doll
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(all) dolled up
Nicely groomed and well-dressed, especially in comparison to one's usual appearance. I got all dolled up for my date, and then he canceled on me at the last minute. Why are you all dolled up today? Are you going out after work?
Barbie doll
An attractive girl or woman, often one who seems ditzy or vapid. A: "Wow, that girl is gorgeous!" B: "Yeah, but have you talked to her? She seems like a real Barbie doll."
See also: doll
doll up
1. To groom and dress oneself or someone else nicely, especially in comparison to one's usual appearance. A noun or pronoun can be used between "doll" and "up." I got all dolled up for my date, and then he canceled on me at the last minute. Why are you all dolled up today? Are you going out after work?
2. To try to make something more appealing. A noun or pronoun can be used between "doll" and "up." You guys really need to doll up this house if you're hoping to sell it for that high a price.
kewpie doll
A doll with rosy cheeks and big eyes that was often distributed as a prize (at carnivals, for instance) in the 20th century. Look, Mama, I won a kewpie doll playing that game over there!
See also: doll
like a rag doll
Helplessly and without any control over how one is being overpowered, thrashed around, etc. Likened to the floppiness of a rag doll, which is a doll made out of cloth. He tumbled down the hill like a rag doll before coming to rest in a heap down below. The mountain lion took the poor animal in its jaws and shook it around like a rag doll.
rag doll
1. noun Literally, a doll made of, and typically stuffed with, cloth. Originally made with scraps as an inexpensive way of making a toy for a child. Because of its floppy limbs, it is often used in similes to describe someone flailing or being thrown around in a violent, overpowering manner. It isn't much to look at, but this rag doll that my grandmother made me while we were at our poorest is one of my most treasured possessions. The dog got ahold of the raccoon and shook the poor thing back and forth like a rag doll.
2. noun A weak, incompetent, or irresolute person. Despite his strong promises during his election campaign, the new president has so far been something of a rag doll when it comes to foreign policy. His boyfriend is a bit of a rag doll, isn't he? Just kind of sits there, going along with whatever Tony wants.
3. verb, slang To crumple into a limp, lifeless form. Sometimes hyphenated. After getting hit in the head, he rag dolled and remained totally motionless for almost a minute. The site of the hiker rag-dolling down the side of the steep hill was horrifying.
4. verb, slang To cause someone to crumple into a limp, lifeless form. Sometimes hyphenated. With one mighty punch, the boxer rag-dolled his opponent and was declared the world champion. The linebacker has become infamous for rag dolling other players with his intense tackles.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
*(all) dolled up
Fig. dressed up and well-groomed. (Usually used of females. *Typically: be ~; get ~.) I have to get all dolled up for the dance tonight.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
dolled up
Also, all dolled up. Dressed or fixed up smartly and, often, ostentatiously, usually for a special occasion. For example, There's no need to get all dolled up-it's just a picnic, or They dolled up the classroom for parents' night. This expression alludes to a person or object being as attractive as a pretty doll. It is also put verbally, to doll up, as in I wanted to doll up my apartment before the guests arrived. [Colloquial; c. 1900] Also see gussied up.
rag doll
A limp, ineffectual person, as in You won't get a decision from her; she's a rag doll when it comes to making up her mind . This expression transfers the limpness of a soft doll made from scraps of cloth to human behavior. [Mid-1800s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
like a rag doll
If someone is like a rag doll, they have no strength and cannot control their movements, often because they are being treated violently. He picked the boy up and shook him like a rag doll. I saw a dog throwing a girl around like a rag doll. Note: A `rag doll' is a child's doll made of cloth.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
doll up
v. Slang
1. To dress someone in fancy or ostentatious clothes, especially for a special occasion: The parents dolled up their child in sailor outfits. The costume designer dolled me up in 19th-century clothing. I got all dolled up for the big Halloween party.
2. To add embellishing details to something in order to make it more attractive: I dolled up the boring lecture by adding a lot of jokes. There wasn't much content in the manuscript, so the author had tried to doll it up with interesting stories.
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.
Barbie doll
n. a pretty, giddy girl or woman. Ask that little Barbie doll if she wants a drink.
See also: doll
doll
1. n. a pretty girl or woman. Who’s the doll I saw you with last night?
2. n. a pill. (Drugs. Usually plural.) Taking dolls is different from shooting up.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
living doll, a
An extremely nice person, amiable and generous. Why a child’s toy should be chosen for this metaphor is not known. Doll alone has meant a young and attractive woman since the mid-1800s, as in Frank Loesser’s hit musical comedy Guys and Dolls (1950). However, the current usage, dating from the 1940s, is applied to individuals of either sex and any age.
See also: living
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer