Definition

Noun: 1. A cord, string, or narrow strip of material that is passed through holes or loops to fasten or tighten something, such as a shoe or a garment. 2. A small amount of a substance, typically a strong alcoholic drink, added to another food or beverage. 3. (Less common) The act of fastening or tightening with a lace.

Usage and Examples

• As a fastening cord:
  • One of the leather lacings on my boot broke.
  • She tightened the lacing on her corset.
• As an additive:
  • The recipe calls for a lacing of brandy in the sauce.
  • He detected a lacing of arsenic in the drink.

Advanced Usage

• The term can be used figuratively to describe something that is interwoven or mixed into something else.
  • His speech contained a sharp lacing of sarcasm.

Variants and Related Words

• Lace (noun/verb): The material or the act of fastening. (e.g., , ).
• Laced (adjective): Fastened with laces; or, containing an additive. (e.g., , ).

Synonyms

• For the cord: cord, thong, string, tie.
• For the additive: dash, splash, trace, hint.

Different Meanings

1. Primary Meaning: A physical cord used for fastening.
2. Secondary Meaning: A small, often potent, additive mixed into something else.
3. Figurative Meaning: An element of a particular quality interwoven into something (e.g., speech, writing).

Noun

1. the act of inflicting corporal punishment with repeated blows
2. a cord that is drawn through eyelets or around hooks in order to draw together two edges (as of a shoe or garment)
3. a small amount of liquor added to a food or beverage