waylaying

English

Etymology

waylay +‎ -ing

Verb

waylaying

1. present participle of waylay

Noun

waylaying (plural waylayings)

1. The act by which somebody is waylaid; an ambush.
   • Edgar Allan Poe, The Purloined Letter

     Such a man, I considered, could not fail to be aware of the ordinary policial modes of action. He could not have failed to anticipate—and events have proved that he did not fail to anticipate—the waylayings to which he was subjected.