lace into

British  

verb

1. (intr, preposition) to attack violently, either verbally or physically

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lace into Idioms  

1. Also, light into. Attack, assail, as in He laced into me for arriving late, or She lit into him for forgetting the tickets. The first of these colloquial terms employs lace in the sense of “beat up or thrash,” a usage dating from the late 1500s. The idiom with light dates from the late 1800s and stems from the verb meaning “descend.”

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lace into

Things started with her mother’s old linens; Madison would press lace into clay to make impressions.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 17, 2022

“Just as I was about to lace into him, he said to me, “Hey McAroni — he called me that — where are we going to dinner?’”

From New York Times ● Aug. 22, 2019

“We’re really going to lace into people if they don’t say what’s politically correct,” Mr. David said.

From New York Times ● Nov. 12, 2017

Designer Victoire de Castellane used digital technology to reduce lace into a minuscule pattern, used as a setting at the back of a colorful jewel-studded brooch.

From New York Times ● Jul. 9, 2012

One at a time she drops each scrap of silk and lace into an empty teacup and lights it on fire.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Related Words

• allege
• assert
• charge
• claim
• defend
• dispute
• insist
• maintain
• say
• tell
• urge