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Definition of trowel noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

trowel

noun
trowel pronunciation English ˈtraʊəl trowel pronunciation American ˈtraʊəl
 
1 a small garden tool with a curved blade for lifting plants and digging holes2 a small tool with a flat blade, used in building for spreading cement or plaster
Idioms

lay it on with a trowel

(informal) to talk about somebody/something in a way that makes them or it seem much better or much worse than they really are; to exaggerate somethingHe was laying the flattery on with a trowel.