layup
/ˈleɪˌʌp/ noun
Forms layups lay-up
- noun (basketball) A close-range shot in which the shooter banks the ball off the backboard from a few feet away.
- noun (colloquial) A relatively easy task. “Meeting the numbers will be a layup, if not a slam dunk.”
- noun The state of being laid up. “The ship endured an interminable layup in the harbor lasting nearly a month.”
- noun (rail transport, countable or uncountable) A track used to store train cars. “The caboose, long decrepit, rested on a forgotten layup just north of the dry riverbed.”
- noun (by extension, graffiti slang) A side track, tunnel, or elevated structure where idle trains park during off-peak hours, overnight, or on weekend; a targeted spot because the stationary trains give them enough time to paint large pieces.
- noun (rail transport) A train car sitting in storage (laid up), often overnight. “Though I knew we shouldn't be there, she pulled me out of the tunnel and into the dark layup, its floors still grubby from the morning commute many hours ago.”
- noun (materials science) The process of applying alternate layers of a material and a binding agent to form a composite material. “Forgetting to clear the sawdust around his workshop, Payton ended up contaminating the resin-ply matrix with wood particles during his hand layup.”
Synonyms
Etymology
From lay + up.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “layup”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details