English

Verb

to lace into ‎(third-person singular simple present laces into, present participle lacing to, simple past and past participle laced into)

1. (transitive) To vigorously attack, either physically or verbally.
   • 1963 Nov. 22, "Nation: The Sound of Footsteps," Time:

     Then he laced into the Kennedy Administration, saying that the New Frontier has produced "1,026 days of wasted spending, wishful thinking, unwarranted intervention, wistful theories and waning confidence."

   • 1981 Feb. 25, "Courting Destruction‎" (photo caption), Daytona Beach Morning Journal, p. 1B (retrieved 24 July 2011):

     A bulldozer does its dirty work Tuesday lacing into the first of several Beach Street buildings that will be rendered rubble.

   • 2000 Jan. 2, Mike Wise, "An N.B.A. Power Broker Who Lost His Power," New York Times (retrieved 24 July 2011):

     Rider, a renowned malcontent, laced into teammates after a loss to the Pacers on Wednesday, using an expletive-filled diatribe to vent his frustration.

2. (transitive, of food or beverages) To consume with gusto.
   • 1988 Nov. 28, Frank Jones, "Oprah made size 10 error backing diet‎," Toronto Star (Canada), p. C1:

     Now, that doesn't mean we should all lace into the fries and gravy.

   • 2006 Nov. 26, David Shaftel, "Pork Chops He Has Known," New York Times (retrieved 24 July 2011):

     [G]uests laced into the feast, the star of which was communal dishes of braised pigs’ feet.

Synonyms

• (attack physically): assail, assault, light into, rip into, tear into
• (attack verbally): criticize, dress down, excoriate, light into, rebuke, reprimand, rip into, scold, tear into
• (consume with gusto): dig into, tuck into
• See also Wikisaurus:reprehend