trow ‧ el /ˈtraʊəl/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: truelle , from Late Latin truella , from Latin trua 'large deep spoon' ]
1 . a garden tool like a very small ↑ spade
2 . a small tool with a flat blade, used for spreading ↑ cement on bricks etc
3 . lay it on with a trowel British English informal to say things that make something seem much better, worse etc than it really is SYN exaggerate :
‘I really don’t feel too good,’ I croaked, laying it on with a trowel.