start in on

English

Verb

start in on (third-person singular simple present starts in on, present participle starting in on, simple past and past participle started in on)

1. (informal) To make a start on; to begin to tackle.
   • 2013, Carol Brisebois, House on Fire, page 180:

     She started in on the closet, hoisting boxes from the shelf and placing them on the floor.

   • 2014, Soren Knox, On Causal Shores: Palimpsest Veil and Ananke Protocol, page 12:

     I pulled out my calculus book and started in on a basic question about limits.

2. (informal) To attack verbally or physically.
   • 2009, George O. Love, On the Scene II: Status Check, page 64:

     She was always worried about Laura when she was in gymnastics. When her teammate died of complications from anorexia, she really started in on her about her weight.

   • 2010, Tom Davy, The Map on the Chuck Wagon Canvas, page 158:

     He started in on Chico and Mexicans in general and then he blasted Santa Anna with his cowboy rhetoric. As Lon talked, his prejudices rose to the surface and his comments became more and more vindictive.

Anagrams

• Strontian, nonartist, strontian