It's aye the cheapest lawyer's fee,
To taste the barrel."--_Burns._

Lay a thing by and it'll come o' use.

Lay the head o' the sow to the tail o' the grice.

Or place the profit against the loss.

"An' I am to lose by ye, I'se ne'er deny I hae won by ye mony a fair
pund sterling--sae, an' it come to the warst, I'se e'en lay the head
o' the sow to the tail o' the grice."--_Rob Roy._

Lay the sweet side o' your tongue till't.

"An answer to them that ask what they will get to their hasty
pudding."--_Kelly._

Lay up like a laird, and seek like a lad.

Lay your wame to your winning.

That is, let your housekeeping expenses be in unison with your
income.

Laziness is muckle worth, when it's weel guided.

Lazy youth maks lousy age.

Leal folk ne'er wanted gear.

Leal heart leed never.

"A' was toom, a' heartless-like, an' bare;
Her dowie pain she culdna mair conceal--
The heart, they'll say, will never lie that's leal."
--_Ross's Helenore._

Lean on the brose ye got in the morning.

Spoken facetiously to a person who leans heavily on another.

Leap year was never a gude sheep year.

Learn the cat the road to the kirn, and she'll aye be lickin'.

Learn young, learn fair; learn auld, learn mair.

Learn your gudewife to mak milk kail.

That is, "Teach your grandmother to suck eggs."

Learn you an ill habit and ye'll ca't a custom.

Least said soonest mended.

Leave aff while the play's gude.

Leave a jest when it pleases you best.

Leave the court ere the court leave you.

Leave welcome aye behint you.

Prolong your stay only so long as you find your company approved of,
so that you may not be considered tedious.

Lee for him and he'll swear for you.

Leein' rides on debt's back.

Lend your money and lose your friend.

"It is not the lending of our money that loses our friend; but the
demanding of it again, and that will lose a friend to my certain
knowledge. They have a proverbial rhyme to this purpose:--

"'I had a } {and a } {as many of this land,
I lent my } {to my } {when he did it demand,
I sought my } penny {from my} friend {when he had kept it long,
I lost my } {and my } {and was not that a wrong?
Had I a } {and a } {as I have had b