mincemeat

[ mins-meet ]

/ ˈmɪnsˌmit /

Save This Word!

noun

a mixture composed of minced apples, raisins, currants, candied citron, suet, etc., originally and traditionally also containing meat, for filling a pie.

meat that is ground up or cut in very small pieces.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about mincemeat

make mincemeat of, to destroy utterly: He made mincemeat of his opponent's charges.

Origin of mincemeat

First recorded in 1655–65; mince + meat

Words nearby mincemeat

minatory, minaudière, mince, minced oath, mince matters, mincemeat, mince pie, mincer, Minch, Mincha, mincing

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use mincemeat in a sentence

Some of those New York Times best-sellers include A Spy Among Friends, Operation Mincemeat, and The Spy and the Traitor.
The Mom Who Stole the Blueprints for the Atomic Bomb (The Freakonomics Radio Book Club Ep. 11)|Sarah Lyall|September 25, 2021|Freakonomics
Just look how he made mincemeat of the legal panel investigating his role in the Murdoch newspaper hacking scandal.
Piers Morgan’s Comeback Strategy|Shelley Ross|February 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The deception planners borrowed from fiction, including for one of the most celebrated operations of the war: Operation Mincemeat.
The Novelist Who Spied: How Dennis Wheatley Helped Defeat the Nazis|Tina Rosenberg|August 8, 2012|DAILY BEAST
They would be in upon the laager and surprise it asleep, having first made mincemeat of the unfortunate sentry.
Forging the Blades|Bertram Mitford

What with the guns and the cheering, each Boer commando must have thought the next was pounded to mincemeat.
From Capetown to Ladysmith|G. W. Steevens
If you can render it impossible for the men to stand at the wheel, we will make mincemeat of this fellow in no time.
The Tiger of Mysore|G. A. Henty
Dey make mincemeat of de lot of us before you have time to breathe.
Under the Chinese Dragon|F. S. Brereton
We'll make mincemeat of the girl and hash of the chicken and sausage of the dog!
The Emerald City of Oz|L. Frank Baum

British Dictionary definitions for mincemeat

mincemeat

/ (ˈmɪnsˌmiːt) /

noun

a mixture of dried fruit, spices, etc, used esp for filling pies

minced meat

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with mincemeat

mincemeat

see make mincemeat of.