lay at someone's door en · VERB
Etymology
Alludes to someone laying incriminating evidence at the door of a guilty person, perhaps during the night. Compare lie at someone's door.
Meanings
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(idiomatic, transitive) To blame (a problem) on someone; to hold someone responsible for (something).
Likewise, a flop will be laid at his door [James Gunn's door].
2025 July 12, Danny Leigh, “Hollywood’s box office superhero returns”, in FT Weekend, London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 9: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.
1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide:
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(form-of, past) simple past of lie at someone's door
form of lie at someone's door
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| laying at someone's door | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| lays at someone's door | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| laid at someone's door | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| laid at someone's door | Tense=Past | lexicographic |