mutton dressed as lamb

Meaning

1. 1phraseidiomdisapproving

   Said, often rudely, of an older person, usually a woman, who dresses or behaves in a style judged better suited to someone much younger.

   Grammar: Fixed phrase, used as a comment: she looked like mutton dressed as lamb.

   Patterns

   • be mutton dressed as lamb
   • look like mutton dressed as lamb

   Her aunt thought the sparkly mini dress made her look like mutton dressed as lamb.

   He worried about being mutton dressed as lamb at the music festival.

   The critic called the actress's teenage role mutton dressed as lamb.

Common combinations

look like mutton dressed as lamb

He said she looked like mutton dressed as lamb.

accused of being mutton dressed as lamb

She was accused of being mutton dressed as lamb.

a case of mutton dressed as lamb

It was a case of mutton dressed as lamb.

afraid of being mutton dressed as lamb

I am afraid of being mutton dressed as lamb in these shoes.

Synonyms and how they differ

trying too hard

Trying too hard is milder and any age can be accused of it, whereas mutton dressed as lamb is specifically about age.

age-inappropriate

Age-inappropriate is neutral and formal, without the insulting tone of the idiom.

dressing too young

Dressing too young is a plain description and lacks the rude edge.

Opposites

Word family

mutton noun

meat from an adult sheep

lamb noun

a young sheep or its meat

dress up verb

to wear special clothes

Commonly confused: mutton dressed as lamb or wolf in sheep's clothing?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “mutton dressed as lamb”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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