mincemeat
mincemeat Lexical Profile
mincemeat Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A state of complete destruction, ruin, or thorough defeat, almost exclusively used in the figurative phrase 'to make mincemeat of'.
"The experienced defense attorney made mincemeat of the witness's unreliable testimony during the cross-examination."
A spiced mixture of chopped apples, dried fruit (such as raisins and currants), citrus peel, sugar, spices, and suet, traditionally used as a filling for pies during the Christmas season.
"My grandmother spent the weekend preparing jars of homemade mincemeat to use in her traditional holiday tarts."
Word Nuance & Usage
Despite the literal meaning of its components, modern culinary mincemeat is usually a sweet mixture of fruit and spices containing no actual meat, though traditional recipes still call for beef suet.
Word Origin & Etymology
Late 16th century: from 'mince' + 'meat' (which historically referred to food in general, not solely animal flesh). Originally, the mixture contained actual chopped meat as a method of preservation before evolving into a primarily fruit-based dessert filling.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.