Question of the Day #865

Meanwhile, flavorful sauces don't overwhelm this treasure. But why gild the lily?

From the 2nd paragraph of the ribeye section of this article at Mashed.

  上記の文で、gild the lilyの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "gild the lily" mean?

  答えは、コメントに書いてください。
Write your answer in the Comments.

明日、ここに答えを書きます。
I will add the answer and other remarks here tomorrow.

 

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解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、

〔完成しているものに〕余計な手を加える

上記の訳では、ちょっと舌足らずのような気がするので補足します。Lily（ユリ）はすでに美しいのに、さらにgild（金箔をかぶせる、金めっきする）をしたら余計であるというイディオムです。  

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

to add unnecessary ornamentation to something beautiful in its own right

   

Examples

• Should I add a scarf to this jacket or would it be gilding the lily?
• Offering three different desserts after that elaborate meal would be gilding the lily.
• When it comes to cooking there is no need to gild the lily.
• They do the drama really well without gilding the lily. The Sun (2010)
• My sister has good bone structure and lovely skin, so she doesn't need to gild the lily by wearing makeup.

   

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