lay bedding; foundation; foil; background
Meanings
3 senses · 9 examplesverb
to lay down; to spread out (bedding or a mat)
Refers to the physical act of placing soft materials (like a mattress or quilt) on a surface to make it more comfortable.
Mom laid a thick cotton mattress on the bed.
Before the picnic, we first laid a blanket on the grass.
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To keep warm, he laid several layers of hay inside the tent.
noun
bedding; mattress; something spread on a bed
Refers to the bedding items themselves, such as a mattress, quilt, or pad. The suffix "儿" is optional in Mandarin.
The bedding on this bed is too hard; it's uncomfortable to sleep on.
He went camping, taking only a simple sleeping pad.
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You need thicker bedding in winter to keep warm.
verb
to set the stage; to foreshadow; to serve as a foil or background
literaryA figurative usage, common in literature, storytelling, and rhetoric. It means to create a background or make preliminary arrangements so that later developments seem logical and natural.
The beginning of the novel cleverly foreshadowed the later tragedy.
He told a joke before his speech to set a light tone for the serious topic.
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These detailed descriptions all serve to set the stage for the protagonist's transformation.