trowel
noun /ˈtraʊəl/
/ˈtraʊəl/
Idioms - a small garden tool with a curved metal part for lifting plants and digging holesTopics Gardensc2
enlarge image - a small tool with a flat metal part, used in building for spreading cement or plaster
Word OriginMiddle English (as a noun): from Old French truele, from medieval Latin truella, alteration of Latin trulla ‘scoop’, diminutive of trua.
Idioms
lay it on with a trowel
- (informal) to talk about somebody/something in a way that makes them or it seem much better or much worse than they really are; to exaggerate something
- He was laying the flattery on with a trowel.