lay it on thick

present singular third person lays it on thick · participle present laying it on thick · participle past laid it on thick · past laid it on thick

1. idiomaticTo exaggerate or overstate a feeling or emotion.

   She really laid it on thick when her pet died.

   1 more example

   […] 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. idiomaticTo 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

3. idiomaticTo guilt, guilt-trip.

   Her mother laid it on thick, telling her to call home more often.