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Thread: Idiom ?

  1. 19-Mar-2006, 19:05 #1
    petr
    petr is offline Junior Member
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    Default Idiom ?

    Hello,
    IŽd like to ask what it means - DO NOT GUILD THE LILY!
    thanks in advance
    Peter
  2. 19-Mar-2006, 21:06 #2
    MrPedantic
    MrPedantic is offline Moderator
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    Default Re: Idiom ?

    Hello Peter

    "To gild the lily" is a proverbial expression. It means to decorate something that is already sufficiently decorative or beautiful.

    There is a similar expression in Shakespeare's "King John":

    "To gild refinèd gold, to paint the lily...
    Is wasteful and ridiculous excess."

    MrP
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