🥄 Lay It On Thick, To: Exaggeration Plus Ultra 😂
Lay it on thick, to - To exaggerate, especially in flattery. This term began life in Shakespeare’s As You Like It (1.2) as “lay it on with a trowel,” which survived well into the mid-twentieth century. The trowel referred to is the tool for applying mortar or plaster, not the garden digging tool. “Thick” was inserted into the original term and “with a trowel” was eventually dropped.
Related Expressions and Synonyms
- Over-egg the pudding: To add too much of one thing to a situation, leading to imbalance.
- Pour it on thick: Similar to laying it on thick, often used in the same context.
- Butter someone up: To excessively flatter someone to gain their favor.
- Go overboard: To take something to extremes, often unnecessarily.
Antonyms
- Downplay: To make something seem less important or serious than it really is.
- Understate: To describe something as less important or serious than it really is.
Humor-Filled Quote: “Enough about me, let’s talk about you. What do you think about me?” — Bette Midler, Beaches
Proverb: “He that speaks much, is much mistaken.” — From a Collection of English Proverbs
Literary References
- Shakespeare’s As You Like It: The source of the phrase in its original form. A must-read for fans of the Bard.
Suggested Reads and Entertaining Diversions
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Books:
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (for Mr. Collins’ excessive flattery).
- The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (for splendid exaggerations).
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Songs:
- “Smooth Operator” by Sade (for subtly laying it on thick).
- “You’re So Vain” by Carly Simon (to feel the burn of well-laid flattery).
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Movies:
- The Producers (1967 version) by Mel Brooks — for the most over-the-top flattery.
- Tootsie (1982) by Sydney Pollack — to see laying it on thick in the acting world.
Quizzes
Thank you for diving into the colorful world of idioms with me. May your use of language always be as thick as you desire, but as meaningful as a well-crafted flattery! Remember, in communication as in all things, “balance is the key.” 🗝️
Yours exhuberantly, Witty Bea N. Shelled
