名人教英文：老羊扮羔羊
mutton dressed as lamb
老羊扮羔羊
athene: look at davina over there.
阿西妮﹕看看那边的达维娜。
jayani: gosh. her skirt's a bit short, don't you think?
贾亚尼﹕哎呀，她的裙子不是太短一点了吗？
athene: and she's got the hairstyle that's so fashionable with the young girls these days.
阿西妮﹕她的发型，也是今天少女流行的那种。
jayani: but she's nearly 40. it doesn't look right for her age.
贾亚尼﹕但她将近四十岁了。这身打扮，看起来和她的年纪不相称 。
athene: i think it looks a bit ridiculous.
阿西妮﹕我觉得她这样打扮有点可笑。
jayani: she's trying so hard to look younger than she is.
贾亚尼﹕她努力想扮得年轻一点。
athene: and not succeeding. she's just mutton dressed as lamb.
阿西妮﹕但扮不到。她只是老羊扮羔羊。
mutton dressed as lamb是成语，多见于英式英文﹕mutton当然是羊肉，lamb则是羔羊或羔羊肉。至于dress，有两个意思，其一是「穿着（衣服）」，这不必多解释；另一意思是「调制（食物）」，例如to dress a chicken是把鸡拔毛去脏，准备烹煮；to dress a salad是给色拉加调味品﹕那调味品就叫dressing。mutton dressed as lamb直译是「像羔羊肉般调制的羊肉」，但这成语常用来说「模仿年轻一辈打扮的较年长女人」，或作mutton dressed up as lamb，例如﹕she is always careful not to be mutton dressed up as lamb（她衣着向来很检点，以免给人扮年轻的印象）。mutton dressed as lamb的dress，以「调制（食物）」比喻「衣着」，可谓语带双关。
有时，这成语会引伸解作「古老当新潮」的事物，例如﹕his theory is in fact the same as thirty years ago, though he has changed the wording. it is mutton dressed as lamb（他的理论其实和三十年前无别，只是改了措词，古老当新潮）。
贾亚尼评论达维娜的打扮说﹕she's trying so hard to look younger than she is。这一句下半截可改写作to look younger than her age。假如要说某人样子比其实际年龄老一点，则可说to look older than one's age。样子和年龄相若，则当然是to look one's age，例如﹕you don't look your age（你看来比实际年纪年轻一点）。