  Orbital ordering has recently emerged as another important state in iron
based superconductors, and its role for superconductivity as well as its
connection to magnetic order and orthorhombic lattice distortion are heavily
debated. In order to search for signatures of this so-called nematic phase in
oxypnictides, we revisit the normal state properties of the pnictide
superconductor LaFeAsO$_{1-x}$F$_x$ with a focus on resistivity, Nernst effect,
thermal expansion, and $^{75}$As NMR data. The transport properties at the
underdoped level $x=0.05$ exhibit pronounced anomalies at about the same
temperature where undoped LaFeAsO develops long-range nematic ordering, i.e. at
about 160 K. Furthermore, the $^{75}$As-NMR spin-lattice relaxation rate
$1/(T_1T)$ reveals a progressive slowing down of spin fluctuations. Yet,
long-range magnetic order and also a detectable orthorhombic lattice distortion
are absent. Thus, we conclude from the data that short-range orbital-nematic
ordering or a slowly fluctuating form of it sets in near 160 K. Remarkably, all
anomalies in the transport and also the indications of slow spin fluctuations
disappear close to optimal doping $x=0.1$ which suggests that in
LaFeAsO$_{1-x}$F$_x$ the nematic phase actually competes with
superconductivity.
