lay it on thick


lay it on thick

To exaggerate, overembellish, or overstate some emotional experience, response, or appeal, such as blame, praise, flattery, excuses, etc. Jim carries on as though flattering the boss will get him a promotion, so he's always laying it on thick for her. Bob, I think Mary understands the trouble she's in, no need to lay it on so thick.See also: lay, on, thick

lay it on thick

 and lay it on with a trowel; pour it on thick; spread it on thickFig. to exaggerate or over-state praise, excuses, or blame. Sally was laying it on thick when she said that Tom was the best singer she had ever heard. After Bob finished making his excuses, Sally said that he was pouring it on thick. Bob always spreads it on thick.See also: lay, on, thick

lay it on thick

Also, lay it on with a trowel. Exaggerate, overstate; also, flatter effusively. For example, Jane laid it on thick when she said this was the greatest book she'd ever read, or Tom thought he'd get the senator to waive the speaker's fee if he just laid it on with a trowel . This idiom alludes to applying a thick coat of paint or plaster. [c. 1600] See also: lay, on, thick

lay it on thick

INFORMALIf you lay it on thick, you try to make something seem more important than it really is when you talk or write about it. Gerhardt explained the position to the Press Officer, laying it on thick about Adrian Winter's importance. Ask someone to tell him how good you are at your job. Get them to lay it on thick. Compare with lay it on with a trowel.See also: lay, on, thick

lay something on thick (or with a trowel)

grossly exaggerate or overemphasize something. informalSee also: lay, on, something, thick

lay it on ˈthick/with a ˈtrowel

(also pile it on ˈthick, pile it ˈon) say that something is much better or much worse than it really is because you want to impress or annoy somebody: He said that she was his favourite author and that she deserved the Nobel Prize for literature. He really laid it on with a trowel. ♢ My father really piled it on, shouting at me for ages about my exam results.See also: lay, on, thick, trowel

lay it on thick

Informal To exaggerate or overstate something.See also: lay, on, thick

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. See also: lay, on