student asking question

What does "on the lam" mean?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

"On a lam" is a slang phrase that means to be running away from something; to be running away from the law for committing a crime. I'm unsure about British English, but this expression isn't very popular in American English. We usually say "on the run" instead. Ex: The thief was on the lam for a long time. Ex: Many criminals are on the lam to avoid prosecution.

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