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mincemeat

[ mins-meet ]

noun

  1. a mixture composed of minced apples, raisins, currants, candied citron, suet, etc., originally and traditionally also containing meat, for filling a pie.
  2. meat that is ground up or cut in very small pieces.


mincemeat

/ ˈmɪnsˌmiːt /

noun

  1. a mixture of dried fruit, spices, etc, used esp for filling pies
  2. minced meat
  3. make mincemeat of informal.
    to defeat completely
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Word History and Origins

Origin of mincemeat1

First recorded in 1655–65; mince + meat
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. make mincemeat of, to destroy utterly:

    He made mincemeat of his opponent's charges.

More idioms and phrases containing mincemeat

see make mincemeat of .
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Example Sentences

Some of those New York Times best-sellers include A Spy Among Friends, Operation Mincemeat, and The Spy and the Traitor.

Just look how he made mincemeat of the legal panel investigating his role in the Murdoch newspaper hacking scandal.

The deception planners borrowed from fiction, including for one of the most celebrated operations of the war: Operation Mincemeat.

They would be in upon the laager and surprise it asleep, having first made mincemeat of the unfortunate sentry.

What with the guns and the cheering, each Boer commando must have thought the next was pounded to mincemeat.

If you can render it impossible for the men to stand at the wheel, we will make mincemeat of this fellow in no time.

Dey make mincemeat of de lot of us before you have time to breathe.

We'll make mincemeat of the girl and hash of the chicken and sausage of the dog!

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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