lay something off—
1. spread smth. such as money more widely to insure against a loss:
- The large insurance contract was laid off among many firms.
2. (of a ship) anchor near a certain location:
- The ship was laid off outside the harbor while the storm lasted.
3. stop wearing smth.:
- It’s time we were able to lay off these heavy winter clothes.
put something off—
1. (also: put something over) postpone smth.; leave smth. to a later date:
- Don’t put off making the arrangements until the last minute.
2. = lay something off 3:
- The war was over but Harold was still in khaki; he never looked so nearly a gentleman again when he put it off.
3. disconnect electricity:
- Please put off all the lights as you leave the building.
4. get rid of smth.; cease to consider smth.:
- It’s good to have put off the responsibility of the chairmanship.
Note: The expression does not fully correlate in meaning with the phrase put something away—
1. put smth. in the usual place of storage (such as a drawer, box, etc.):
- Please put your toys away before you go to bed.
2. (coll., also: put something down) eat a lot of food:
- You’d be surprised at the amount that boy can put away in a single day.
3. (of money or a supply of goods) save for future use:
- I have a little money put away for a rainy day.
4. = put something off 4:
- It’s time to put away those foolish ideas and become serious.