gild the lily vs lard

gild the lily

verb
  • To embellish or improve something unnecessarily. 

  • To add superfluous attributes to something. 

lard

verb
  • To mix or garnish with something, as by way of improvement; to interlard. 

  • To garnish or strew, especially with reference to words or phrases in speech and writing. 

  • To fatten; to enrich. 

  • To smear with fat or lard. 

  • To stuff (meat) with bacon or pork before cooking. 

noun
  • Fat from the abdomen of a pig, especially as prepared for use in cooking or pharmacy. 

  • Excess fat on a person or animal. 

How often have the words gild the lily and lard occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )