The phrase "made mincemeat of" means to beat or defeat someone or something easily and thoroughly. The antonyms of this phrase would be "lost, failed, struggled, or fought until the end." When someone loses or fails, they do not make mincemeat of their opponents. If they had struggled or fought until the end, they might not have been beaten easily. Instead, they would have put up a considerable fight, making it difficult for their opponents to emerge victorious. Therefore, to find the antonyms of "made mincemeat of," one would have to explore words that represent difficulty and resistance, rather than ease and effortless victory.