Glossary entry

English term or phrase:

older woman who dresses too young for her age

English answer:

mutton dressed as lamb

Added to glossary by Miriam300
Sep 21, 2009 21:13
15 yrs ago
4 viewers *
English term

how do you call an older woman that dresses too young for her age

English Art/Literary Poetry & Literature
I am looking for a slightly derogatory or fun-making word / short phrase for an older woman who dresses (and usually behaves) too young for her age. In my source (Polish) language this particular phrase is trasnalted literally would mean 'old fart babe'. Ideally this should be a more or less fixed phrase. I could be wrong and for the sake of giving an example, if I were looking how to name an older woman who often goes to clubs to score with a much younger man I could call her a cougar (although I can't remember where I came across it - maybe Proz?). This type of analogy would be perfect. The term is to be used in an internal classification of consumers for an FMCG product, therefore there is not much of a context really. Also, no definition or full description is given. Anyone?
Change log

Sep 21, 2009 21:28: Tony M changed "Level" from "PRO" to "Non-PRO"

Sep 21, 2009 23:25: Cilian O'Tuama changed "Level" from "Non-PRO" to "PRO"

Sep 27, 2009 11:04: Marek Daroszewski (MrMarDar) Created KOG entry

Sep 27, 2009 19:00: Miriam300 changed "Edited KOG entry" from "<a href="/profile/72800">Marek Daroszewski (MrMarDar)'s</a> old entry - "older woman who dresses too young for her age"" to ""mutton dressed as lamb""

Discussion

Gary D Sep 22, 2009:
MILF below in answer
Gary D Sep 22, 2009:
Cougar Generally, Mutton dressed up as lamb.. but a lot of Europeans don't know the difference between Mutton and lamb, so it takes too long to explain. A "Cougar" is a middle to older woman, out on the prowl for younger men.
A young man who chases older women is called a Granny Grinder.
Sheila Wilson Sep 22, 2009:
Old fart babe? Love it! Shame you can't get away with using it!
Marek Daroszewski (MrMarDar) (asker) Sep 21, 2009:
Barbie BTW, Barbie is already taken - young woman who uses too much make-up, etc.

Responses

+15
6 mins
Selected

Mutton dressed as lamb

Idiom Definitions for 'Mutton dressed as lamb'
Mutton dressed as lamb is term for middle-aged or elderly people trying to look younger.
http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/mutton dressed ...

....is this what you had in mind? or something more original?

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Note added at 7 mins (2009-09-21 21:21:30 GMT)
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http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=mutton dres...
Peer comment(s):

agree lorenab23
2 mins
thanks:-)
agree Tony M : Yup, and we used also to say "mutton dressed up as lamb"; the FR thought it was hysterical when I explained this idiom to them!
8 mins
thank you.
agree Carol Gullidge
12 mins
thanks.
agree Samantha Payn
36 mins
thank you.
agree Jack Doughty
50 mins
thank you.
agree Phillippa May Bennett
2 hrs
thank you.
agree Stanislaw Czech, MCIL CL
3 hrs
thank you.
agree Shera Lyn Parpia
8 hrs
thank you
agree Simon Mac : Definitely
8 hrs
thank you
agree carly kelly
9 hrs
thank you
agree Patricia Townshend (X) : Exactly what I would have said!
9 hrs
thank you
agree kmtext
9 hrs
thank you
agree Tania McConaghy
9 hrs
thank you
agree Rolf Keiser : great expression
13 hrs
thank you
neutral sirgay (X) : this can hardly be used for an FMCG product
13 hrs
yes maybe, but that is the expression normally used for this type of older woman.not even sure what an FMCG product is.
agree Vicky Nash
16 hrs
thank you
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "I would like to thank all contributors and participatns for their input. This seems to be best option. "
-1
15 mins

an aging debutante

-

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Note added at 20 mins (2009-09-21 21:34:01 GMT)
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http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org....
Example sentence:

The aging debutante peered at the faded portraits lining the walls of her entrance hall.

