Lay it on thick

To lay it on thick is to exaggerate grossly, to overstate or flatter. The original concept was coined by Shakespeare c.1598 as lay it on with trowel but this version is much more modern and was written by Samuel Butler (1835-1902) in The Way of All Flesh published in 1903. “The advantage of doing one’s praising for oneself is that one can lay it on so thick and exactly in the right places.” See also Lay it on with a trowel.