People sometimes use lamb when they are addressing or referring to someone who they are fond of and who is young, gentle, or unfortunate.
[feelings]
She came and put her arms around me. 'You poor lamb. What's wrong?'
3.
See like lambs
4. mutton dressed as lamb
lamb in British English
(læm)
noun
1.
the young of a sheep
2.
the meat of a young sheep
3.
a person, esp a child, who is innocent, meek, good, etc
4.
a person easily deceived
5. like a lamb to the slaughter
verb
6. Also: lamb down(intransitive)
(of a ewe) to give birth
7. (tr; used in the passive)
(of a lamb) to be born
8. (intransitive)
(of a shepherd) to tend the ewes and newborn lambs at lambing time
Derived forms
lamblike (ˈlambˌlike)
adjective
Word origin
Old English lamb, from Germanic; compare German Lamm, Old High German and Old Norse lamb
Lamb in British English1
(læm)
noun
the Lamb
Lamb in British English2
(læm)
noun
1.
Charles, pen name Elia. 1775–1834, English essayist and critic. He collaborated with his sister Mary on Tales from Shakespeare (1807). His other works include Specimens of English Dramatic Poets (1808) and the largely autobiographical essays collected in Essays of Elia (1823; 1833)
2. William. See (2nd Viscount) Melbourne2
3.
Willis Eugene. 1913–2008, US physicist. He detected the small difference in energy between two states of the hydrogen atom (Lamb shift). Nobel prize for physics 1955
Lamb in American English
(læm)
1.
Charles(pen name Elia) 1775-1834; Eng. essayist & critic
2.
Mary (Ann)1764-1847; Eng. writer: sister of Charles & coauthor with him of Tales from Shakespeare
3.
Willis Eugene1913-2008; U.S. physicist
lamb in American English
(læm)
noun
1.
a young sheep
2.
the flesh of a young sheep, used as food
3.
lambskin
4.
a gentle or innocent person, particularly a child
5.
a loved person; dear
6.
a person easily tricked or outwitted, as an inexperienced speculator
verb intransitive
7.
to give birth
said of a ewe
Idioms:
the Lamb
Word origin
ME < OE, akin to Ger lamm (OHG lamb) < IE *lonbhos (< base *el-: see elk) > Goth lamb
lamb in Hospitality
(læm)
noun
(Hospitality (hotel): Food and drink, meat)
Lamb is the flesh of a lamb eaten as food.
COLLOCATIONS: leg of ~rack of ~~ chop
The lamb was tender and the bread was fresh.
Leg of lamb is easier to carve than other cuts.
The red meats we cook in the restaurant are lamb and beef.
More idioms containing
lamb
gentle as a lamb
like a lamb
quiet as a lamb
someone might as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb
You might as well be shot for a sheep as a lamb you could hear them think.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Add the lamb and cook for a further 15 minutes.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb, have a bun!
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Some lambs that spent time in the artificial wombs are now as old as a year, and seem perfectly normal, according to researchers.
Smithsonian Mag (2017)
The poor lamb clearly needs an iron for those trousers.
The Sun (2016)
He is a bit of a sacrificial lamb.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Use a couple of forks to pull the lamb meat into shreds.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
You could get a leg of lamb for two shillings.
Max Arthur Lost Voices of the Edwardians: 19011910 in the words of the Men & Women Who WereThere (2006)
Or a wool coat to keep newborn lambs warm?
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Pour in the juice from the lamb and add the mint leaves at the very end.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The snowstorm was especially horrendous for sheep farmers as lambs were buried under snow.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
So what should be done to make the poor lambs feel better?
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The size and familiarity of the little lamb is genuinely touching.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The first meat produced from lambs born in spring is ready in the autumn.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Rub your leg of lamb with salt and pepper.
