gild the lily

Cultural  

1. To adorn unnecessarily something that is already beautiful or perfect: “Morty had us all believing his tall tale until he couldn't resist gilding the lily.”

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gild the lily Idioms  

1. Add unnecessary adornment or supposed improvement. For example, Offering three different desserts after that elaborate meal would be gilding the lily. This expression is a condensation of Shakespeare's metaphor in King John (4:2): “To gild refined gold, to paint the lily ... is wasteful and ridiculous excess.” [c. 1800]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gild the lily

The norm at U.S. companies is for management to gild the lily, knowing the analysts at big Wall Street brokers will relay the spin as their own.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

“The challenge of it was to try to go to that place but not gild the lily too much,” Scott says.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 9, 2024

I'm not one to gild the lily here, but you could stir in some spinach or arugula for a nice bitter boost.

From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2023

No need to gild the lily with endless words: Zion Williamson has played three NBA preseason games, and it's already clear that he's going to be one of the best players of his generation.

From Golf Digest ● Oct. 14, 2019

It is evident that no one can rhyme words without everlastingly trying to gild the lily.

From A Top-Floor Idyl by George Van Schaick