▪ I. mini, n.
(ˈmɪnɪ)
1. Abbrev. of minicar, minicab (see mini- b); spec. the proprietary name of a small car made by British Leyland (formerly the British Motor Corporation). Also attrib. and Comb.
| 1961 Economist 24 June 1327/2 Taxi-men and mini-men have tested their vocabularies in London this week: the mini-men are confident of profit. 1961 Engineering 17 Nov. 658 The Mini's astonishing success is due purely and simply to good engineering. 1962 Listener 18 Oct. 634/2 The designer of the Morris Minor and the ‘minis’. 1963 Times 19 Apr. 17/1 The company also announces the appointment of Mr. A. A. Issigonis, designer of the ‘mini’ range and the technical director, to the corporation's board. 1964 Times 11 Feb. 11/7 At present a young man who passes a test in a mini is legally entitled to drive an eight-wheeler weighing 24 tons at 60 m.p.h. on a motorway. 1970 G. F. Newman Sir, You Bastard iii. 99 Sneed squeezed his mini on to the drive where four other cars were parked. 1971 Times 6 Aug. 7/6 Feeding the fantasies of mini-drivers, convincing them..that anything the film's crack stunt-drivers could do they could do. |
2. Abbrev. of mini-skirt (see mini- b).
| 1966 Guardian 27 July 6/4 The new thing about the Scherrer mini is that it flares. 1967 Punch 4 Jan. 1/1 The lengths of female laid bare by minis. 1968 Listener 12 Dec. 790/3 One after another, Arab states are banning the mini. 1971 B. Malamud Tenants 42 She wore..a plain white mini with purple tights. |
▪ II. mini, a.
(ˈmɪnɪ)
[Abbrev. of miniature a. Cf. next.]
Very small, tiny.
| 1963 Daily Tel. 17 Dec. 13 A ‘mini’ census covering one householder in ten will be taken by the Government in 1966. 1966 Ibid. 14 Nov. 10/3 M. Redlus insists: ‘My minis will be the most mini in Europe but they'll be decent.’ 1966 Punch 7 Dec. 857/1 Leg make-up..gives sitting-down confidence to the wearer of the miniest skirt. 1966 Sunday Express 18 Dec. 23/5 Of course 25,000 cases is pretty mini. 1967 Word Study Dec. 3/2 There's nothing mini about their wages. 1969 Daily Tel. 25 Sept. 21/1 Girls prance on the longest legs, in the mini-est skirts and the kinkiest boots. |