mincer

Everyday

1. (UK, Australia, NZ, Ireland) A kitchen machine that cuts meat or other food into very small pieces by pushing it through a plate with holes; in the US usually called a «meat grinder». tree →
2. (informal, old) A person who walks with small fussy steps; this sense is rare and can be unkind. tree →

In the lessons

In cooking, a mincer turns beef into mince for burgers, shepherd's pie or spaghetti bolognese. Old hand mincers had a crank handle and were clamped to the table. Safety: never put fingers into a mincer; use the pusher. Phrases: «a hand mincer», «put the meat through the mincer».

Examples

• Grandma's old mincer is clamped to the kitchen table. tree →
• Put the beef through the mincer to make mince. tree →
• The butcher has an electric mincer. tree →
• Never put your fingers into a mincer. tree →
• We used a mincer to make homemade burgers. tree →
• In America a mincer is called a meat grinder. tree →
• The mincer turns round and round when you crank the handle. tree →
• (idiom, UK) «I feel like I've been through the mincer» means «I feel worn out». tree →

Note

Countable: one mincer, two mincers. From «mince» (to cut finely). British/Commonwealth word; American English says «grinder». Not a maths word.