mickey
mickey — noun
1. to tease someone in a playful way, especially by copying what they say or how th
to tease someone in a playful way, especially by copying what they say or how they act, so that other people laugh.
Soraya's friends took the mickey out of her dancing at the party.
take the mickey out of + [gerund phrase]
The lads spent the whole evening taking the mickey out of Gabriel's new coat.
progressive form: spent [time] taking the mickey out of
At dinner, Uncle Piotr took the mickey out of Lakan's homemade soup.
Imran took the mickey out of Maeve's terrible Elvis impersonation at the karaoke bar.
We were all taking the mickey out of the terrible film after the credits rolled.
- tease
more general term for playful mocking; 'take the mickey' implies imitation specifically
- mock
stronger and potentially crueller than 'take the mickey', which is usually light-hearted
- make fun of
neutral synonym used across all English varieties; no implication of imitation
- rib
American informal term for light-hearted teasing
文法句型
take the mickey out of [someone/something]
用法筆記
The phrase 'take the mickey' is almost always followed by 'out of' before naming the target. It is very common in British English but rare in American English, where speakers are more likely to say 'make fun of' or 'tease'.
常見錯誤
2. a chemical or pill that someone secretly adds to another person's alcoholic drin
a chemical or pill that someone secretly adds to another person's alcoholic drink, making that person fall asleep or become unconscious.
Police warned tourists after someone slipped a mickey into a woman's drink at a bar.
collocation: slip a mickey into [drink]
A bartender saw a man drop a mickey into a glass and called the police.
The film showed a thief putting a mickey in a drink before robbing the victim.
Zola woke up in a hospital bed after someone slipped a mickey into her drink at a club.
The detective found traces of a mickey in the woman's wine glass at the restaurant.
- knockout drops
older slang term with the same meaning
- date rape drug
modern term; broader in meaning (can refer to any drug used to incapacitate for assault)
文法句型
slip/drop a mickey into [drink]
put a mickey in [drink]
用法筆記
This sense is most often found in the phrases 'slip a mickey' or 'drop a mickey' and in the full term 'Mickey Finn'. It is informal and slightly dated; modern news reports more commonly use terms like 'date rape drug' or 'sedative'.