gild the lily
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
English
Etymology
A common misquotation of a line from William Shakespeare's play King John.[1]
Pronunciation
Verb
gild the lily (third-person singular simple present gilds the lily, present participle gilding the lily, simple past and past participle gilded the lily)
- (idiomatic) To embellish or improve something unnecessarily.
- Synonyms: go overboard, overegg, over-egg the pudding
- To add superfluous attributes to something.
Translations
to improve unnecessarily
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to add superfluous attributes
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See also
References
- William Shakespeare (1595) “act IV, scene 2”, in The Life and Death of King John:
- Salisbury: Therefore, to be possess'd with double pomp,
To guard a title that was rich before,
To gild refined gold, to paint the lily,
to throw a perfume on the violet,
to smooth the ice, or add another hue
unto the rainbow, or with taper-light
to seek the beauteous eye of heaven to garnish,
is wasteful and ridiculous excess.
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