What is "the lay of the land"

Lay \Lay\, n.

1. That which lies or is laid or is conceived of as having been laid or placed in its position; a row; a stratum; a layer; as, a lay of stone or wood.
   --Addison.

   A viol should have a lay of wire strings below.
   --Bacon.

   Note: The lay of a rope is right-handed or left-handed according to the hemp or strands are laid up. See Lay, v. t., 16. The lay of land is its topographical situation, esp. its slope and its surface features.

2. A wager. ``My fortunes against any lay worth naming.''

3. 1. A job, price, or profit. [Prov. Eng.]
      --Wright.

   2. A share of the proceeds or profits of an enterprise; as, when a man ships for a whaling voyage, he agrees for a certain lay. [U. S.]

4. (Textile Manuf.)

   1. A measure of yarn; a lea. See 1st Lea (a) .

   2. The lathe of a loom. See Lathe, 3.

5. A plan; a scheme. [Slang] --Dickens. Lay figure.

   1. A jointed model of the human body that may be put in any attitude; -- used for showing the disposition of drapery, etc.

   2. A mere puppet; one who serves the will of others without independent volition.

      Lay race, that part of a lay on which the shuttle travels in weaving; -- called also shuttle race.

      the lay of the land, the general situation or state of affairs.

      to get the lay of the land, to learn the general situation or state of affairs, especially in preparation for action.

The Lay of the Land is a 2006 novel by American author Richard Ford. The novel is the third in what is now a four part series, preceded by the novels The Sportswriter (1986) and Independence Day (1995); and followed by Let Me Be Frank With You (2014), a collection of "long" stories. Each of these books follows a portion of the life of Frank Bascombe, a real estate agent moving through early middle age towards his later years in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

The Lay of the Land was nominated for a 2006 National Book Critics Circle Award.