2024-04-16 Lay it on thick – The English We Speak

Introduction

An expression about exaggerating or praising someone too much. Learn how to use it here.

Transcript

Beth
Welcome to The English We Speak. I’m Beth.

Feifei
And I’m Feifei.

Beth
And I’m Beth. We have an expression that describes exaggerating, praising someone or criticising someone a bit too much. It’s ‘lay it on thick’.

Feifei
‘lay it on thick’. Beth, can you give us an example?

Beth
Well, my sister and I saw an actor we like the other day. The actor was just shopping in London and we said hi. But then my sister started crying because she was so excited to meet him. She really laid it on thick.

Feifei
Oh wow! Crying when you meet someone famous…that does sound a bit much.

Beth
And my sister told him he’s the best actor in the world. That’s definitely an exaggeration!

Feifei
That’s a lot of flattery. Your sister really laid it on thick.

Beth
Let’s hear some more examples.

Examples
You laugh very loudly at your boss’s jokes. You lay it on a bit thick. He’s not that funny.

He tells everyone how many countries he’s visited. I know he likes travelling, but why lay it on so thick?

She was so upset that she cried in the bathroom for an hour. I thought her brother laid it on a bit thick with the criticism about her hair.

Feifei
You’re listening to The English We Speak from BBC Learning English, and we are learning the expression ‘lay it on thick’, which is a way of describing someone exaggerating or praising too much.

Beth
The phrase ‘lay it on with a trowel’ is also used, though it’s not as common. Like ‘lay it on thick’ it means praise someone too much or exaggerate an emotion.

Feifei
Let’s get back to work. We have another training session later. It’s on how to book a meeting room, and we’ve already done that training twice this year!

Beth
Yes. They’re really laying it on with a trowel. See you next time!

Feifei
Bye.