gilds the lily
Overdoes the decoration
To gild the lily is to add unnecessary ornamentation to something already beautiful or perfect, thereby spoiling it through excess.
The phrase comes from a misquotation of Shakespeare—the original was "to gild refined gold, to paint the lily." Someone who gilds the lily doesn't know when to stop: The speech was good until he gilded the lily with that overwrought closing metaphor.
- too muchBeyond acceptable limits
- too much of a good thingExcess spoils enjoyment
- laying it on thickExaggerating to excess
- excessiveSurpassing reasonable bounds
- gratuitousGiven without necessity
embellishment · overkill · over the top · redundant · icing on the cake · over-the-top · pretentious · overdone · exaggerated · superfluous · piling on · beating a dead horse · beautification · decoration · ornamentation · enhancement · gaudy · belabor
gilds the lilyless is more
Restraint creates impact
leave well enough alone · understated elegance · minimalism · simplicity · holds back
gilds the lilyunderstates
Presents as less important
strips down · simplifies · minimizes · subtracts · declutters
gilds the lilyunderstatement
Intentional diminishment for effect
brevity · conciseness · terseness · laconic · matter-of-fact