different between hack vs mince

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /hæk/
• Rhymes: -æk

Etymology 1

From Middle English hacken, hakken, from Old English *haccian (“to hack”); attested in t?haccian (“to hack to pieces”), from Proto-Germanic *hakk?n? (“to chop; hoe; hew”), from Proto-Indo-European *keg-, *keng- (“to be sharp; peg; hook; handle”).

Cognate with Saterland Frisian häkje (“to hack”), West Frisian hakje (“to hack”), Dutch hakken (“to chop up; hack”), German hacken (“to chop; hack; hoe”), Danish hakke (“to chop”), Swedish hacka (“to hack; chop”), French hacher (“to chop”).

The computer senses date back to at least 1955 when it initially referred to creative problem solving. By 1963, the negative connotations of “black hat” or malicious hacking had become associated with telephone hacking (cf. phreaking).

Verb

hack (third-person singular simple present hacks, present participle hacking, simple past and past participle hacked)

1. (transitive) To chop or cut down in a rough manner. [circa 12th c.]
   • 1912: Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan of the Apes, Chapter 6

     Among other things he found a sharp hunting knife, on the keen blade of which he immediately proceeded to cut his finger. Undaunted he continued his experiments, finding that he could hack and hew splinters of wood from the table and chairs with this new toy.

2. (intransitive) To cough noisily. [19th c.]

3. To withstand or put up with a difficult situation. [20th c.]
4. (computing) To make a quick code change to patch a computer program, often one that, while being effective, is inelegant or makes the program harder to maintain.

   Synonyms: frob, tweak

5. (computing) To accomplish a difficult programming task.

6. (computing, slang, transitive) To work with something on an intimately technical level.

7. (transitive, colloquial, by extension) To apply a trick, shortcut, skill, or novelty method to something to increase productivity, efficiency or ease.

8. (transitive, slang, computing) To hack into; to gain unauthorized access to (a computer system, e.g., a website, or network) by manipulating code.

   Synonym: crack

9. (transitive, slang, computing, by extension) To gain unauthorised access to a computer or online account belonging to (a person or organisation).

10. (ice hockey) To strike an opponent's leg with one's hockey stick.

11. (ice hockey) To make a flailing attempt to hit the puck with a hockey stick.

12. (baseball) To swing at a pitched ball.

13. (soccer and rugby) To kick (a player) on the shins.
    • 2019, Barney Ronay, Liverpool’s waves of red fury and recklessness end in joyous bedlam (in The Guardian, 8 May 2019)[3]

      Barcelona had been harried and hurried and stretched thin by the midway point in the second half. Tackles flew in. Toes were crushed, shins barked, ankles hacked.

14. To strike in a frantic movement.
15. (transitive) To strike lightly as part of tapotement massage.

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

hack (countable and uncountable, plural hacks)

1. A tool for chopping. [14th c.]
2. A hacking blow. [19th c.]
3. A gouge or notch made by such a blow.
4. A dry cough.
5. A hacking; a catch in speaking; a short, broken cough.
   • 1660, Henry More, An Explanation of the Grand Mystery of Godliness

     he speaks to this very question: which he does with so many hacks and hesitations

6. (figuratively) A try, an attempt. [19th c.]
7. (curling) The foothold traditionally cut into the ice from which the person who throws the rock pushes off for delivery.
8. (obsolete) A mattock or a miner's pickaxe.
9. (computing) An expedient, temporary solution, such as a small patch or change to code, meant to be replaced with a more elegant solution at a later date.
10. (computing) An interesting technical achievement, particularly in computer programming.
11. (colloquial) A trick, shortcut, skill, or novelty method to increase productivity, efficiency or ease.

12. (computing, slang) An illegal attempt to gain access to a computer network.
13. (computing, slang) A video game or any computer software that has been altered from its original state.
    • 2014, Clara Fernández-Vara, Introduction to Game Analysis (page 165)

      […] found out a discarded sex mini-game in the code, and made it available again in the modified PC version of the game that they nicknamed “Hot Coffee.” This hack of the game created a controversy, since the inclusion of sexual content would change its age rating, […]

14. (slang, military) Time check.
15. (baseball) A swing of the bat at a pitched ball by the batter.

16. A kick on the shins in football.
    • 1857, Thomas Hughes, Tom Brown's School Days.

17. (uncountable, slang, naval) Confinement of an officer to their stateroom as a punishment.
    • 2013, David Cauthen, When Destiny Comes to a Fork in the Road, p. 426:

      “Lieutenant Cauthen, you've got ten seconds to explain yourself before I put you in hack!”

