See Also: mince(dictionary)
mince pie(dictionary)
mince 1, verb(dictionary)
mince 2, noun(dictionary)
Marzipan mince pies(recipes)

mince (iou)



mince verb & noun. . LME.
[Old French mincier (dial. minchier) from Proto-Romance, from Latin MINUTIA.]
A. verb.
verb trans. Cut up or grind (esp. meat) into very small pieces. LME.
Country Living Mince the rest of the meat with the..pork.
b. Carve (a plover). L15-M19.
c. Cut (a person) up into small pieces. E17.
verb trans. Subdivide (up) minutely. LME.
verb trans. Diminish, take away from. Chiefly Scot. L15-L19.
a. verb trans. & intrans. Lessen or diminish (something) in representation; minimize. Now rare. M16.
b. verb trans. Restrain (one's words etc.) within the bounds of politeness or decorum. Usu. in neg. contexts. L16.
T. S. Eliot I didn't mince my words, I said to her myself.
verb trans. & intrans. Utter or speak in an affectedly refined or precise manner. M16.
verb intrans. Walk with short steps and an affected preciseness or daintiness. M16.
V. Woolf Three white pigeons..minced with tiny steps on their little pink feet. Dennis Potter He minces out with an ogling smile.
b. verb trans. Perform or enact in an affectedly precise or dainty manner. E17.
Comb. & phrases: minced meat (a) meat cut up or ground into very small pieces; (b) rare = MINCEMEAT 3; minced pie = mince pie (a) below; mince matters = mince the matter (b) below; mince pie (a) a usu. small round pie containing mincemeat, traditionally eaten esp. at Christmas; (b) rhyming slang an eye (usu. in pl.); mince the matter (a) make light of the matter in question; (b) use polite expressions to indicate disapproval etc. (usu. in neg. contexts).
b. noun.
Minced meat. E19.
An instance of mincing speech; a mincing walk. E20.
= mince pie (b) above. Usu. in pl. rhyming slang. M20.
mincer noun (a) a machine which or (rare) a person who minces meat etc.; (b) a person who speaks or walks in an affectedly dainty manner: L16.
mincing adjective that minces; affectedly refined or precise in speech or movement: M16.
mincingly adverb L16.
mincingness noun M19.