The Aramaic verb akal (אֲכַל, H399) means "to eat, to devour, consume" — the Aramaic cognate of the Hebrew akal (H398). It appears in the Aramaic sections of Daniel and Ezra, where it is used both literally (eating food) and figuratively (consuming by fire or accusation).
The Aramaic akal carries one of its most striking metaphorical uses in Daniel 3:8 and 6:24 in the phrase akal qartzehin — literally "to eat their pieces" — meaning "to accuse," or more idiomatically, "to slander." This expression, also found in Akkadian and Aramaic literature, captures the malicious act of false accusation as a kind of predatory devouring. The Babylonian courtiers who accused Daniel and the three Hebrew men were spiritually devouring them. Scripture repeatedly warns against this — even as the lion's mouths were shut for Daniel, God protects those falsely accused who trust in Him.