to stand the ladders against the walls

Is it correct to say "to stand the ladders against the walls" laying a siedge to the castle?

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Originally Posted by Marina Gaidar

Is it correct to say "to stand the ladders against the walls" laying a siedge to the castle?

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Yes.

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Originally Posted by Marina Gaidar

Is it correct to say "to stand the ladders against the walls" laying a siedge siege to the castle?

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To stand the ladders against the wall may or may not be the end of a siege. To lay a siege means to surround and begin a long attack against something.

With my pedant's hat on, may I point out that one does not normally lay "a" siege. One "lays siege to", or "besieges" somewhere.

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Originally Posted by Grumpy

With my pedant's hat on, may I point out that one does not normally lay "a" siege. One "lays siege to", or "besieges" somewhere.

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One can lay a trap and lay a bet, I assume that a general can lay a siege. I wonder how the language handled this when sieges were in vogue. I can see how (consider - go to hospital and go to university) the "a" could be taken out from BrE, but what was used in the past? Also, is it "lays siege to" or, "lay siege to"?