Re: CHAT: measures (was: browsers)

John Cowan wrote at 2003-02-10 21:40:15 (-0500)
 > Roger Mills scripsit:
 >
 > > Last time I looked, Borden's Nonesuch (TM) Mincemeat contains
 > > meat, according to the label.
 >
 > Just so.  Mincement contains meat, as you and Tristan have both
 > said.  Mince, OTOH, the ingredient of mince pies, does not, at
 > least in the U.S.

 This is backwards relative to UK usage, as Joe has noted.  "Mince",
 unqualified, is ground meat.  "Mincemeat" is the christmassy pie
 filling and does not generally contain meat these days, although it
 may contain suet, and I imagine Roger is referring to a variety that
 does contain meat.

 Note also that the AHD gives the following definition:

 | The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth
 | Edition.  2000.
 |
 |  mincemeat
 |
 |  SYLLABICATION:
 |  mince*meat
 |
 |  NOUN: 1. A mixture, as of finely chopped apples, raisins, spices,
 |  meat, and sometimes rum or brandy, used especially as a pie
 |  filling. 2. Finely chopped meat.

 Which suggests that mincemeat is used in this sense in America also.
 ("Mince" it defines as "Finely chopped food, especially mincemeat"
 which does not do much to resolve the matter.)