mickey

IPA/ˈmɪki/
KK[mˈɪki]IPA/ˈmɪki/

mickey — noun

  • mickeysingular
  • mickeysplural

1. to tease someone in a playful way, especially by copying what they say or how th

1.nounB2
Definition

to tease someone in a playful way, especially by copying what they say or how they act, so that other people laugh.

Example

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

Common collocations
  • take the mickey out of
  • for taking the mickey
  • taking the mickey
Synonyms
  • 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

Grammar Patterns

take the mickey out of [someone/something]

Usage Note

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'.

Common Mistakes

Don't take the mickey of your little brother.
Don't take the mickey out of your little brother.
The fixed preposition is 'out of', not 'of'.
He took the mickey from his classmate.
He took the mickey out of his classmate.
The idiom requires 'out of', not 'from'.

2. a chemical or pill that someone secretly adds to another person's alcoholic drin

2.nounC1
Definition

a chemical or pill that someone secretly adds to another person's alcoholic drink, making that person fall asleep or become unconscious.

Example

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.

Common collocations
  • slip a mickey
  • drop a mickey
  • put a mickey in
  • Mickey Finn
Synonyms
  • 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)

Grammar Patterns

slip/drop a mickey into [drink]

put a mickey in [drink]

Usage Note

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'.

Idioms

take the mickey/mick (out of somebody)

idiom

To make someone seem foolish or to joke about them, often by imitating them or tricking them in a friendly way.

My brother took the mickey out of my new haircut.

Are you taking the mickey with that silly voice?

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe laughing at or criticising someone, but they differ in tone and intention. 'Tease' is the gentlest — it suggests affectionate or playful joking between friends, with no real harm intended. 'Take the mickey' (British informal) sits close to 'tease' but specifically involves imitating the person's words or actions. 'Make fun of' is more neutral and widely used across all English varieties; it can be light or cruel depending on context. 'Mock' is stronger and often unkind — it implies deliberately trying to make someone look foolish or stupid. 'Ridicule' is the harshest, suggesting public humiliation or contempt. For example: a friend might 'tease' you about your terrible singing; a bully might 'mock' or 'ridicule' the way you speak.

teasemock ↗make fun ofridicule ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • take the mickey
  • slip a mickey
  • drop a mickey
  • Mickey Finn

Prepositions

  • out of (take the mickey out of someone)
  • in/into (slip a mickey into a drink)

Etymology

Hebrew (name Michael)British rhyming slangAmerican English (proper name Mickey Finn)English

Both meanings of 'mickey' come from the common name Mickey, a short form of Michael. The teasing sense (mid-1900s) probably began in British slang through the rhyming phrase 'Mickey Bliss', which served as a milder way to say 'take the piss' (a cruder expression for mocking someone). The drug sense (late 1800s) comes from the name of Mickey Finn, a Chicago bartender who was said to add sleeping powder to his customers' drinks and then rob them while they were unconscious.