter said that Putin was scoffing at rumors that he had been in poor health and had to “lie low” for a while. Further reading: Garner’s Dictionary of Legal Usage 528, 544 (3d ed. 2011). Garner’s Modern American Usage 501–03, 510 (3d ed. 2009). The Redbook: A Manual on Legal Style § 12.3, at 290 (3d ed. 2013).

Live seminars this year with Professor Bryan A. Garner: Advanced Legal Writing & Editing

Attend the most popular CLE seminar of all time. More than 215,000 people—including lawyers, judges, law clerks, and paralegals—have benefited since the early 1990s. You'll learn the keys to professional writing and acquire no-nonsense techniques to make your letters, memos, and briefs more powerful.

You'll also learn what doesn't work and why—know-how gathered through Professor Garner's unique experience in training lawyers at the country's top law firms, state and federal courts, government agencies, and Fortune 500 companies.

Professor Garner gives you the keys to make the most of your writing aptitude—in letters, memos, briefs, and more. The seminar covers five essential skills for persuasive writing:

  • framing issues that arrest the readers' attention;
  • cutting wordiness that wastes readers' time;
  • using transitions deftly to make your argument flow;
  • quoting authority more effectively; and
  • tackling your writing projects more efficiently.

He teaches dozens of techniques that make a big difference. Most important, he shows you what doesn't work—and why—and how to cultivate skillfulness.

Register to reserve your spot today.

Have you wanted to bring Professor Garner to teach your group? Contact us at info@lawprose.org for more information about in-house seminars.

Scroll to Top