mutton dressed as lamb

9.5

An older person who tries to look much younger in an awkward way

idiom

Slur

: vieja vestida de joven

Wearing that sparkly mini dress, she was accused of being mutton dressed as lamb.

Examples

The term mutton dressed as lamb is often used unkindly about people ignoring their age.
He tried to recapture his youth, but the result was just mutton dressed as lamb.
She looks like a typical mutton dressed as lamb at the party.
Isn't that outfit just mutton dressed as lamb?
She tried to fit in with the younger crowd, but everyone thought she looked like mutton dressed as lamb.
When she wore that sparkly outfit at the wedding, I couldn't help but think she was just mutton dressed as lamb.
His attempt to wear sneakers with a suit made him appear as mutton dressed as lamb.

Antonyms

authentic

218 3.8

Something that is real and trustworthy, not a fake

to act one's age

Informal

4.8

Behave in a way that fits your age, usually more maturely

Surface Forms

mutton dressed as lamb singular

mutton dressed as lambs plural

Morphology

mutton + dressed + as + lamb

The metaphorical comparison (mutton = older sheep/meat; lamb = young sheep) combined with 'dressed as' makes the basic idea — an older person trying to appear younger — inferable from the parts, so some understanding is possible. However, the use of 'mutton' as a derogatory metaphor for an older person and the evaluative/idiomatic nuance (unsuitable or inauthentic dressing) are culturally specific and not fully predictable for a B1 learner who merely knows the words, so it is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Mutton dressed as lamb comes from a simple food image: mutton is meat from an older sheep and lamb is meat from a young sheep. So calling someone mutton dressed as lamb means 'an older person trying to look much younger', often in a way people think does not suit them.