mincemeat

make mincemeat (out) of (someone or something)

1. To beat or thrash one violently, such that they suffer significant injury. If he doesn't stop teasing me, I'm going to make mincemeat of him!

2. To defeat someone soundly and decisively. You better practice for Sunday's match, or your opponent will make mincemeat out of you.

See also: make, mincemeat, of

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

make mincemeat (out) of someone

 and make hamburger (out) of someone

Fig. to beat or pound someone or something; to treat someone or something roughly. (As if chopping someone up.) If you don't behave, I'll make mincemeat out of you. Do you want Fred to make hamburger out of you?

See also: make, mincemeat, of

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

make mincemeat of

Also, make hamburger of. Thrash, beat decisively, as in That bully will make mincemeat of my son, or The other team will make hamburger out of us. This idiom alludes to finely chopping up meat. The first term dates from about 1700, the variant from the first half of the 1900s.

See also: make, mincemeat, of

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

make mincemeat of someone

INFORMAL

If you make mincemeat of someone, you defeat them completely in a fight, argument, or competition. There was a time when the US champion would have made mincemeat of any British challenger. Her lawyers would make mincemeat of him. Note: In British English, mincemeat is meat that has been cut into very small pieces.

See also: make, mincemeat, of, someone

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

make mincemeat of

defeat decisively or easily in a fight, contest, or argument. informal

See also: make, mincemeat, of

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

make ˈmincemeat of somebody/something

(informal) defeat somebody completely in a fight, argument, etc.; completely destroy somebody’s argument, theory, etc: France made mincemeat of Portugal, beating them 5 goals to nil. ♢ The professor made mincemeat of the speaker at the conference.

See also: make, mincemeat, of, somebody, something

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

make hamburger out of someone/something

and make mincemeat out of someone/something

tv. to beat someone or something to a pulp; to destroy someone or something. The puppy made mincemeat out of my paper. Say that again and I’ll make hamburger out of you!

See also: hamburger, make, of, out, someone, something

make mincemeat out of someone/something

verb

See make hamburger out of someone/something

See also: make, mincemeat, of, out, someone, something

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

make mincemeat of

Slang

To destroy utterly: made mincemeat of the opponent's argument.

See also: make, mincemeat, of

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.