lay it on thick

Verb

lay it on thick (third-person singular simple present lays it on thick, present participle laying it on thick, simple past and past participle laid it on thick)

1. (idiomatic) To exaggerate or overstate a feeling or emotion.
   • She really laid it on thick when her pet died.
   • […] Everybody else was lookin' and listenin' to me and I laid it on thicker and heavier as I went.1973, Charlie Daniels, Uneasy Rider
2. (idiomatic) To flatter.
   • He knew he needed to lay it on thick in his job interview.

   Synonyms:

   jolly, make fair weather, tickle the ear, brush up to, collogue, flatter, flatterize, glaver, gloze, palaver

3. (idiomatic) To guilt, guilt-trip.
   • Her mother laid it on thick, telling her to call home more often.