tarting up
Making flashily attractive
Tarting up is making something more attractive or flashy, often superficially or tackily.
The phrase applies to both people and things: She tarted herself up for the party, They tarted up the old pub with neon signs.
British in origin, it carries a faintly disapproving tone—the improvement is gaudy or overdone rather than genuinely elegant.
- dolling upGrooming for special occasions
- dressing upWearing elaborate clothes
- gussying upMaking more attractive
- embellishmentDecorative addition or exaggeration
- bells and whistlesSuperfluous attractive features
makeup · veneering · bedazzling · gilding · glossing · sprucing · ostentation · window dressing · lipstick on a pig · false front · adornment · beautification · gaudiness · cheap and cheerful · cheapening · superficiality · pretentiousness · furnishing
- Beautifyingmakeover, decoration, adornment, embellishment, beautification
- sprucing upbeautifying, freshening, freshening up, grooming, primping
tarting upstripping down
Removing clothing or components
toning down · simplifying · stripping away · decluttering · minimizing
tarting updownplaying
Diminishing perceived significance
understating · dressing down · leaving alone · letting go · playing down