to paint the lily
- idiom
- Informal
:
embellecer lo innecesario
- There's no need to paint the lily; this dress is already stunning.
Examples
-
Adding sequins to that beautiful dress would just paint the lily.
-
To gild refined gold, to paint the lily... to throw perfume on the violet... to add another hue into the rainbow.
-
When the garden was already vibrant, she felt it would be unnecessary to paint the lily with more decorations.
Synonyms
226
1.9
To make something look nicer by adding paint, ornaments, or other items
45
4.9
To put decorations on something to make it look more beautiful
41
3.2
To change the inside of a room by adding new paint, wallpaper, or furniture
10
6.3
To make something more beautiful by adding decorative details
9
3.2
To make a place or person more attractive by adding decorations like paint
8
8.7
Make something or someone look fancier by adding decorations
4
7.8
To put fancy decorations like flowers or lights on something to make it look special
4
3.7
To add decorations to something to make it look nicer
2
8.8
To make unneeded changes to something already beautiful
1
5.7
Make something look nicer by adding decorations
1
2.5
Put paint on something to make it look better
1
5.0
Make something look more attractive, often only on the surface
To add small not needed decorations to clothes or events to make them seem fancier
Make something look more attractive by adding decorations
To make something look more attractive or valuable again, often to hide faults
To make something look more beautiful or artistic
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
paint + the + lily
The literal meanings of 'paint' (apply color/decoration) and 'lily' (a beautiful flower) create an obvious metaphorical link to decorating something already attractive, so a learner can partly infer a sense of unnecessary embellishment. However, the idiomatic nuance 'to add unnecessary improvement' (often encountered as 'gild the lily') is conventionalised and not fully predictable from the parts alone, so it requires prior exposure for full understanding.
Etymology
Paint the lily comes from the clear image of someone trying to paint a beautiful lily; a lily is already perfect, so adding paint is pointless, and that's why the phrase means 'to add unnecessary decoration or improvement to something already perfect'.