take the gilt off the gingerbread

Language: en

Meaning: (idiomatic)Totake awaythe mostattractiveorappealingqualitiesof something; todestroyanillusion.1837,Catherine Sinclair, chapter X, inModern Society; or, The March of Intellect. The Conclusion of Modern Accomplishments, London: James Nisbet and Co.,[…]; Edinburgh: William Whyte and Co.,[…],→OCLC,page176:If you only say the word, we shalltake the gilt off the gingerbread,—you guess what I mean,—but remember that SirRobert Walpolesaid, ‘every man has his price.’1850May 11, “Provincial Correspondence. Music at Manchester.”, inThe Musical World. A Record of Music, the Drama, Literature, Fine Arts, Foreign Intelligence, &c. and Complete Record of the Theatres and the Concert Room, volume XXV, number19, London: Printed and published by W. S. Johnson,[…], published1851,→OCLC,page296, column 2:The former gentleman too rarely appears amongst us as a solo pianist, did we hear him oftener, we are inclined to think he would, to use a homely figure of speech, "Take the gilt off the gingerbread" of many persons of much higher pretensions.1856, “John Slagge”[pseudonym], “Selections from the Blunderbore Correspondence. No. XIII.”, inFrederick Sinnett, editor,Melbourne Punch, volume I, Melbourne, Vic.: Published at the office, 66,Collins Street, East,→OCLC,page99, column 1:A seedy kind of men come to me that can't get credit with regular first houses, and though I get very good prices out of 'em all, I've made some losses in particular directions, that quitetook the gilt off the gingerbread.1866, Noel Jones, “Valentine’s Day”, inPictures of Society. Grave and Gay.[…], London:Sampson Low, Son, and Marston,[…],→OCLC,page153:[D]o we ever dream that in a certain gross number—say a billion—of young lady lovers, there is always a given number ready to cut off their sweethearts' heads and stick them in a flower-pot? Alas! how such a facttakes the gilt off the gingerbread!1871February 24, “Quidnunc”[pseudonym], “Notes by Quidnunc”, inThe Mechanics’ Magazine, Museum, Register, Journal, and Gazette, volume XXV (New Series; volume XXXIV overall), London: R. Smiles, Mechanics’ Magazine Office,[…], published1830,→OCLC,page131, column 1:Notwithstanding the unfinished state of the building [the Royal Albert Hall] and its approaches a concert is to be given in the hall to-morrow (February 25) by the aristocratic musicians, who have earned such a deservedly high reputation under their adopted designation of the "Wandering Minstrels." This first formal concert, which, by the way, seems like "taking the gilt off the gingerbread," is for the entertainment of the workmen of Messrs. Lucas Brothers, the contractors.1909,Gilbert K[eith] Chesterton, “The Progressive”, inGeorge Bernard Shaw, New York, N.Y.:John Lane Company,→OCLC,page70:He was one whose main business was, in his own view, the pricking of illusions, the stripping away of disguises, and even the destruction of ideals. He was a sort of anti-confectioner whose whole business it was totake the gilt off the gingerbread.1915March,Jessie Pope, “The Circus Star”, inThe Royal Magazine, volume XXXIII, number197, London:C[yril]Arthur Pearson Ltd,[…],→OCLC,page454, column 1:It is always pleasant to come into your kingdom—though ittakes the gilt off the gingerbreadif there's no one with whom to share it.1936,Dion Fortune, chapter XII, inThe Goat Foot God, London:Williams and Norgate,→OCLC; republished York Beach, Me.:Samuel Weiser,1999,→ISBN,pages119–120:According to the writer, Monks Farm bore a sinister local reputation, and was about as thoroughly haunted as any place could be, and in order to justify his thesis, he gave an account of its history. [...] The discussion that followed the reading of the paper, and which was recorded in all its wordy fullness, somewhattook the gilt off the gingerbread, however, for it was pointed out by persons familiar with local customs as well as local superstitions, that the empty buildings of Monks Farm had long been a favourite haunt of lovers without benefit of clergy.1958, F[rederik]C[arel]Gerretson, chapter 5, inHistory of the Royal Dutch, 2nd edition, volume 4, Leiden:E[vert] J[an] Brill,→OCLC,page99:[T]he competition between the Standard and the Shell hadtaken the gilt off the gingerbread; after the first imports by the Shell, the price of lamp oil had fallen from 11d. to 6¼d. per gallon, [...]2014, Graham Fulbright, chapter VI, inThe Man with a Charmed Life and His Part in Saving the Planet from WWIII, Kibworth Beauchamp, Leicestershire: Matador,→ISBN,page377:'My boss works for your crowd. If anythingtakes the gilt off the gingerbread… I mean he's a creep. Can it be true?' / 'Explains how they picked you.'

Validation Count: 0

Sourced from Wiktionary