Peer comment(s):

disagree Tony M : Sorry, but I think that's really a quite different idiom / Was once a pretty young girl, but has now 'gone off'; doesn't suggest she deliberately tries to dress in such a way as to look younger than her age
1 min
In which way is it quite a different idiom, I wonder.
Something went wrong...
+3
34 mins

teen granny

Peer comment(s):

agree Judith Hehir : Straight out of the urban dictionary.
20 mins
agree Polangmar : Much better fits the context.
35 mins
agree Henry Whittlesey Schroeder
7 hrs
neutral sirgay (X) : this can hardly be used for an FMCG product
13 hrs
It's not going to be on the label! - Asker says it is part of an internal classification.
Something went wrong...
1 hr

saber tooth

saber tooth
a woman usually in her fifties dating a man 20+ years her junior, often considered a cougar past her prime.
That saber tooth is on the prowl.

That saber tooth has gone extinct but she just doesn't know it yet.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=saber tooth

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Note added at 1 hr (2009-09-21 23:01:09 GMT)
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also puma

puma
A woman who is not quite old enough to be a cougar, but still likes to date/mate with younger men.
Dating a puma wasn't so bad, Bob reflected. After all, the sex was great and she never minded picking up the tab when they went out on the weekend.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=puma

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Note added at 1 hr (2009-09-21 23:02:33 GMT)
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if the term is to be used in an internal classification of consumers for an FMCG product
it must NOT be TOO derogatory...

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Note added at 1 hr (2009-09-21 23:06:02 GMT)
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a cradle robber / snatcher - is probably a bit too derogatory

Cradle robber or cradle snatcher—a man (primarily, but could refer to a woman) involved with a much younger individual.

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Note added at 3 hrs (2009-09-22 00:18:53 GMT)
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and here is their classification according to age:

jaguar
In the lexicon of older women seeking younger men, a jaguar is 50 and over, where the cougar is in their 40s, and the puma under 40. Jaguars tend to be financially stable and are only looking for sex from their 20 something prey.

e.g. I was eaten by a jaguar last night.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=older women

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Note added at 3 hrs (2009-09-22 00:37:38 GMT)
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i think the fact that they are all felines addresses their appearance and predatory behaviour...

it's difficult to tell how old a cat is straightaway it's only their teeth and claws that give them away...
Peer comment(s):

neutral Cilian O'Tuama : but this doesn't address the dress/behaviour aspect
33 mins
asker: if I were looking how to name an older woman who often goes to clubs to score with a much younger man I could call her a cougar (although I can't remember where I came across it - maybe Proz?). This type of analogy would be perfect.
neutral Tony M : I agree with Cilian: this is more about a woman who refuses to 'dress her age', and sometimes ends up looking ridiculous; may not be about dating at all
10 hrs
i think you need to read the whole question
Something went wrong...
11 hrs

Cougar

Cougar, Even if a woman is not playing around, but dresses up with the intention to flirt she is called a Cougar.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Cougar-Women?-Older-Women-Should-I...

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Note added at 11 hrs (2009-09-22 08:52:37 GMT)
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MILF is also popular among young people these days, "Mother I (would) love to F**k"

Generally is a pointer to a older mum, who looks and dresses fantastically.

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Note added at 11 hrs (2009-09-22 08:55:15 GMT)
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http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://afrocityblog.f...

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Note added at 12 hrs (2009-09-22 09:55:43 GMT)
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A cougar is not all about Dating, It is about the look of a 40+ woman and the power to feel young and mix in a younger persons world, Which is what a woman who is "Mutton dressed up as lamb" does

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Note added at 12 hrs (2009-09-22 10:03:59 GMT)
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On the point.. who are we to judge who looks ridiculous? If a woman wishes to dress up by dressing down, then so be it, (Men have been doing it for Years)she is still a cougar... even if she doesn't go out on a date, she is playing the part of one.

Looks like a Cougar, smells like a cougar, dresses like a cougar, Goes to places where younger people hang out... then she is a Cougar. I know plenty of Cougars who just like to feel young and look good..
Peer comment(s):

neutral Tony M : I agree with Cilian: this is more about a woman who refuses to 'dress her age', and sometimes ends up looking ridiculous; may not be about dating at all; and I think MILF is quite the wrong way round
59 mins
A cougar is not all about Dating, It is about the look of a 40+ woman and the power to feel young and mix in a younger persons world, Which is what a woman who is "Mutton dressed up as lamb" does
neutral sirgay (X) : the asker already knew this word and was looking for its analogies
2 hrs
Something went wrong...
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