lay it on thick

Idioms  

1. Also, lay it on with a trowel. Exaggerate, overstate; also, flatter effusively. For example, Jane laid it on thick when she said this was the greatest book she'd ever read, or Tom thought he'd get the senator to waive the speaker's fee if he just laid it on with a trowel. This idiom alludes to applying a thick coat of paint or plaster. [c. 1600]

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Example Sentences

“We are going to lay it on thick for her,” read one text from Howard.

From Seattle Times

And sheesh, does the lead sponsor, Pennsylvania Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, lay it on thick.

From Slate

“I like his fearlessness, the way he just attacks everything he thinks wasn’t right, using a lot of humanist tools — killer philology, but also historical argument. And all this massive rhetoric! ‘You dolt,’ ‘You idiot’ — he did like to lay it on thick.”

From New York Times

McCarthy knows that we know that he knows that he can lay it on thick.

From New York Times

Maximalism allows you to really lay it on thick, but editing is key; it’s the most important aspect of making the style work.

From Washington Post

Related Words

• amplify
• distort
• emphasize
• fabricate
• falsify
• heighten
• inflate
• magnify
• misrepresent
• overdo
• overdraw
• overemphasize
• overestimate