Word.ws English Dictionary

takes the gilt off the gingerbread

takes the gilt off the gingerbread is the third-person singular simple present indicative of take the gilt off the gingerbread.

Meaning of take the gilt off the gingerbread

Verb

take the gilt off the gingerbread (third-person singular simple present takes the gilt off the gingerbread, present participle taking the gilt off the gingerbread, simple past took the gilt off the gingerbread, past participle taken the gilt off the gingerbread)

  1. (idiomatic) To take away the most attractive or appealing qualities of something; to destroy an illusion.
    • If you only say the word, we shall take the gilt off the gingerbread,—you guess what I mean,—but remember that Sir Robert Walpole said, ‘every man has his price.’1837, Catherine Sinclair, chapter X, in Modern Society; or, The March of Intellect. The Conclusion of Modern Accomplishments, London: James Nisbet and Co., […]; Edinburgh: William Whyte and Co., […]...

Questions about takes the gilt off the gingerbread

What is takes the gilt off the gingerbread the third-person singular simple present indicative of?
Takes the gilt off the gingerbread is the third-person singular simple present indicative of take the gilt off the gingerbread.

Words near takes the gilt off the gingerbread in the dictionary

  1. takes the fall
  2. takes the fifth
  3. takes the front seat
  4. takes the game to
  5. takes the gap
  6. takes the gilt off the gingerbread
  7. takes the heat
  8. takes the helm
  9. takes the initiative
  10. takes the knee
  11. takes the l

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: takes the gilt off the gingerbread (page history and authors); take the gilt off the gingerbread (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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