🌼 Gild the Lily: Piling Perfection on Perfection 🌟
gild the lily, to - To add excessive ornament; to pile excess on excess. This term is a condensation of Shakespeare’s statement in King John (4.2), “To gild refined gold, to paint the lily . . . is wasteful and ridiculous excess.” Earlier (sixteenth-century) versions of this idea cited whitening ivory with ink (Erasmus, Adagia) and painting fine marble (George Pettie, Petite Pallace). Byron quoted Shakespeare correctly (“But Shakespeare also says, ’tis very silly to gild refined gold, or paint the lily”), in Don Juan (1818), but sometime during the succeeding years it became the cliché we now know.
Synonyms:
- Overdo
- Embellish excessively
- Lavish
Antonyms:
- Simplify
- Understate
- Minimalize
Related Expressions:
- “Putting lipstick on a pig”
- “Over-egg the pudding”
- “Too many cooks spoil the broth”
Humor-filled Quotes:
🌟 “Gilding the lily is like putting lace curtains on a porthole.” - W. C. Fields
Proverbs:
- “A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials.” – Rather than preventing excess, it suggests value in plainess.
References in Literature:
- King John by William Shakespeare
- Don Juan by Lord Byron
- Petite Pallace by George Pettie
Musical References:
- 🎵 “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” by Justin Timberlake – excessively uplifting, no?
- 🎵 “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” by Marilyn Monroe – More glimmer, more glamour!
Inspirational Takeaway:
In a world that constantly beckons us to more—the next flourish, the grander display—let’s remember the beauty of simplicity. Shakespeare reminds us that sometimes, perfection doesn’t need fixing.
Farewell, language lover! 🎭 Strive to admire and retain the intrinsic beauty around you, gild-less and authentic. You carry within your words a sophistication that needs no further adornment. Happy exploring!
– E. L. Eloquent
