Definition of "lay-by" []

• A paved area at the side of a highway designated for drivers to stop in, for emergency parking, or where vehicles can wait, with larger lay-bys possibly having facilities like food vendors or public telephones. (noun)
• A railroad siding; a second, short railroad track just to the side of a railroad track, connected with the main track by a switch and used for unloading, bypassing, etc. (noun)
• A widened section of a narrow river or canal, formed to one side so as to leave the channel free, for mooring of vessels, where vessels can lay over or allow others to pass. (noun)
• A method of retail purchase in which the selected goods are set aside and the customer pays for them in instalments, receiving them when fully paid; layaway. (noun)

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• "A turn-out or lay-by would be good; but not only is there no such safe haven, there isn't even a shoulder to rely on."
• "Watching, say, Jacques Kallis trying to hit every ball for six, it was as though Mr D'Arcy had given up smouldering silently across the tea table and instead decided just to get his nipples pierced and go out dogging in a motorway lay-by."
• "I and the scene of crime van were parked nearby in a lay-by outside a fast food shop as it was a busy main road."