The Sun (2015)
Imagine watching a newborn lamb arrive in the world and take its first steps.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Drain any excess fat and add the lamb mince to the pan of vegetables and herbs.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The snowstorm came at a particularly bad time for sheep farmers as lambs were buried under snow.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
It is particularly good with lamb.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Set it aside for a few minutes to allow the lamb time to rest, then serve.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Particularly good with lamb and it gives oomph to ketchup, too.
The Sun (2012)
About half the births are twins: 'They usually lamb very easily.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The menu focuses on local produce with refined dishes such as fillet of Derbyshire lamb with mini shepherd 's pie and crispy shoulder.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Word lists with
lamb
affection
In other languages
lamb
British English: lamb /læm/ NOUN
A lamb is a young sheep.
American English: lamb
Arabic: حَمْلٌ
Brazilian Portuguese: cordeiro
Chinese: 小羊
Croatian: janje
Czech: jehně
Danish: lam
Dutch: lam
European Spanish: cordero
Finnish: karitsa
French: agneau
German: Lamm
Greek: αρνί
Italian: agnello
Japanese: 子羊
Korean: 어린양
Norwegian: lam
Polish: baran zwierzę
European Portuguese: cordeiro
Romanian: miel
Russian: ягненок
Latin American Spanish: cordero
Swedish: lamm
Thai: แกะ
Turkish: kuzu
Ukrainian: ягня
Vietnamese: thịt cừu
All related terms of 'lamb'
baa-lamb
the young of a sheep
fat lamb
a lamb bred for its tender meat , esp for export trade
lamb chop
a small piece of lamb including a rib
lamb down
to persuade (someone) to spend all his or her money
the Lamb
a title given to Christ in the New Testament
Lamb shift
the small difference in energy between two states of the hydrogen atom detected by Willis Eugene Lamb (1913–2008), the US physicist
spring lamb
a lamb born in the late winter or early spring and sold for slaughter before July 1
lamb's fry
lamb's offal , esp lamb's testicles , as food
Paschal Lamb
the lamb killed and eaten on the first day of the Passover
Persian lamb
a black loosely curled fur obtained from the skin of the karakul lamb
Canterbury lamb
New Zealand lamb exported chilled or frozen to the United Kingdom
Lamb of God
a title given to Christ in the New Testament , probably with reference to his sacrificial death
lamb's ears
a perennial herb , Stachys lanata, planted for its foliage , which is covered with white woolly down; the purplish or striped flowers are small
lamb's lugs
a perennial herb , Stachys lanata, planted for its foliage , which is covered with white woolly down; the purplish or striped flowers are small
lamb's tails
the pendulous catkins of the hazel tree
lamb's wool
fine soft wool obtained from a lamb at its first shearing
like a lamb
gentle , quiet , and obedient
lamb's lettuce
any valerianaceous plant of the genus Valerianella, esp the European species V . locusta , which often grows in cornfields and whose leaves are sometimes used in salads
lamb's tongue
a perennial herb , Stachys lanata, planted for its foliage , which is covered with white woolly down; the purplish or striped flowers are small
sacrificial lamb
If you refer to someone as a sacrificial lamb , you mean that they have been blamed unfairly for something they did not do, usually in order to protect another more powerful person or group.
gentle as a lamb
very kind and calm
lamb's-quarters
an annual weed ( Chenopodium album ) of the goosefoot family, with whitened or mealy leaves and dense clusters of small green flowers: the leaves are sometimes used for salad greens
quiet as a lamb
very quiet , calm or gentle
barometz
a type of Asian fern , Cibotium barometz , the woolly rhizome of which is thought to resemble a lamb
mutton dressed as lamb
If you describe a woman as mutton dressed as lamb , you are criticizing her for trying to look younger than she really is, in a way that you consider unattractive .
rack
A rack is a frame or shelf , usually with bars or hooks , that is used for holding things or for hanging things on.
like a lamb to the slaughter
without resistance
in two shakes of a lamb's tail
very soon or very quickly
someone might as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb
said to mean that someone will suffer or be punished whatever they do, so they might as well do something really bad if they can get some enjoyment or profit from it