gold-plating

Register · Informal Informal — used in casual, everyday conversation among friends and family. Avoid in formal writing or professional settings. CEFR C1

Post

Figurative meaning

adding unnecessary features, polish, or complexity to a product beyond what was asked for

Why this phrase?

From defence procurement, where contractors would gold-plate systems with capabilities no one requested — then bill for them.

Example

“Stop gold-plating the settings screen; we need the core flow shipped.”

Dictionary details

Component words

gold plate

Tags

Expressions connected by reviewed component words or topic tags.

gold rush Neutral · CEFR B2

a sudden mass rush to profit from a new opportunity

everything but the kitchen sink Informal · CEFR B1

an excessive collection of things; nearly everything imaginable, included without restraint

bells and whistles Informal · CEFR B2

extra, attractive but non-essential features added to a product

feature creep Neutral · CEFR B2

the uncontrolled growth of new features until a product becomes bloated and hard to use

ship it Informal · CEFR B1

to release the product or feature now, as an imperative; to ship

bite off more than you can chew Informal · CEFR B2

to take on more work than you can handle

Source methodology

Meanings, register, CEFR, and examples come from the reviewed dictionary record. Expression notes may describe a reviewed present-day word picture or a background note; they are not presented as verified etymology.

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