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gild the lily

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Encyclopedia 0.01 sec.
gild the lily
Fig. to add ornament or decoration to something that is pleasing in its original state; to attempt to improve something that is already fine the way it is. (Often refers to flattery or exaggeration.) Your house has lovely brickwork. Don't paint it. That would be gilding the lily. Oh, Sally. You're beautiful the way you are. You don't need makeup. You would be gilding the lily.
See also: lily

gild the lily
to spoil something by trying to improve or decorate it when it is already perfect
Usage notes: To gild something is to cover it with a thin layer of gold. A lily is a beautiful white flower. To gild a lily would not be necessary.
Should I add a scarf to this jacket or would it be gilding the lily?
See also: lily


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To gild the lily, the production had a very knowledgeable Mozart conductor as music director in Mario Bernardi.
What I find amazing about this worthy research is that those who responded didn't gild the lily of their replies by saying: "Me?
Since then, orchestras have become louder with the phasing out of gut strings, and the introduction of wider bore wind instruments, so to use Mahler nowadays is really to gild the lily.
 
 
 
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