Mutton dressed as lamb

[DrSuze]

Where does the phrase 'Mutton dressed as Lamb' originate?

[woofgang]

in this context, dressed means jointed like,cooked like or served like. Lamb is a very tender meat with a delicate flavour, whereas mutton has a stronger flavour and is tougher so it needs different seasonings and cooking techniques. Lamb also used to be a seasonal delicacy and commanded a higher price, so if you could get away with dresing your mutton as lamb, you could sell it for more money.

[Quizmonster]

Woofgang's answer is, of course, correct on a purely factual basis. However, the phrase is far more often used to suggest an older woman dressed up, wearing make-up etc to make herself look like a younger one. It was first used in print in this sense by Kipling in the 1890s, referring to a young man making a fool of himself over a woman old enough to be his mother.

(In the literal sense, I can't remember when I last saw mutton for sale, even! It all seems to be 'lamb' nowadays.)

[DrSuze]

Thank you Quizmonster - Kipling? Which novel though - I need it for a reference. Cheers Dr Suze x

[Cetti]

I hope Quizmonster doesn't mind the intrusion, but I've just found the Kipling link. It looks like it's a short story rather than a novel, and is called "The Brushwood Boy". I only found it by highlighting the 'Google' option, as it's quite a long piece.

Click here

[Quizmonster]

Hey, Cetti! You're even using the 'Click here' facility now; there's just no stopping you, is there? Well done...and that is the correct reference, of course, Dr S.

[DrSuze]

Thank you both - will credit you when it's published! S x

[Cetti]

Hello Quizmonster - I't's very tempting but I'm afraid I can't take the credit for the 'Click Here' - the link I used was just soooo enormous the whole site was distorted, so I had to call on the help of Mike to sort it out. LOL !!!!

[Quizmonster]

Oh dear, C! Never mind, eh? You tried and that's the main thing. Good luck with the material for publication, S. Cheers, both.