lay it on thick
verb1
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.
3
Idiomatic To guilt, guilt-trip.
- Her mother laid it on thick, telling her to call home more often.
- Related terms
- blow out of proportion