lay at someone's door

English

Etymology

Alludes to someone laying incriminating evidence at the door of a guilty person, perhaps during the night. Compare lie at someone's door.

Verb

lay at someone's door (third-person singular simple present lays at someone's door, present participle laying at someone's door, simple past and past participle laid at someone's door)

1. (transitive, idiomatic) To blame (a problem) on someone; to hold someone responsible for (something).
   • 1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide:

     Conviction of sin held him like a vice: he saw the lassie's death laid at his door; her face haunted him by day and night, and the word of the Lord dirled in his ears, telling of wrath and punishment.

Related terms

• at someone's door
• lie at someone's door

 

Further reading

• “lay at someone's door”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.