gild the lily en · VERB
Pronunciation
Etymology
A common misquotation of a line from William Shakespeare's play King John.
Meanings
- (idiomatic) To embellish or improve something unnecessarily.
-
To add superfluous attributes to something.
Poor Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, so maligned for her imaginative pictures of Lovere and Lake Iseo, may surely be forgiven for having gilded the lily, for adding an extra touch of romance where the romantic already so abounded
1908, Edith Wharton, A Motor-Flight through France, Chapter 11:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| gilded the lily | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| gilded the lily | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| gilds the lily | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| gilding the lily | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic |
Relateds
Synonyms
overegg · go overboard · over-egg the pudding
Translations (21)
cmn 畫蛇添足 /画蛇添足 (to improve unnecessarily) · uk переборщи́ти (to improve unnecessarily) · es rizar el rizo (to add superfluous attributes) · de des Guten zu viel tun (to improve unnecessarily) · uk переприкра́сити (to improve unnecessarily) · pl przedobrzyć (to improve unnecessarily) · ko 화사첨족 (to improve unnecessarily) · pl przesadzić (to add superfluous attributes) · da overbrodere (to add superfluous attributes) · it agghindare (to improve unnecessarily) · de übertreiben (to add superfluous attributes) · it azzimare (to improve unnecessarily) · fi kruusata (to improve unnecessarily) · da overbrodere (to improve unnecessarily) · de unnötig ausschmücken (to improve unnecessarily) · pl przesadzać (to add superfluous attributes) · pl przedobrzać (to improve unnecessarily) · it infronzolare (to add superfluous attributes) · ja 画蛇添足 (to improve unnecessarily) · fi maalailla (to add superfluous attributes) · it infronzolare (to improve unnecessarily)