Used to tell sb to stop doing sth - lay off me will you - it's nothing to do with me. Lay off something - to stop using sth - I think you'd better lay off fatty foods for a while. Lay somebody off - to stop employing sb because there is not enough work for them to do.

We say someone is laid off to indicate that they lost their job but that it was not their fault. For instance, if the company downsized or went out of business, the workers might be laid off even though they worked hard. So in common usage we say “I was laid off” to mean I lost my job. This is much more respectable than saying “I was fired” which admits that the problem was with me.

In your context "Lay off" means to retrench someone.

Why don't you lay off smoking for a while until your cough gets better? 你为什么不先戒烟等你的咳嗽好了一些后再说? Lay off! You're messing up my hair! 你把我的头发都弄乱了！