make mincemeat (out) of (someone or something)

make mincemeat (out) of (someone or something)

To decisively and severely punish or defeat someone. If he doesn't stop teasing me, I'm going to make mincemeat of him. You better practice for Sunday's match, or your opponent will make mincemeat out of you.See also: make, mincemeat, of

make mincemeat (out) of someone

 and make hamburger (out) of someoneFig. 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

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

make mincemeat of someone

INFORMALIf 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

make mincemeat of

defeat decisively or easily in a fight, contest, or argument. informalSee also: make, mincemeat, of

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

make mincemeat out of someone/something

verbSee make hamburger out of someone/somethingSee also: make, mincemeat, of, out, someone, something

make mincemeat of

Slang To destroy utterly: made mincemeat of the opponent's argument.See also: make, mincemeat, of