[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/mincer/)

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# mincer

noun (a mincer, mincers)

«mincer» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## 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 →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mincer/#m1)
2. (informal, old) A person who walks with small fussy steps; this sense is rare and can be unkind. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mincer/#m2)

### 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 →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mincer/#x1)
- Put the beef through the mincer to make mince. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mincer/#x2)
- The butcher has an electric mincer. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mincer/#x3)
- Never put your fingers into a mincer. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mincer/#x4)
- We used a mincer to make homemade burgers. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mincer/#x5)
- In America a mincer is called a meat grinder. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mincer/#x6)
- The mincer turns round and round when you crank the handle. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mincer/#x7)
- (idiom, UK) «I feel like I've been through the mincer» means «I feel worn out». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mincer/#x8)

### Note

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

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «mincer» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mincer/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«mincer» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/mincer.html) on Mova free.