IdiomDaily Life
English
Englishlay it on with a trowel
Meaning: To flatter or exaggerate very heavily and without subtlety.
Example: “His speech about the retiring CEO laid the praise on with a trowel.”
Origin: From Shakespeare's As You Like It (around 1600), where Celia mocks a clumsy compliment: "Well said: that was laid on with a trowel." A trowel spreads mortar thickly, not delicately.
Equivalents in other languages
French: Casser le nez à coups d’encensoir Literally: To break the nose with blows of an incense-burner
More English idioms
- fall flat on one's face To fail completely and embarrassingly.
- burst someone's bubble To destroy someone's illusion or happy belief.
- prick up one's ears To suddenly start listening closely.
- rise from the ashes To be reborn or rebuilt after destruction or failure.
- one's blood runs cold To be filled with sudden fear or horror.
- stir up a hornet's nest To cause a lot of trouble or anger, often by provoking people.
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