lay it on thick

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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.

   • 1973, Charlie Daniels, Uneasy Rider:

     […] Everybody else was lookin' and listenin' to me and I laid it on thicker and heavier as I went.

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.

• blow out of proportion