What does lay down the law mean?
Idiom Meaning:
tell people what to do in a forceful way
Examples of this Idiom in Movies & TV Shows:
Casino (1995)
Time of Scene:
Piscano’s Brother-in-Law: You gotta lay down the law. Otherwise they’re gonna make a fool out of you.
Artie Piscano: They’re not gonna make a fool out of me. I write it all down in this book. Every fucking nickel, it goes down right here. Receipts, bills, everything’s here.
Piscano’s Mother: Hey, oh, ah! What’s the matter with you? Since when do you talk like that?
Artie Piscano: I’m sorry. Nance gives me trouble, and I’ll tell him, screw around with those suitcases and I’ll take the eyes out of his freakin’ head.
Piscano’s Mother: Again!
Artie Piscano: I didn’t curse. I said “freakin’ head.”
The Mandalorian “Chapter 8: Redemption” (2019)
Time of Scene: n/a
Bike Scout Trooper #1: Waiting for confirmation to continue into town.
Operator: That’s a go to proceed, but I advise you to double-check. The Moff just touched down and already took out a squad of local troopers.
Bike Scout Trooper #1: Standing by.
Bike Scout Trooper #2: Did he just say that Gideon killed his own men?
Bike Scout Trooper #1: Oh, who knows? These guys like to lay down the law when they first arrive into town. You know how it is.
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The Closer “Split Ends” (2008)
Time of Scene:
Fritz Howard: Sometimes the only way to deal with a control freak is to lay down the law.
Brenda Leigh Johnson: I totally agree.
Fritz Howard: Which is why I’m saying I wanna be married by the end of January or February of next year at the latest. And the next time we talk about it, you better have a date in mind.
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