lay off

En français : virer, licencier

1. (of an employer) To dismiss (workers) from employment, e.g. at a time of low business volume or through no fault of the worker, often with a severance package. (US, transitive)
2. To place all or part of a bet with another bookmaker in order to reduce risk. (transitive)
3. To cease, quit, stop (doing something). (transitive) · Lay off the singing, will you! I'm trying to study.· When are you gonna lay off smoking?
4. To stop bothering, teasing, or pestering someone; to leave (someone) alone. (intransitive, transitive) · Just lay off, okay! I've had enough!· Things have been better since the boss has been laying off a little.
5. In painting, to apply gentle strokes to smooth a wet coat of paint so as to remove visible roller- or brush-marks, commonly using a dry brush; a similar technique, but using a loaded laying-off brush, may produce a smooth coat of paint when using a roller or the usual brush techniques would leave marks. · He shows me how to lay off the paint — and moves his paintbrush across the section he had already painted, again and again.
6. To plan out (a navigational course) using a chart. (transitive)