18. (military, slang) An airplane of poor quality or in poor condition.
    • 1952, Air Reservist (page 6)

      Henebry's planes returned to Japan to reload, and early in the morning brought almost 3,000 more troopers to Korea […] Before sunrise next day, all troops in the maneuver had been picked up again and airlifted in “Henebry Hacks” back to Japan.

    • 1967, Christian Advocate (volume 47, page 292)

      […] so that he had to make the 300-mile journey in a “hack” plane which had spluttering engines, which did not conduce to an easy mind nor to a comfortable journey; […]

Quotations

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:hack.

Synonyms

• (access attempt): crack
• (an illegal means to gain advantage): exploit
• (expedient, temporary solution): band-aid, contrivance, improvision, improvisation, kludge, makeshift, quick fix, patch
• (trick to increase productivity or efficiency): lifehack

Related terms

• marginal hacks

Translations

Etymology 2

Variations of hatch, heck.

Noun

hack (plural hacks)

1. (falconry) A board which the falcon's food is placed on; used by extension for the state of partial freedom in which they are kept before being trained.
2. A food-rack for cattle.
3. A rack used to dry something, such as bricks, fish, or cheese.
4. A grating in a mill race.

Verb

hack (third-person singular simple present hacks, present participle hacking, simple past and past participle hacked)

1. To lay (bricks) on a rack to dry.
2. (falconry) To keep (young hawks) in a state of partial freedom, before they are trained.

Etymology 3

Abbreviation of hackney (“an ordinary horse”), probably from place name Hackney

Noun

hack (plural hacks)

1. A horse for hire, especially one which is old and tired. [from 16th c.]
2. A person, often a journalist, hired to do routine work. [from 17th c.]

3. (derogatory) Someone who is available for hire; hireling, mercenary.
4. (slang) A taxicab (hackney cab) driver.
5. (now chiefly Canada, US, colloquial) A vehicle let for hire; originally, a hackney coach, now typically a taxicab. [from 17th c.]
6. A hearse.
   • 1920s, Jimmie Rodgers, Frankie and Johnny

     Bring out the rubber-tired buggie/Bring out the rubber-tired hack/I'm takin' my Johnny to the graveyard/But I ain't gonna bring him back

7. (derogatory, authorship) An untalented writer.

8. (derogatory) One who is professionally successful despite producing mediocre work. (Usually applied to persons in a creative field.)
9. (derogatory) A talented writer-for-hire, paid to put others' thoughts into felicitous language.
10. (politics) A political agitator. (slightly derogatory)
11. (obsolete) A writer who hires himself out for any sort of literary work; an overworked man; a drudge.
    • 1767, Oliver Goldsmith, Epitaph on Edward Purdon

      Here lies poor Ned Purdon, from misery freed, / Who long was a bookseller's hack.

12. (obsolete) A procuress.

Synonyms

• (A saddle horse which is old and tired): nag

Coordinate terms

• (worthless horse): bum

Translations

Verb

hack (third-person singular simple present hacks, present participle hacking, simple past and past participle hacked)

1. (dated) To make common or cliched; to vulgarise.
2. (equestrianism) To ride a horse at a regular pace; to ride on a road (as opposed to riding cross-country etc.).
3. (obsolete) To be exposed or offered or to common use for hire; to turn prostitute.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Hanmer to this entry?)

4. (obsolete) To live the life of a drudge or hack.
   • 1765, Oliver Goldsmith, The Double Transformation

     Poor madam , now condemn'd to hack
     The rest of life with anxious Jack

5. To use as a hack; to let out for hire.
6. To use frequently and indiscriminately, so as to render trite and commonplace.
   • 1865, John Henry Newman, An Internal Argument for Christianity

     The word "remarkable" has been so hacked of late.

Etymology 4

From hackysack

Noun

hack (plural hacks)

1. A small ball usually made of woven cotton or suede and filled with rice, sand or some other filler, for use in hackeysack.

Translations

Verb

hack (third-person singular simple present hacks, present participle hacking, simple past and past participle hacked)

1. To play hackeysack.

Translations

Further reading

• hack on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• hack at OneLook Dictionary Search
• hack in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

References

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English hack.

Pronunciation

• (Netherlands) IPA^(key): /??k/
• Hyphenation: hack
• Rhymes: -?k
• Homophone: hek

Noun

hack m (plural hacks, diminutive hackje n)

1. hack (exploit; illegitimate attempt to gain access)

Related terms

• hacken
• hacker

English

Alternative forms

• minse (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English mincen, minsen; partly from Old English minsian, ?eminsian (“to make less, make smaller, diminish”), from Proto-Germanic *minnis?n? (“to make less”); partly from Old French mincer, mincier (“to cut into small pieces”), from mince (“slender, slight, puny”), from Frankish *minsto, *minnisto, superlative of *min, *minn (“small, less”), from Proto-Germanic *minniz (“less”); both from Proto-Indo-European *mey- (“small, little”). Cognate with Old Saxon mins?n (“to make less, make smaller”), Gothic ???????????????????????????? (minznan, “to become less, diminish”), Swedish minska (“to reduce, lessen”), Gothic ???????????????? (mins, “slender, slight”). More at min.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /m?ns/
• Rhymes: -?ns
• Homophone: mints

Noun

mince (countable and uncountable, plural minces)

1. (uncountable) Finely chopped meat.

