'To lie on one's hands' definitions:

Definition of 'To lie on one's hands'

From: GCIDE

Lie \Lie\, v. i. [imp. Lay (l[=a]); p. p. Lain (l[=a]n), (Lien (l[imac]"[e^]n), Obs.); p. pr. & vb. n. Lying.] [OE. lien, liggen, AS. licgan; akin to D. liggen, OHG. ligen, licken, G. liegen, Icel. liggja, Sw. ligga, Dan. ligge, Goth. ligan, Russ. lejate, L. lectus bed, Gr. le`chos bed, le`xasqai to lie. Cf. Lair, Law, Lay, v. t., Litter, Low, adj.]
1. To rest extended on the ground, a bed, or any support; to be, or to put one's self, in an horizontal position, or nearly so; to be prostate; to be stretched out; -- often with down, when predicated of living creatures; as, the book lies on the table; the snow lies on the roof; he lies in his coffin. [1913 Webster]
The watchful traveler . . . Lay down again, and closed his weary eyes. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]
2. To be situated; to occupy a certain place; as, Ireland lies west of England; the meadows lie along the river; the ship lay in port. [1913 Webster]
3. To abide; to remain for a longer or shorter time; to be in a certain state or condition; as, to lie waste; to lie fallow; to lie open; to lie hid; to lie grieving; to lie under one's displeasure; to lie at the mercy of the waves; the paper does not lie smooth on the wall. [1913 Webster]
4. To be or exist; to belong or pertain; to have an abiding place; to consist; -- with in. [1913 Webster]
Envy lies between beings equal in nature, though unequal in circumstances. --Collier. [1913 Webster]
He that thinks that diversion may not lie in hard labor, forgets the early rising and hard riding of huntsmen. --Locke. [1913 Webster]
5. To lodge; to sleep. [1913 Webster]
Whiles I was now trifling at home, I saw London, . . . where I lay one night only. --Evelyn. [1913 Webster]
Mr. Quinion lay at our house that night. --Dickens. [1913 Webster]
6. To be still or quiet, like one lying down to rest. [1913 Webster]
The wind is loud and will not lie. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
7. (Law) To be sustainable; to be capable of being maintained. "An appeal lies in this case." --Parsons. [1913 Webster]
Note: Through ignorance or carelessness speakers and writers often confuse the forms of the two distinct verbs lay and lie. Lay is a transitive verb, and has for its preterit laid; as, he told me to lay it down, and I laid it down. Lie is intransitive, and has for its preterit lay; as, he told me to lie down, and I lay down. Some persons blunder by using laid for the preterit of lie; as, he told me to lie down, and I laid down. So persons often say incorrectly, the ship laid at anchor; they laid by during the storm; the book was laying on the shelf, etc. It is only necessary to remember, in all such cases, that laid is the preterit of lay, and not of lie. [1913 Webster]
To lie along the shore (Naut.), to coast, keeping land in sight.
To lie at the door of, to be imputable to; as, the sin, blame, etc., lies at your door.
To lie at the heart, to be an object of affection, desire, or anxiety. --Sir W. Temple.
To lie at the mercy of, to be in the power of.
To lie by. (a) To remain with; to be at hand; as, he has the manuscript lying by him. (b) To rest; to intermit labor; as, we lay by during the heat of the day.
To lie hard or To lie heavy, to press or weigh; to bear hard.
To lie in, to be in childbed; to bring forth young.
To lie in one, to be in the power of; to belong to. "As much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men." --Rom. xii. 18.
To lie in the way, to be an obstacle or impediment.
To lie in wait, to wait in concealment; to lie in ambush.
To lie on or To lie upon. (a) To depend on; as, his life lies on the result. (b) To bear, rest, press, or weigh on.
To lie low, to remain in concealment or inactive. [Slang]
To lie on hand,
To lie on one's hands, to remain unsold or unused; as, the goods are still lying on his hands; they have too much time lying on their hands.
To lie on the head of, to be imputed to. [1913 Webster]
What he gets more of her than sharp words, let it lie on my head. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
To lie over. (a) To remain unpaid after the time when payment is due, as a note in bank. (b) To be deferred to some future occasion, as a resolution in a public deliberative body.
To lie to (Naut.), to stop or delay; especially, to head as near the wind as possible as being the position of greatest safety in a gale; -- said of a ship. Cf. {To bring to}, under Bring.
To lie under, to be subject to; to suffer; to be oppressed by.
To lie with. (a) To lodge or sleep with. (b) To have sexual intercourse with. (c) To belong to; as, it lies with you to make amends. [1913 Webster]