laid it on thick
Exaggerated the praise
To lay it on thick is to exaggerate or overdo something—praise, flattery, emotion, or dramatic effect—beyond what the situation warrants.
The image suggests applying something in excessive layers: He really laid it on thick when thanking his donors.
Often implies insincerity or manipulation, though sometimes used for comic effect.
- buttering upExcessive flattery for advantage
- brown nosingObsequious flattery for advancement
- flatteryExcessive insincere praise
- guilt-trippingInducing remorse deliberately
- embellishmentDecorative addition or exaggeration
hyperbole · overemphasis · dramatization · amplification · aggrandizement · sycophancy · bragging · wheedling · coaxing · melodrama · boasting · ham it up · ingratiation · pandering · too much sugar · schmoozing · magnification · sensationalism
- fawnedgroveled, kowtowed, toadied, flattered, curried favor
laid it on thickunderstated
Deliberately minimized in expression
soft-pedaled · held back · subtle · downplayed · restrained
laid, laying, thick, thicken, thickly, thickness, thicker, thickest