verb
lace
To add a small amount of a potent substance to something.
The cook laces the sauce with a little brandy.
Etymology
The verb’s mixing sense extends the idea of interweaving. A potent addition is worked through another substance, like a strand introduced through surrounding material.
More examples
- Someone had laced the drink with a drug.
- Her cheerful speech was laced with sarcasm.
- The cake's filling is laced with coffee liqueur.
Forms
lace · laces · laced · lacing
Similar words
- spike
- Usually suggests adding alcohol or a drug, often secretly.
- infuse
- Often suggests deliberately steeping flavor into something.