I'm picking up what you're laying down

Posted by ESC October 25, 2008 at 22:22In reply to I'm picking up what you're laying down posted by Erin Bateman on October 24, 2008 at 15:50:

I'm wondering if anyone knows the origins of "I'm picking up what you're laying down"... meaning I understand what you're saying.

I also heard that phrase stated and someon else reply "Before it hits the ground"... meaning I get it right away.

According to one reference, it is a Black phrase. LAY IT DOWN FOR ME -- Make it plain, explain it to me. Also "lay it on me." Black Talk: Words and Phrases from the Hood to the Amen Corner by Geneva Smitherman (Houghton Mifflin Co., New York, N.Y., 1994). It sounds like laying it all out on the table. Everything is upfront and in plain sight. "Pick up" would be just a little word-play.