mutton

(as) dead as mutton

1. Certainly dead. Primarily heard in UK. I poked that squirrel with a stick and, yeah, it's as dead as mutton. A: "Are you sure the goldfish is dead?" B: "Oh yeah—dead as a mutton." Any animal unlucky enough to run out into this busy street will end up dead as a mutton.

2. Totally defunct. Primarily heard in UK. Oh, that idea from last week's meeting is dead as mutton now that the CEO has vetoed it. Good luck getting a refund from that company—it seems to be dead as a mutton these days. His mayoral campaign is likely dead as a mutton now, thanks to this exposé about his shady business dealings.

See also: dead, mutton

be mutton dressed as lamb

To be an older woman who is trying unsuccessfully to look much younger. This term is usually disparaging. Mutton is the meat of an old sheep, while a lamb is a young sheep. Primarily heard in UK. I don't know what she's thinking wearing a dress like that. She's mutton dressed as lamb. Come on, we all know you're not in your twenties anymore. You're just mutton dressed as lamb at this point. Be honest—am I mutton dressed as lamb? I want to be hip and trendy, but I'm scared I just look ridiculous.

See also: dress, lamb, mutton

laced mutton

obsolete slang A prostitute. A: "I think that Lord Stewart is spending time with a laced mutton." B: "No, surely not!"

See also: lace, mutton

mutton

slang Deaf. The term comes from rhyming slang in which "mutton" is short for "Mutt 'n' Jeff," which rhymes with "deaf." Primarily heard in UK. Can you please speak louder? I've gone a bit mutton as I've gotten older. Poor Grandad's quite mutton these days, so he's always got the radio blaring as loud as it'll go.

mutton dressed (up) as lamb

A disparaging term for an older woman who tries unsuccessfully to look much younger or finds herself attractive in the style of younger women. Primarily heard in UK. I don't know what she's thinking wearing a dress like that. She looks like mutton dressed as lamb!

See also: dress, lamb, mutton

mutton Jeff

slang A variant of "Mutt and Jeff," rhyming slang for "deaf." Primarily heard in UK. Can you please speak louder? I've gone a bit mutton Jeff as I've gotten older. Poor Grandad's quite mutton Jeff these days, so he's always got the radio blaring as loud as it'll go.

See also: Jeff, mutton

return to (one's) muttons

obsolete To return to a given topic or subject that one is discussing, explaining, ruminating over, talking about, etc. Taken from a humorous translation of the French idiom "revenons à nos moutons" (literally, "let us return to our sheep"), which has the same meaning. The constable, frustrated with the drunkard's rambling explanation, bade him return to his muttons. But I have strayed off course from the lecture, so let us return to our muttons before we run out of time.

See also: mutton, return, to

underground mutton

Rabbit, particularly as a meat to be eaten. Primarily heard in Australia. Don't tell Ellie this dish is underground mutton or she'll never eat it. Have you ever eaten underground mutton before? It's not something you come across every day.

See also: mutton, underground

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

dead as mutton

BRITISH, OLD-FASHIONED

1. If a person or animal is as dead as mutton, they are completely dead. We saw a viper. It was 4 feet long and was as dead as mutton.

2. If something or someone is as dead as mutton, they are no longer active or popular. He advised him that radio was just about to become as dead as mutton because of the advent of television.

See also: dead, mutton

mutton dressed as lamb

or

mutton dressed up as lamb

BRITISH

If you describe a middle-aged or old woman as mutton dressed as lamb or mutton dressed up as lamb, you mean she dresses in a style which is suitable only for a younger woman. I'm always careful to avoid looking like mutton dressed as lamb. Note: Mutton is the meat of an adult sheep, and lamb is the meat of a young sheep, as well as being the name of the animal itself.

See also: dress, lamb, mutton

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

mutton dressed as lamb

a middle-aged or old woman dressed in a style suitable for a much younger woman. British informal

Mutton occurs in various derogatory contexts relating to women. It has been used as a slang term for prostitutes from the early 16th century, for example, while the phrase hawk your mutton means ‘flaunt your sexual attractiveness’ or (of a prostitute) ‘solicit for clients’.

1988 Salman Rushdie The Satanic Verses Mutton dressed as lamb, fifty plus and batting her eyelashes like an eighteen-year-old.

See also: dress, lamb, mutton

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

be mutton dressed (up) as ˈlamb

(British English, informal, disapproving) used to describe a woman who is trying to look younger than she really is, especially by wearing clothes that are designed for young people: Have you seen her? Mutton dressed as lamb. Somebody should remind her that she’s 55, not 25.

Mutton is the meat from an adult sheep, while lamb is the meat from a young sheep.

See also: dress, lamb, mutton

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017