mince

Everyday

1. Mince is meat cut into very small pieces in a machine, used for burgers, spaghetti bolognese and cottage pie; in the US and Canada it is called «ground beef» or «hamburger meat». tree →
2. To mince food is to cut it into very small pieces. tree →
3. To mince is to walk with small, quick, fussy steps. tree →
4. «Not mince your words» means to say something directly, even if it is not polite. tree →

In the lessons

In cooking at home and school, mince is a cheap everyday meat; «mince and tatties» is a Scottish dish, and «mince pies» are a Christmas treat (now filled with fruit, not meat). In everyday talk, «she didn't mince her words» means she was very blunt. In Scotland, «talking mince» means talking nonsense (slang).

Examples

• Mum bought beef mince for burgers. tree →
• Fry the mince with onions. tree →
• Mince the garlic very finely. tree →
• We eat mince pies at Christmas. tree →
• She didn't mince her words: «That's wrong.» tree →
• (Scotland) Stop talking mince! tree →
• In the US, mince is called ground beef. tree →
• The mince is browning in the pan. tree →

Note

Uncountable noun: «some mince», «500 grams of mince». Trap: «mince pies» in the UK are sweet fruit pies, not meat. «Mincemeat» is the sweet fruit filling; «make mincemeat of someone» = beat them easily.

In Jewish tradition

Here it means to walk with tiny, showy steps. Isaiah scolds the proud women of Jerusalem who walk this way.

Interpretation. Isaiah's warning is read as a rebuke of pride and showing off. The prophets said that vanity would be followed by loss.

Examples

• Moreover the LORD said: Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched-forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet; (Prophets ISA.3.16, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Uncountable noun: «some mince», «500 grams of mince». Trap: «mince pies» in the UK are sweet fruit pies, not meat. «Mincemeat» is the sweet fruit filling; «make mincemeat of someone» = beat them easily.