Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb idiomatic To
embellish orimprove somethingunnecessarily . - verb To add
superfluous attributes to something.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb make unnecessary additions to what is already complete
- verb adorn unnecessarily (something that is already beautiful)
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
A common misquotation of a line from William Shakespeare's 1595 play King John, iv 2:
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Examples
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slumry commented on the word gild the lily
I love this phrase. It useful for describing attempts to prettify something that is perfect as it is.
June 17, 2007
john commented on the word gild the lily
A misquote from Shakespeare's "King John." The actual quote:
"To gild refined gold, to paint the lily,
To throw a perfume on the violet,
To smooth the ice, or add another hue
Unto the rainbow, or with taper-light
To seek the beauteous eye of heaven to garnish,
Is wasteful and ridiculous excess"
King John. Act iv. Sc. 2.
Here's a good discussion of usage (including an amusing William Safire anecdote) from The Boston Globe.
October 8, 2007