lace into

verb

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

Idioms and Phrases

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.”

Example Sentences

Hours before the town hall, Mr. Pence issued his sternest denunciations to date of Mr. Trump, lacing into him over his actions on Jan. 6, 2021.

From New York Times

Experts have attributed a national surge in overdose deaths in recent years to fentanyl being laced into many other illicit drugs.

From Seattle Times

Then she laced into her Republican colleagues for systematically loosening the state’s gun laws when, she said, they should have been tightened.

From New York Times

Semmelhack reasons that looping the laces over the facing — that’s the two flaps that come together over the tongue — could push the laces into the soft leather, marring it.

From Washington Post

As crazy as this sounds, a simple piece of plexiglass plastic laced into the roof shingles will suffice.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

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