About this "lie" vs "lay" business. As the word, "layabout," suggests, this issue has been with us for some time. I think there are books that are important, but not great literature (e.g., Wizard of Oz,Uncle Tom's Cabin, and Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy.) One of these is Richard Dana's, Two Years before the Mast,which became important, because it was a valuable source of information about California, for those who wanted to participate in the gold rush of 1849. Dana had spent those two years doubling the cape and visiting California. In Dana's book he mentions that the sailors talk about "laying out" in the sun. For what it's worth (not much I suspect) his conclusion is that the saliors' use is an ellipsis with "their bodies" being left out, but understood. BTW Mark Twain uses an incident from Two Years before the Mast in his acceptance speech at Oxford. Twain's use alone gives Dana's book importance, because Twain's speech is one of the best acceptance speeches ever given. OFF TOPIC In my country it has suddenly become popular to use "gravitas" (weighed down with eggs) as if it means "importance". If I had used "gravitas" for "importance" above, would you have pictured an old book covered with insect eggs?