[Vocabulary] to stand the ladders against the walls

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Marina Gaidar

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

Gillnetter

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Is it correct to say "to stand the ladders against the walls" laying a [STRIKE]siedge [/STRIKE] siege to the castle?
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.
 
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Grumpy

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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.
 

Gillnetter

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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.
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"?
 
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