出典:Wiktionary
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.[1][2]
take the gilt off the gingerbread (三人称単数 現在形 takes the gilt off the gingerbread, 現在分詞 taking the gilt off the gingerbread, 過去形 took the gilt off the gingerbread, 過去分詞 taken the gilt off the gingerbread)