tart up

tart up

To decorate someone or something in gaudy, garish adornments, clothing, or cosmetics. A noun or pronoun can be used between "tart" and "up." I don't normally wear makeup, so my sister thought it would be fun to tart me up before my date. Let's tart this place up a little bit before the guests arrive. They tarted up the dancers to give the show a bit more panache.

See also: up

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

tart up

v.

To dress someone up or make something fancy in a tawdry, garish way: We tarted up the apartment with a pink shag carpet. The dancers tarted themselves up in feathers and sequins.

See also: up

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.