gold-plated
See also: goldplated and gold plated
English
Alternative forms
Adjective
- Having a thin layer of gold applied to the surface, often by electrolysis.
- (of projects, systems, etc.) Incorporating costly or otherwise excessive features or refinements unnecessarily; overengineered.
- 2001, United States Congress, quoting Senator Max Baucus, Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the 107th Congress, First Session, Volume 147—Part 4: March 27, 2001 to April 23, 2001, Government Printing Office, Congressional Record—Senate April 3, 2001, page 5264:
- We have to do enough that works. Not a gold-plated program, but a solid one
- 2008, David Starkie, “Testing the Regulatory Model”, in Aviation Markets: Studies on Competition and Regulatory Reform, Ashgate Publishing, →ISBN, page 108:
- The consequence of this regulatory approach is that it has provided an opportunity for airport companies to exercise their market power indirectly through higher-than-necessary levels of investment in capacity and in costly gold-plated investment.
- 2008, Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development, “Economic and Policy Instruments to Promote Adapation”, in Shardul Agrawala, Samuel Frankhauser, editors, Economic Aspects of Adaption to Climate Change: Costs, Benefits and Policy, OECD Publishing, →ISBN, Public private partnerships, page 125:
- There are countless examples of gold-plated or excessive infrastructure projects — whether publically or privately financed.
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- (of laws, regulations, etc.) Embellished to excess, especially so as to be stifling, or rigid and inflexible.
- 2002 January 29, Peter Ainsworth, “Farming and Food Commission Report”, in parliamentary debates (House of Commons), column 155:
- Has society introduced swathes of new gold-plated regulations?
- 2007, House of Lords: European Union Committee, quoting Baroness Gale, Modernising European Union Labour Law: Has the UK Anything to Gain?, Report with Evidence, 22nd Report of Session 2006-07, The Stationery Office, →ISBN, 29 March 2007: Ms Susan Anderston and Mr Tom Moran, page 32:
- The UK has this gold-plated approach, is that beneficial to the UK in terms of the rest of Europe and in terms of the business and the employees? Do we benefit to a greater degree by adopting such an approach
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Usage notes
The sense relating to laws and regulations is particularly used in relation to European Union directives
Related terms
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