Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
gold-plated
adjective
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
gold-plated/silver-plated
▪ a gold-plated watch
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ Houses are no longer the gold-plated investment they have been since the war.
▪ Mansions sprung up in the once poor agricultural center, and one drug lord walked its streets with gold-plated sandals.
▪ Milton ward Tories were so impressed by his la-de-da-accent and gold-plated walking stick that they made him social secretary.
▪ Oven-to-table Maitred'hotel is a range of oven-to-tableware in solid stainless steel with gold-plated handles.
▪ The tax system gives workers and their employers strong incentives to provide gold-plated health care rather than cash.
Wiktionary
gold-plated
1 Having a thin layer of gold applied to the surface, often by an electrolytic method. 2 (context of projects, systems, etc English) incorporating costly or otherwise excessive features or refinements unnecessarily; to be over-engineered alt. 1 Having a thin layer of gold applied to the surface, often by an electrolytic method. 2 (context of projects, systems, etc English) incorporating costly or otherwise excessive features or refinements unnecessarily; to be over-engineered v
(en-pastgold-plate)