chubby

[Student1974]

I need to make a physical description of a child. She has a round face, and, what I would add, "chubby cheeks". I am not sure if I can use this expression. Till now I met this adjective (chubby) only in combinations with person, woman, man, etc. Can cheeks be chubby?
If I use an expression "chubby child", does it mean the child is overweight, or just have this baby-like appearance?
Thank you!

 

[Esteven]

Yes you can use chubby with cheeks (and other body parts: legs, thighs, arms, etc.) However, chubby child does imply that the child is overweight (if only slightly).

 

[Student1974]

Thank you very much, Esteven!

 

[AngelEyes]

Cheeks can be chubby, but they can also be pudgy on an otherwise thin child.

If you're writing a rather full physical description, you'll probably be adding other features which will make it clear that the only plump part of the child is the not-yet-developed cheeks.

So either is fine:
chubby cheeks
pudgy cheeks


AngelEyes

 

[Harry Batt]

Puffy and fleshy have also been used. They describe cheeks that would appear to be on the chubby side of life but could be taken as no more than the shape of the face.

 

[nichec]

Cheeks can be chubby, but they can also be pudgy on an otherwise thin child.

If you're writing a rather full physical description, you'll probably be adding other features which will make it clear that the only plump part of the child is the not-yet-developed cheeks.

So either is fine:
chubby cheeks
pudgy cheeks


AngelEyes

Yes, plump is the word I would use.

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=60916&dict=CALD

 

[cirrus]

Plump to me implies the whole body and isn't a word I would use with a child.

To me puffy implies something is wrong. If you have an eye infection your eyes swell up and become puffy.

Fleshy doesn't sound at all right to me, but perhaps this is a case of it not being used much in British English.

 

[nichec]

This is one of the examples in the Cambridge Dictionary (see the link in my post)

a child with plump rosy cheeks

I would personally use it to describe kids, and only cheeks too.

 

[cirrus]

For me plump is a word that I would associate with someone who is older and more likely female. This may be a personal thing or it may be more about BE vs AE usage.

 

[nichec]

For me plump is a word that I would associate with someone who is older and more likely female. This may be a personal thing or it may be more about BE vs AE usage.

I see, that can indeed be a personal thing