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Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 4, 2008 is:
gild the lily \GILD-thuh-LILL-ee\ phrasal verb
: to add unnecessary ornamentation to something beautiful in its own right
Examples:
My sister has good bone structure and lovely skin, so she doesn't need to gild the lily by wearing makeup.
Did you know?
You might be aware that "gild the lily" is attributed to Shakespeare, but there is a catch -- the phrase used in Shakespeare's play King John is actually "to paint the lily." The quotation reads, in part, "To gild refined gold, to paint the lily / To throw a perfume on the violet. . .. / Is wasteful and ridiculous excess." There are those who criticize "gild the lily" as a misquotation, and "paint the lily" does appear from time to time. But "gild the lily" has become firmly established, and it holds true to the spirit of the original version, even if the wording does not.
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