PhrasesHub

Gild the lily

    Definitions

      • embellish or decorate excessively
        To add unnecessary or excessive ornamentation to something, often making it gaudy or ostentatious.

      • make something that is already beautiful even more beautiful
        To enhance or improve upon something that is already considered beautiful or perfect, often resulting in a sense of overindulgence or extravagance.

      • make something that is already impressive even more impressive
        To add extra or unnecessary features to something that is already impressive or remarkable, often leading to a sense of being overdone or showy.

    Examples of Gild the lily

    • The painting was already magnificent, but the artist decided to apply gold leaf to it, effectively gilding the lily.

      The phrase "gild the lily" is used to describe a situation where an unnecessary or excessive effort is made to improve something that is already perfect. In this example, the painting was already beautiful, but the artist's decision to add gold leaf was excessive, as it didn't add any significant value to the painting.

    • The CEO of the company can already communicate effectively, but she insists on hiring a speech coach to help her deliver presentations. Some might say that she's gilding the lily.

      This example highlights how people often try to improve their skills beyond what is necessary. While the CEO's communication skills are already impressive, hiring a speech coach might be an unnecessary expense.

    • The musician already wrote an outstanding song, but instead of leaving it be, she added countless layers to the track, essentially gilding the lily.

      In this example, the musician's decision to add too many layers to the song might result in the song losing its simplicity and clarity. Adding unnecessary elements might ruin the song's overall appeal.

    • The politician campaigned vigorously and won the election with a convincing majority. Instead of taking a well-deserved rest, he continued to make grandiose speeches, suggesting that he's gilding the lily.

      In this example, the politician's decision to continue making speeches might come across as arrogant and overbearing. The people have already expressed their support, and additional speeches might be seen as unnecessary and pompous.

    • The sales manager decorated the already impressive sales report with fancy charts and graphs, effectively gilding the lily.

      In this example, the idiom "gild the lily" is used to describe a situation where something that is already beautiful or impressive is unnecessarily embellished or decorated. In the example, the sales manager added charts and graphs to an already impressive sales report, going beyond what was needed to make it more visually appealing. The use of this idiom highlights the idea that sometimes less is more and that unnecessary embellishments can detract from the original beauty or impressiveness.


    Conclusion

    The common theme among the different meanings of "gild the lily" is the idea of adding something unnecessary or excessive to something that is already considered good or beautiful. This can result in a sense of being overdone or ostentatious.

    Origin of "Gild the lily"

    The origin of this idiom can be traced back to William Shakespeare's play "King John", where the character Faulconbridge says, "To gild refined gold, to paint the lily, is wasteful and ridiculous excess." This line refers to the practice of adding gold leaf to a lily flower, which would serve no purpose as the flower is already beautiful on its own.

    Over time, the phrase evolved to simply mean adding unnecessary embellishments to something that is already perfect or impressive. It is often used in a negative sense, cautioning against going too far in enhancing something that is already considered good. The use of the word "gild" adds a sense of extravagance and excess to the idiom.

    In conclusion, "gild the lily" is a colorful idiom that warns against overindulgence and unnecessary embellishment. Its origin can be traced back to Shakespeare's time, and it continues to be used in modern language to caution against excessive adornment.