make mincemeat of — to defeat someone completely and easily; to destroy or ruin thoroughly
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: to defeat someone completely and easily; to destroy or ruin thoroughly
Pronunciation (IPA): /meɪk ˈmɪnsmiːt ʌv/
Example Sentences
- The debate team captain made mincemeat of the opposing team's weak arguments.
- My grandmother would make mincemeat of any burglar foolish enough to enter her house.
- The AI chess program made mincemeat of all human opponents in under 10 moves.
make mincemeat of
VERB[/meɪk ˈmɪnsmiːt ʌv/]
to defeat someone completely and easily; to destroy or ruin thoroughly
The champion debater will make mincemeat of every opponent on stage tonight.
Complete defeat makes enemies retreat!
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
This idiomatic expression emerged in the 17th century, deriving from the literal image of mincemeat—finely chopped meat used in cooking. The phrase metaphorically compares utterly defeating or destroying someone to reducing meat to small, scattered pieces, creating a vivid image of complete destruction or humiliation.
Breakdown
mincemeat (finely chopped meat) + make of (to transform into/treat as) = to reduce someone to scattered fragments, meaning to thoroughly defeat, destroy, or humiliate them completely.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“The debate team captain made mincemeat of the opposing team's weak arguments.”
“My grandmother would make mincemeat of any burglar foolish enough to enter her house.”
“The AI chess program made mincemeat of all human opponents in under 10 moves.”
“The food critic made mincemeat of the restaurant's pretentious menu in her scathing review.”
📚Related Words
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