Green’s Dictionary of Slang

to eat, or drink, heartily or greedily.

1821		‘An Amateur’ Real Life in London I 316: He knew the trick, and was up the moment the chap came into the Cock and Hen Club, where he was tucking in his grub and bub.
1823		Sydney Gaz. 30 Oct. 4/1: It would do your heart good, Mister Editor, to see hoqw Bill tucks in.
1829		Vidocq Memoirs (trans. W. McGinn) III 64: You peg away [...] as if you would crash your ivories (teeth;) one would think that you were tucking in at a regular spread.
1837		‘A Blow-Out for Breakfast’ in Ri-tum Ti-tum Songster 43: His lordship to the barracks goes, / Tells the colonel all his woes / About the soldier’s dirty wit, / And how they made him tuck in s--t.
1840		T. Haliburton Clockmaker III 36: If he and them gals didn’t tuck in the wine in great style it is a pity, that’s all.
1853		Morn. Post 30 Mar. 3/1: I wish I had a piece of pork, [...] I’d tuck it in, ’twould blow me out.
1866		Bury & Norwich Post 15 May 2/6: Florence was singing and playing the fool and tucking into tarts.
1876		Besant & Rice Golden Butterfly II1 197: They gave themselves unreservedly and from the very first to ‘tucking in.’.
1894		G. du Maurier Trilby 135: Tuck in as big a supper as you possibly can.
1900		Boy’s Own Paper 8 Dec. 148: While we were there, tucking into tarts and sausage rolls.
1911		Gem 30 Sept. 13: Perhaps he’s eating sandwiches, or tucking in at a lunch-basket.
1920		E.F. Benson Queen Lucia (1984) 166: I had an excellent supper [...] and I enjoyed it very much. Besides, I saw Pepino tucking in like anything.
1943		M. Harrison Reported Safe Arrival 94: Well, w’en we done prayin’ we tucks in.
1954		Wodehouse Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit 72: Those lunches and dinners of Anatole’s [...] tucking into them all this time.
1961		‘Frank Richards’ Billy Bunter at Butlins 9: You chaps tuck into those cherries.
1970		A. Sillitoe Start in Life (1979) 69: She didn’t tuck in as heartily as I’d hoped.
1980		Observer Mag. 24 Feb. 14: The happy couples around us tucking into boeuf en croute farci.
1991		Desperate Dan Special No. 7 32: Tuck in, Dan.
1999		Observer Mag. 11 July 53: I couldn’t face tucking into a huge lump of meat.
2000		Guardian Weekend 8 Jan. 53: The 500 faithful meet, greet, chat and tuck-in.