"mutton dressed as lamb" meaning in English

See mutton dressed as lamb in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Audio: En-au-mutton dressed as lamb.ogg
Etymology: A metaphorical sense of mutton (“unattractive older woman”) being dressed (clothed) as lamb (“a younger attractive woman”) and also a pun on mutton (“meat from old sheep”) being dressed (prepared) as lamb (“meat from young sheep”), related to obsolete lamb-fashion. Head templates: {{en-noun|-}} mutton dressed as lamb (uncountable)
  1. (UK, derogatory) A middle-aged or elderly woman dressed in a style more suited to a young woman, especially if in a deliberate attempt to appear young. Tags: UK, derogatory, uncountable Synonyms: mutton dressed up as lamb Translations (middle-aged or elderly woman dressed in a style more suited to a young woman): 老來俏 (Chinese Mandarin), 老来俏 (lǎoláiqiào) (Chinese Mandarin), van achteren lyceum, van voren museum (Dutch), von hinten Lyzeum, von vorne Museum (German), πουρέιντζερ (pouréintzer) (Greek), κοριτσόγρια (koritsógria) [feminine] (Greek), dzidzia-piernik [feminine] (Polish), lampucera [feminine] (Polish), z tyłu liceum, z przodu muzeum (Polish), молодящаяся (molodjaščajasja) [feminine] (Russian)

