to  paint the lily
<abbr style="text-decoration: underline;" title="paint / gild" > paint</abbr>
peɪnt
peint
the
ðə
dhē
lily
lɪli
lili

Definition & Meaning of "paint the lily"in English

to paint the lily
01

to unnecessarily adorn or decorate something that is already beautiful or perfect 

to [paint|gild] the lily definition and meaning
Idiom
Old use

What is the origin of the idiom "paint the lily" and when to use it?

The idiom "paint the lily" comes from Shakespeare's "King John" where a character uses "to gild refined gold, to paint the lily" to describe futile efforts to improve something already perfect. The term is used when people add excess embellishments to something good, in both minor and major situations, and in personal or professional contexts.

Examples
Adding more flowers to that dress would be painting the lily. 
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