| 单词 | to paint the lily |
| 释义 | > as lemmasto paint (or to gild) the lily 5. to paint (or to gild) the lily: to embellish excessively, to add ornament where none is needed. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > types of ornamentation > ornament [verb (intransitive)] > adorn excessively to paint (or to gild) the lilya1616 a1616 W. Shakespeare King John (1623) iv. ii. 11 To gilde refined Gold, to paint the Lilly; To throw a perfume on the Violet,..Is wastefull, and ridiculous excesse. View more context for this quotation 1919 H. Jenkins John Dene of Toronto vii. 113 ‘Where's Finlay?’ asked Colonel Walton. ‘He's painting the lily... Seeing how near he can get to this Bergen fellow.’ 1928 Manch. Guardian Weekly 28 Sept. 243/3 Nature and history have already been so kind to that ancient and charming townlet on the Dart that improvement would be a gilding of the lily. 1935 J. Buchan House of Four Winds 22 It's rather like painting the lily, you know. 1953 Manch. Guardian Weekly 19 Feb. 13/2 While it may seem to be painting the lily, I should like to add somewhat to Mr Alistair Cooke's excellent article. 1958 J. Raymond England's on Anvil! 15 In Englishing the passage, Peter Motteux..contrives at once splendidly to gild the lily and tone down the anti-Protestantism. 1968 Encycl. Brit. XII. 842/1 The favourite technique of decoration of Mogul jades is insetting with gold and precious stones..an example of painting the lily that would hardly have commended itself to the Chinese jade carver. < as lemmas |
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