Alternative forms

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  "etymology_text": "A metaphorical sense of mutton (“unattractive older woman”) being dressed (clothed) as lamb (“a younger attractive woman”) and also a pun on mutton (“meat from old sheep”) being dressed (prepared) as lamb (“meat from young sheep”), related to obsolete lamb-fashion.",
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  "lang_code": "en",
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          "ref": "2003, Elizabeth W. Markson, “Chapter Three: The Female Aging Body Through Film”, in Christopher A. Faircloth, editor, Aging Bodies: Images and Everyday Experience, page 85:",
          "text": "In one of the rare cinematic depictions of an older woman as sexually attractive and active, Moreau also contributes to the end of Syl′s innocence by seducing him in the summer house. No mutton dressed as lamb could have done better!",
          "type": "quote"
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        {
          "ref": "2007, L. H. Maynard, M. P. N. Sims, Demon Eyes, New York: Dorchester Publishing, page 224:",
          "text": "Elegant, slightly chic, but not mutton dressed as lamb. It was important to present a professional appearance to her former employer.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2009, Dr John Chibaya Mbuya, Bulelwa Muphela, Grooming and Ettiquette for Corporate Men and Women, unnumbered page:",
          "text": "South African women are also so scared of looking like mutton dressed as lamb that we have plenty of women looking like lamb dressed as mutton!",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "text": "2009, Jah Wobble, Memoirs of a Geezer: Music, Mayhem, Life, Serpent's Tail (Profile Books), UK, page 65,\nI thought that the American side of punk was generally full of mutton-dressed-as-lamb degenerates, most of whom were smack heads, who could do with acquainting themselves with a bit of soap and some hot water."
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        "A middle-aged or elderly woman dressed in a style more suited to a young woman, especially if in a deliberate attempt to appear young."
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      "id": "en-mutton_dressed_as_lamb-en-noun-4S5FYLe6",
      "links": [
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        "(UK, derogatory) A middle-aged or elderly woman dressed in a style more suited to a young woman, especially if in a deliberate attempt to appear young."
      ],
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          "word": "mutton dressed up as lamb"
        }
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      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "middle-aged or elderly woman dressed in a style more suited to a young woman",
          "word": "老來俏"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "lǎoláiqiào",
          "sense": "middle-aged or elderly woman dressed in a style more suited to a young woman",
          "word": "老来俏"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "middle-aged or elderly woman dressed in a style more suited to a young woman",
          "word": "van achteren lyceum, van voren museum"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "note": "karitsaksi pukeutunut lammas (literal translation)",
          "sense": "middle-aged or elderly woman dressed in a style more suited to a young woman"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "middle-aged or elderly woman dressed in a style more suited to a young woman",
          "word": "von hinten Lyzeum, von vorne Museum"
        },
        {
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "pouréintzer",
          "sense": "middle-aged or elderly woman dressed in a style more suited to a young woman",
          "word": "πουρέιντζερ"
        },
        {
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "koritsógria",
          "sense": "middle-aged or elderly woman dressed in a style more suited to a young woman",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "κοριτσόγρια"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "middle-aged or elderly woman dressed in a style more suited to a young woman",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "dzidzia-piernik"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "middle-aged or elderly woman dressed in a style more suited to a young woman",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "lampucera"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "middle-aged or elderly woman dressed in a style more suited to a young woman",
          "word": "z tyłu liceum, z przodu muzeum"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "molodjaščajasja",
          "sense": "middle-aged or elderly woman dressed in a style more suited to a young woman",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "молодящаяся"
        }
      ]
    }
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  "word": "mutton dressed as lamb"
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{
  "etymology_text": "A metaphorical sense of mutton (“unattractive older woman”) being dressed (clothed) as lamb (“a younger attractive woman”) and also a pun on mutton (“meat from old sheep”) being dressed (prepared) as lamb (“meat from young sheep”), related to obsolete lamb-fashion.",
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  "pos": "noun",
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          "text": "In one of the rare cinematic depictions of an older woman as sexually attractive and active, Moreau also contributes to the end of Syl′s innocence by seducing him in the summer house. No mutton dressed as lamb could have done better!",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2007, L. H. Maynard, M. P. N. Sims, Demon Eyes, New York: Dorchester Publishing, page 224:",
          "text": "Elegant, slightly chic, but not mutton dressed as lamb. It was important to present a professional appearance to her former employer.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2009, Dr John Chibaya Mbuya, Bulelwa Muphela, Grooming and Ettiquette for Corporate Men and Women, unnumbered page:",
          "text": "South African women are also so scared of looking like mutton dressed as lamb that we have plenty of women looking like lamb dressed as mutton!",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "text": "2009, Jah Wobble, Memoirs of a Geezer: Music, Mayhem, Life, Serpent's Tail (Profile Books), UK, page 65,\nI thought that the American side of punk was generally full of mutton-dressed-as-lamb degenerates, most of whom were smack heads, who could do with acquainting themselves with a bit of soap and some hot water."
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        "(UK, derogatory) A middle-aged or elderly woman dressed in a style more suited to a young woman, especially if in a deliberate attempt to appear young."
      ],
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    {
      "word": "mutton dressed up as lamb"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "middle-aged or elderly woman dressed in a style more suited to a young woman",
      "word": "老來俏"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "lǎoláiqiào",
      "sense": "middle-aged or elderly woman dressed in a style more suited to a young woman",
      "word": "老来俏"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "middle-aged or elderly woman dressed in a style more suited to a young woman",
      "word": "van achteren lyceum, van voren museum"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "note": "karitsaksi pukeutunut lammas (literal translation)",
      "sense": "middle-aged or elderly woman dressed in a style more suited to a young woman"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "middle-aged or elderly woman dressed in a style more suited to a young woman",
      "word": "von hinten Lyzeum, von vorne Museum"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "pouréintzer",
      "sense": "middle-aged or elderly woman dressed in a style more suited to a young woman",
      "word": "πουρέιντζερ"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "koritsógria",
      "sense": "middle-aged or elderly woman dressed in a style more suited to a young woman",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "κοριτσόγρια"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "middle-aged or elderly woman dressed in a style more suited to a young woman",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "dzidzia-piernik"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "middle-aged or elderly woman dressed in a style more suited to a young woman",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "lampucera"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "middle-aged or elderly woman dressed in a style more suited to a young woman",
      "word": "z tyłu liceum, z przodu muzeum"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "molodjaščajasja",
      "sense": "middle-aged or elderly woman dressed in a style more suited to a young woman",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "молодящаяся"
    }
  ],
  "word": "mutton dressed as lamb"
}

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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-21 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (d8cb2f3 and 4e554ae). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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