take the gilt off the gingerbread

English

WOTD – 26 December 2019

Etymology

In the Middle Ages, gingerbread cakes were decorated with a thin layer of gold leaf. Without this casing, they were considered to be humble offerings, generally being little more than flavoured but stale bread.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌteɪk ðə ˈɡɪlt ɒf ðə ˈd͡ʒɪn(d͡)ʒəbɹɛd/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌteɪk ðə ˈɡɪlt ɔf ðə ˈd͡ʒɪnd͡ʒɚˌbɹɛd/

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• Hyphenation: take the gilt off the gin‧ger‧bread

Verb

take the gilt off the gingerbread (third-person singular simple present takes the gilt off the gingerbread, present participle taking the gilt off the gingerbread, simple past took the gilt off the gingerbread, past participle taken the gilt off the gingerbread)

1. (idiomatic) To take away the most attractive or appealing qualities of something; to destroy an illusion.
   • 1837, Catherine Sinclair, chapter X, in Modern Society; or, The March of Intellect. The Conclusion of Modern Accomplishments, London: James Nisbet and Co., […]; Edinburgh: William Whyte and Co., […], →OCLC, page 176:

     If you only say the word, we shall take the gilt off the gingerbread,—you guess what I mean,—but remember that Sir Robert Walpole said, ‘every man has his price.’

   • 1850 May 11, “Provincial Correspondence. Music at Manchester.”, in The 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, number 19, London: Printed and published by W. S. Johnson, […], published 1851, →OCLC, page 296, 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.”, in Frederick Sinnett, editor, Melbourne Punch, volume I, Melbourne, Vic.: Published at the office, 66, Collins Street, East, →OCLC, page 99, 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 quite took the gilt off the gingerbread.

   • 1866, Noel Jones, “Valentine’s Day”, in Pictures of Society. Grave and Gay. […], London: Sampson Low, Son, and Marston, […], →OCLC, page 153:

     [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 fact takes the gilt off the gingerbread!

   • 1871 February 24, “Quidnunc” [pseudonym], “Notes by Quidnunc”, in The Mechanics’ Magazine, Museum, Register, Journal, and Gazette, volume XXV (New Series; volume XXXIV overall), London: R. Smiles, Mechanics’ Magazine Office, […], published 1830, →OCLC, page 131, 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”, in George Bernard Shaw, New York, N.Y.: John Lane Company, →OCLC, page 70:

     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 to take the gilt off the gingerbread.

   • 1915 March, Jessie Pope, “The Circus Star”, in The Royal Magazine, volume XXXIII, number 197, London: C[yril] Arthur Pearson Ltd, […], →OCLC, page 454, column 1:

     It is always pleasant to come into your kingdom—though it takes the gilt off the gingerbread if there's no one with whom to share it.

   • 1936, Dion Fortune, chapter XII, in The Goat Foot God, London: Williams and Norgate, →OCLC; republished York Beach, Me.: Samuel Weiser, 1999, →ISBN, pages 119–120:

     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, somewhat took 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, in History of the Royal Dutch, 2nd edition, volume 4, Leiden: E[vert] J[an] Brill, →OCLC, page 99:

     [T]he competition between the Standard and the Shell had taken 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, in The Man with a Charmed Life and His Part in Saving the Planet from WWIII, Kibworth Beauchamp, Leicestershire: Matador, →ISBN, page 377:

     'My boss works for your crowd. If anything takes the gilt off the gingerbread … I mean he's a creep. Can it be true?' / 'Explains how they picked you.'

Translations

to take away the most attractive or appealing qualities of something

• Finnish: tehdä vähemmän houkutteleva, romuttaa kuvitelmat ("wreck illusions/ideas", compare "destroy an illusion")