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mince Definition

mince (mins)

transitive verb minced, minc′·ing

  1. to cut up or chop up (meat, etc.) into very small pieces; hash
  2. to subdivide minutely
  3. to express or do with affected elegance or daintiness
  4. to lessen the force of; weaken, as by euphemism to mince no words

Etymology: ME mincen < OFr mincier < VL *minutiare < L minutus, small: see minute

intransitive verb

  1. to speak or act with affected elegance or daintiness
  2. to walk with short steps or in an affected, dainty manner

noun

mincemeat

mince Related Forms
minc′er noun
mince Idioms

not mince matters

to speak frankly

mince Synonyms

mince

v.

  1. To chop

    dice, hash, divide; see chip.

  2. To minimize

    mitigate, alleviate, lessen; see decrease 2.

mince Usage Examples

Object

  • pie: Roast Beef, plum pudding, mince pies - Who likes them better, Happy Jack or I?
  • beef: Unlike rare cooked steaks, burgers are composed of minced beef.
  • garlic: Useful Tips Freshly crushed garlic may be used instead of minced garlic.
  • lamb: You can also use minced lamb or pork instead of the beef.
  • pork: But you can also use minced pork instead of prawns, leave out the eggs and add or omit vegetables of your choice.
  • shallot: Minced shallot ( about 1 shallot ) 1 tsp.

Adjective modifier

  • raw: If you are sure the bird is an insect eater raw mince or tinned cat food can be mixed in.
  • lean: Baking potatoes in the microwave or oven and topping with beans or chili made from lean mince will make a filling meal.

Modifies a noun

  • pie: Organic mince pies were up 50 % followed by organic turkey at 33 % , the chain said.
  • meat: A big fight is taking place in South Africa and your soldiers will probably be cut into mince meat.

Modifying Another Word

  • finely: The cartilage will be finely minced, and special stem cells removed so that they can be grown in culture in the lab.
  • about: No, he's not shouting or mincing about with a daft dance routine.
  • n't: Why wo n't mince brown the way they tell you?
  • not: In his wartime essay, ' My Country Right or Left ' , Orwell does not mince his words.
  • never: He never minced his words nor compromised his beliefs.
  • by: Carols, followed by mince pies and soft drinks.

Followed by an intransitive particle

  • around: God wants you to find your maximum expression dancing to His beat, not feeling pressured to mince around awkwardly to somebody else's.
  • up: The sauce Garam Masala, a little chili powder, ginger and garlic, all minced up and whizzed, then fried in ghee.

Followed by a transitive particle

  • up: They were a bit like an office paper shredder, except more robust, because they were designed to mince up old plastic.

Used with why or when

  • when: Well my only answer to that is " why eat mince when you could eat steak " ?
mince Quotes

They dined on mince, and slices of quince, Which they ate with a runcible spoon; And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand, They danced by the light of the moon.

—Lear, Edward