on the lam

English

Etymology

From lam (“flight, escape”).

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Adjective

on the lam (not comparable)

1. Running away, usually from the police; on the run.
   • 2004, Nintendo EAD, Pikmin 2, Nintendo, space e-mail:

     The President: 'Hello... I am still on the lam from debt collectors.'

   • 2007, Howie Carr, The Brothers Bulger‎^[1]:

     Their top hitman, Joe Russo, was on the lam after murdering Joe Barboza in San Francisco.

   • 2012 September 15, “Vietnam: A Tiger at Bay”, in The Economist:

     There have been more bank runs, executives on the lam, arrests and credit panics than the country has seen in years.

   • 2024 November 25, Fred Weir, “In shifting world, post-Soviet states look back to a constant: Russia”, in The Christian Science Monitor:

     Charges of Russian meddling, including allegations of vote-buying by a Moldovan oligarch on the lam in Russia, could have substance.

Related terms

• take it on the lam

Translations

running away; on the run

• Galician: a fume de carozo (gl), á fuga
• German: auf der Flucht
• Russian: в бега́х (v begáx)
• Swedish: på fri fot (sv)

Anagrams

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