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Glite Dictionary
to make mincemeat out of

to make mincemeat out of

2 8.3
To defeat a person or their argument easily and completely
  • phrasal verb
  • /meɪk ˈmɪnˌsmiːt aʊt ʌv/
  • Informal
translation icon : destruir
  • Don't want the press to make mincemeat out of you just yet.

Examples

  • In the debate, she was determined to make mincemeat out of her opponent's arguments.

  • The team trained hard so they could make mincemeat out of the competition in the finals.

  • We'll make mincemeat out of him!

    Ski School 2 (1994)

  • I get out of my car, and the next thing I know, some bastard is trying to make mincemeat out of me.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Watching this film, you see a kid making mincemeat out of opponents.

    Blog text (4)

  • When David tried to lay a finger on him, Nixon made mincemeat out of him.

    Frost/Nixon (2008)

  • But first let's go make mincemeat out of the struggling Trojans.

    Blog text (3)

  • This afternoon, watch the student football team under coach Jack "mad dog" Wallace make mincemeat out of those Taft Toreadors.

    Losin' It (1983)

  • McCain made mincemeat out of Barack Obama at the Saddleback forum, and it was noticed not just by those in the audience but by millions of voters nationwide.

    Blog text (11)

  • There may be a tendency to imagine that Sharyland is going to make mincemeat out of the Cards, seeing that most of the Redbird talent that keyed the memorable 2011 masterpiece graduated in the summer.

    Blog text (31)

Synonyms

to vanquish
vsto make mincemeat out of
  • Formal
109 7.2

Beat someone or something completely in a conflict

also covers harsh verbal attack and destruction of opponents' arguments
to belittle
vsto make mincemeat out of
45 5.0

To make someone or something seem not important

is harsher and can end in total defeat or ruin of ideas or arguments
to revile
vsto make mincemeat out of
  • Offensive
23 8.2

To say angry, insulting things about someone or something

includes not only angry insults but also total defeat or argument ruin
to tear apart
vsto make mincemeat out of
  • Informal
21 5.6

To criticize someone or something harshly

focuses on defeating or destroying arguments completely rather than listing faults
to demolish
vsto make mincemeat out of
15 4.2

Completely destroy an idea, argument, or reputation

covers both harsh criticism and total destruction of arguments
to rip to shreds
vsto make mincemeat out of
  • Informal
10 6.9

Tear something into many pieces or say very bad things about it

includes total defeat or argument destruction as well as harsh attack
to fulminate against
vsto make mincemeat out of
  • Formal
1 9.9

Angrily criticize someone or something

is broader, adding complete defeat or argument destruction beyond anger
to make shit of
vsto make mincemeat out of
  • Offensive
9.9

Say someone's work or ideas are not important and make them feel small

is stronger, involving total defeat or destruction of opponents' arguments

Antonyms

to support
∞ 1.0

Give help to a person or idea

How Thorough

to annihilate
  • NSFW
63 7.5
to make mincemeat out of
  • Informal
2 8.3
to trounce
14 7.5
to beat
∞ 1.4

Surface Forms

make mincemeat out of infinitive
made mincemeat out of past
made mincemeat out of past participle
making mincemeat out of present participle
makes mincemeat out of third person singular

Morphology

make + mincemeat + out + of

The phrase relies on a physical metaphor: 'mincemeat' denotes meat chopped into small pieces, so 'make mincemeat out of' conveys shredding/overwhelming someone, which gives a partial, inferable link between constituents and meaning. However, the figurative extension to 'defeat thoroughly / criticize harshly' is idiomatic and context-dependent, so a B1 learner who knows the words may guess the general sense but not the full conventional usage or nuances.

Etymology

Make mincemeat out of comes from the kitchen image behind make and mincemeat: cutting meat into tiny pieces called mincemeat. So when someone is 'made mincemeat out of', they are crushed or beaten badly, which is why the phrase means 'to defeat thoroughly'.