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Re: Mutton Dressed as LambPosted by R. Berg on November 20, 2001 In Reply to: Mutton Dressed as Lamb posted by Tim Herbert on November 20, 2001 : There is a long running debate at my workplace as to the exact reference of the above phrase. Effectively, there are two camps. The first believes that it is a reference to age - i.e. that it is something much older dressed up as something much younger. The second believes that it relates to quality - i.e. that it is something much poorer dressed up as something much better. : I imagine that whichever of these is correct must hark back to the origin of the phrase. Mutton is taken from an older sheep than a lamb. However, it is also a poorer quality of meat than lamb. : Which was meant originally? : Thanks : Tim You can all get back to work now. It's age, not quality. "'mutton dressed (or dressed up) as lamb' has, since latish C19, been directed at middle-aged and elderly women dressing in an unbecomingly youthful fashion. Drawn from the terminology of the butcher's shop" [Eric Partridge, "A Dictionary of Catch Phrases American and British"]. When words that express
the other meaning are needed, these might do:
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