No Need to 'Gild the Lily'
2023-09-24
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1Now it's time for Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2On this program we explore words and expressions in the English language.
3We give examples and notes on usage.
4Before we talk about today's idiom, let's talk about words that you will need to know - gilt and gild.
5"Gilt" as a noun is the gold, or something that looks like gold, laid on a surface.
6It can also be an adjective.
7"Gild" is a verb. It means to cover with a fine layer of gilt.
8Sometimes we add gilt to a plain material like wood to make it look better.
9In fact, entire buildings can be gilded to make them more pleasing to the eye.
10Word experts say American writer Mark Twain created the term "Gilded Age."
11In the 1873 novel, The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today, he and co-writer Charles Dudley Warner made fun of newly rich people.
12They discussed how these people would cover wood and other objects with a thin layer of gold to make them look more costly.
13So, when you gild something you could be trying to cover up something ugly.
14But sometimes we may try to improve something that cannot be improved.
15It is already wonderful just the way it is.
16And our attempts to make it better can make it worse.
17Take for example, a lily.
18Lilies are beautiful flowers.
19Like many beautiful things in nature, they do not need any additions to make them more beautiful.
20And that brings us to the idiom gild the lily.
21If I "gild the lily," I add some unnecessary decoration to something already beautiful.
22The thing I add is superfluous.
23It is not needed.
24Imagine if someone added a really bright shiny gold frame to the Mona Lisa painting.
25The frame is so bright that it is hard to see the smile on the famous woman. That would be gilding the lily.
26However, we use this expression to talk about anything, not just artwork or objects.
27We gild the lily anytime we try to improve something that is already excellent.
28For example, my friend has good bone structure and lovely skin.
29She's just gilding the lily when she wears makeup.
30Here is another example.
31Once I went to a beautiful garden.
32It had flowers of every height and color.
33It had a fish pond and was completely lined with beautiful trees and bushes.
34The garden was beautiful and peaceful.
35It was perfect.
36And then the owners built a tall structure in the middle of it.
37The structure was made almost of entirely of stained glass, like church windows.
38And while it was beautiful, it was truly gilding the lily.
39When the sun shone through it, you could not see one flower.
40Here are some expressions that are similar: To go overboard, to overdo it, or to get carried away. Listen to this example.
41A: I got carried away with the decorations on the birthday cake.
42B: Yeah, you really went overboard with the sprinkles.
43The cake was so pretty and now I can't even see it!
44Experts on the website Meriam Webster explain where the expression came from.
45The website says that "gild the lily" comes from Shakespeare.
46But the expression has changed over the years.
47In his play The Life and Death of King John the line is actually "to paint the lily."
48Here is the shortened form from that play -- Act 4, Scene 2: "To gild refined gold, to paint the lily / To throw a perfume on the violet.... / Is wasteful and ridiculous excess."
49These days we just say "gild the lily."
50And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories.
51Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.
1Now it's time for Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2On this program we explore words and expressions in the English language. We give examples and notes on usage. 3Before we talk about today's idiom, let's talk about words that you will need to know - gilt and gild. 4"Gilt" as a noun is the gold, or something that looks like gold, laid on a surface. It can also be an adjective. "Gild" is a verb. It means to cover with a fine layer of gilt. Sometimes we add gilt to a plain material like wood to make it look better. In fact, entire buildings can be gilded to make them more pleasing to the eye. 5Word experts say American writer Mark Twain created the term "Gilded Age." In the 1873 novel, The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today, he and co-writer Charles Dudley Warner made fun of newly rich people. They discussed how these people would cover wood and other objects with a thin layer of gold to make them look more costly. 6So, when you gild something you could be trying to cover up something ugly. But sometimes we may try to improve something that cannot be improved. It is already wonderful just the way it is. And our attempts to make it better can make it worse. 7Take for example, a lily. Lilies are beautiful flowers. Like many beautiful things in nature, they do not need any additions to make them more beautiful. 8And that brings us to the idiom gild the lily. 9If I "gild the lily," I add some unnecessary decoration to something already beautiful. The thing I add is superfluous. It is not needed. 10Imagine if someone added a really bright shiny gold frame to the Mona Lisa painting. The frame is so bright that it is hard to see the smile on the famous woman. That would be gilding the lily. 11However, we use this expression to talk about anything, not just artwork or objects. We gild the lily anytime we try to improve something that is already excellent. 12For example, my friend has good bone structure and lovely skin. She's just gilding the lily when she wears makeup. 13Here is another example. Once I went to a beautiful garden. It had flowers of every height and color. It had a fish pond and was completely lined with beautiful trees and bushes. The garden was beautiful and peaceful. It was perfect. And then the owners built a tall structure in the middle of it. The structure was made almost of entirely of stained glass, like church windows. And while it was beautiful, it was truly gilding the lily. When the sun shone through it, you could not see one flower. 14Here are some expressions that are similar: To go overboard, to overdo it, or to get carried away. Listen to this example. 15A: I got carried away with the decorations on the birthday cake. 16B: Yeah, you really went overboard with the sprinkles. The cake was so pretty and now I can't even see it! 17Experts on the website Meriam Webster explain where the expression came from. The website says that "gild the lily" comes from Shakespeare. But the expression has changed over the years. In his play The Life and Death of King John the line is actually "to paint the lily." 18Here is the shortened form from that play -- Act 4, Scene 2: "To gild refined gold, to paint the lily / To throw a perfume on the violet.... / Is wasteful and ridiculous excess." 19These days we just say "gild the lily." 20And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo. 21Anna Matteo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 22__________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24layer - n. one thickness or fold over or under another 25ugly - adj. horrid or unpleasant especially to the sight 26decoration - n. something that decorates or beautifies 27superfluous - adj. going beyond what is enough or necessary 28stained glass - n. glass colored or stained (as by fusing metallic oxides into it) for decorative applications (as in windows) 29sprinkles - n. small particles of candy used as a topping 30perfume - n. the scent of something sweet-smelling 31ridiculous - adj. extremely silly or unreasonable 32excess - n. an amount beyond what is usual, needed, or asked 33We want to hear from you. 34Our comment policy is here.