ˈmincemeat
[Altered from minced meat: see mince v. 7 b.]
1. † a. = minced meat 1 a. Obs.
1747 H. Glasse Cookery iv. 60 Then lay in your Dish a layer of Mince-meat. |
fig. 1742 Pope Dunc. iv. 228 note, Stobæus,..an author, who gave his Common-place book to the public, where we happen to find much Mince-meat of old books. |
b. A mixture made of currants, raisins, sugar, suet, apples, almonds, candied peel, etc., and sometimes meat chopped small; used in mince-pies.
1845 E. Acton Mod. Cookery 358 Mince Pies. Butter some tin pattypans well, and line them evenly with fine puff paste rolled thin; fill them with mincemeat [etc.]. 1886 G. R. Sims Ring o' Bells, etc. iv. ii. 129 My wife makes her own mincemeat and her own plum-puddings. |
2. to make mincemeat of (a person), and similar phrases: To cut or chop him into very small pieces; to destroy, to annihilate. Also, to beat decisively or easily in a contest.
α 1663 Cowley Cutter Colman St. ii. iv, I'll hew thee into so many Morsels, that [etc.]... Thou shalt be Mince-meat, Worm, within this Hour. 1708 S. Centlivre Busy Body ii. iii, If I should find a man in the house I'd make mince⁓meat of him. 1853 Ld. Strangford in Croker Papers (1884) III. xxviii. 296 They blame you for letting Johnny Russell off so easily [in a review], when you might have made mincemeat of him. 1876 Coursing Calendar 193 Maniac made mincemeat of Smoker, who was so stiff that he could scarcely raise a gallop. 1902 L. Stephen Stud. Biog. IV. ii. 76 Macaulay..makes mincemeat of Southey's..expositions of political economy. 1955 Times 20 June 13/4 Thames R.C. made mincemeat of all their opponents in the Grand Eights. |
β a 1774 D. Graham Writings (1883) I. 136 Which made him minch-meat for the grave. |
Hence
ˈmincemeat v. trans., to cut to pieces.
1879 R. J. Atcherley Boërland 202 Concluding that I was about to be mincemeated by a Basuto impi. 1897 Gunter Susan Turnb. ii. 15 Bring him up here, or..I'll mincemeat you! |