   Mince tastes really good fried in a pan with some chopped onion and tomato.

2. (uncountable) Finely chopped mixed fruit used in Christmas pies; mincemeat.

   During Christmas time my dad loves to eat mince pies.

3. (countable) An affected (often dainty or short and precise) gait.
   • 2010, Tom Zoellner, Uranium: War, Energy, and the Rock That Shaped the World:

     His skin was china pale, he walked with a slight mince, and his silver mustache was always trimmed sharp; it was his custom to send a bouquet of pink carnations to the wives of men with whom he dined.

4. (countable) An affected manner, especially of speaking; an affectation.
   • 1928, R. M. Pope, in The Education Outlook, volume 80, page 285:

     And, further, who has not heard what someone has christened the "Oxford" mince, where every consonant is mispronounced and every vowel gets a wrong value?

   • 2008, Opie Read, The Colossus, page 95:

     [...] a smiling man, portly and impressive, coming toward them with a dignified mince in his walk.

5. (countable, Cockney rhyming slang, chiefly in the plural) An eye (from mince pie).

Quotations

• 1849, Herman Melville, Mardi, and a Voyage Thither:

  Not, — let me hurry to say, — that I put hand in tar bucket with a squeamish air, or ascended the rigging with a Chesterfieldian mince.

Translations

Verb

mince (third-person singular simple present minces, present participle mincing, simple past and past participle minced)

1. (transitive) To make less; make small.
2. (transitive) To lessen; diminish; to diminish in speaking; speak of lightly or slightingly; minimise.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:diminish

3. (transitive, rare) To effect mincingly.
4. (transitive, cooking) To cut into very small pieces; to chop fine.

5. (archaic, transitive, figuratively) To suppress or weaken the force of

   Synonyms: extenuate, palliate, weaken

   • 1681, John Dryden, The Spanish Friar, or the Double Discovery

     Siren, now mince the sin, / And mollify damnation with a phrase.

6. To say or utter vaguely, not directly or frankly

7. (transitive) To affect; to pronounce affectedly or with an accent.
   • 1869, Alexander J. Ellis, On Early English Pronunciation, with special reference to Shakespeare and Chaucer, part 1, page 194:

     In some districts of England ll is sounded like w, thus bowd (booud) for BOLD, bw (buu) for BULL, caw (kau) for CALL. But this pronunciation is merely a provincialism, and not to be imitated unless you wish to mince like these blunderers.

   • 1905, George Henderson, The Gaelic Dialects, IV, in the Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie, published by Kuno Meyer and L. Chr. Stern, volume 5, page 98:

     One may hear some speakers in Oxford mince brother into brover (brëvë); Bath into Baf; both into bof.
8. (intransitive) To walk with short steps; to walk in a prim, affected manner.

   • At the last moment Mollie, the foolish, pretty white mare who drew Mr. Jones's trap, came mincing daintily in, chewing at a lump of sugar.

   • 1769, King James Bible, Isaiah 3:16

     The daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, mincing as they go.
9. (intransitive) To act or talk with affected nicety; to affect delicacy in manner.

Usage notes

Current usage in the sense of “say or utter vaguely” is mostly limited to the phrase “mince words”; e.g., “I won't mince words with you”.

Derived terms

Translations

References

• mince in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Czech

Etymology

Borrowed from German Münze.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?m?nt?s?/
• Rhymes: -?nts?

Noun

mince f

1. coin

   Synonyms: peníz, moneta

   Hyponyms: m??ák, st?íbr?ák, zla?ák

Declension

Related terms

Further reading

• mince in P?íru?ní slovník jazyka ?eského, 1935–1957
• mince in Slovník spisovného jazyka ?eského, 1960–1971, 1989

French

Etymology

Derived from the verb mincer, from Old French mincier, from Vulgar Latin *min?ti?re (cf. also menuiser), from Latin min?tia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /m??s/

Adjective

mince (plural minces)

1. thin, slim, slender

Derived terms

• amincir
• minceur
• mincir

Interjection

mince

1. drat!, darn!
2. wow!, blimey!

Further reading

• “mince” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Irish

Noun

mince f

1. genitive singular of minc (“mink”)

Mutation

Slovak

Noun

mince

1. inflection of minca:
   1. genitive singular
   2. nominative/accusative plural