| Idiom | Gild the Lily |
|---|---|
| Example | She really doesn't need all that makeup. That's like gilding the lily. |
| Meaning | to spoil something that is already beautiful by adding something extra or not needed |
| Origin | William Shakespeare used a similar expression in his play King John: "to gild refined gold, to paint the lily...is wasteful and ridiculous excess." Over the years the saying got shortened to just "gild the lily." "Gild" means to cover with a thin layer of gold. Why did Shakespeare use "lily"? Because it is already a beautiful flower, and covering it with gold to make it more beautiful would be unnecessary. |
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