Mince
MINCE, verb transitive mins. [Latin minuo, to diminish; Latin minor, smaller; minuo, to diminish; Gr. small, slender; to diminish; Latin minutus, minute.
1. To cut or chop into very small pieces; as, to mince meat.
2. To diminish in speaking; to retrench, cut off or omit a part for the purpose of suppressing the truth; to extenuate in representation.
I know no way to mince it in love, but to say directly, I love you.
Siren, now mince the sin,
And mollify damnation with a phrase--
If, to mince his meaning, I had either omitted some part of what he said, or taken from the strength of his expression, I certainly had wronged him.
These--were forced to mince the matter.
3. To speak with affected softness; to clip words; not to utter the full sound.
4. To walk with short or diminished steps.
MINCE, verb intransitive To walk with short steps; to walk with affected nicety; to affect delicacy in manner.
I'll turn two mincing steps
Into a manly stride.
Because the daughters of Zion are haughty--
walking and mincing as they go. Isaiah 3:1.
1. To speak softly, or with affected nicety.