"Mickey Mouse" Idiom Meaning, Origin & History | Superduper English Idioms
Channel: Superduper English Idioms
Date: 2021-07-28

0:00 - How to Say, “... mickey mouse…”
0:34 - Examples of “... mickey mouse…”
1:21 - Meaning of “... mickey mouse…”
1:40 - Origin of “... mickey mouse…”
2:59 - More Examples of “... mickey mouse…”
3:45 - Conclusion

“... mickey mouse…”

If someone says that something is “mickey mouse”, it means that it is either badly done, amateurish, lousily done, or it is trivial, insignificant, not very important.

Calling something “mickey mouse” is decidedly an American idiom, and is surprisingly common in everyday speech.

“I paid good money to have our kitchen renovated, but they did such a mickey mouse job,” your parents might be complaining about a badly done job.

Maybe you’re chatting with your business partner, “Our shop is so mickey mouse! I think we need to invest more money into improving it.”

“The hotter spring weather around here is mickey mouse compared to the droughts and floods being experienced in other parts of the world,” a friend and you might be chatting about anthropogenic climate change.

As you can see, if something is “mickey mouse”, it’s low quality, ineptly executed, clumsily crafted or perhaps it’s minor, trifling, chickenshit.

The origin of the idiom, “mickey mouse”, is quite obvious, as the Disney character, Mickey Mouse, is quite famous and well-known around the world.

By the 1930s, Mickey Mouse and his silly antics had become widely recognized, but really took off as an idiom…

… during World War II when American soldiers used the mouse’s name to describe what they saw as ridiculous regulations and spiteful discipline.

Though some things we have to do might seem insignificant, small potatoes, mickey mouse, we should strive to do our best…

… after all, expertise is built upon a foundation of basic knowledge and knowhow and doing a horrible, laughable, mickey mouse job doesn’t teach you much!

“Using just one kitchen knife is so mickey mouse! You need a different knife for different tasks,” your friend who loves cooking might be showing you.

Perhaps you and your friends are on vacation, “These rental surfboards are a bit mickey mouse, but they’re good enough!”

“Not being able to buy honey is going to seem pretty mickey mouse if the bee population goes extinct,” you might hear at an environmental conference.

So, the next time you encounter something that is shoddy, second-rate, slapdash or perhaps is paltry, petty, piddling, just be sure to call it “mickey mouse”.

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References: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mickey_Mouse

https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/Mickey-Mouse