wax poetic

Speak with flourish

To wax poetic is to speak or write in an elevated, effusive, or rhapsodic manner—often at length.

The phrase usually carries a hint of gentle mockery, suggesting the speaker has grown overly sentimental or elaborate: He waxed poetic about his grandmother's cooking.

Wax here means to grow or become, as in waxing and waning.

expression

rhapsodize

Speak with extravagant enthusiasm

eloquentFluent and persuasive
lyricalMusically expressive
effusiveUnrestrainedly emotional in expression

sentimental · nostalgic · romanticize · reminisce · gush · extol · eulogize · wistful · dreamy · idealize

speech

orate

Speak formally, often pompously

declaimSpeak rhetorically, dramatically
pontificateSpeak in dogmatic manner
sermonizeSpeak with moral authority

soliloquize · monologue · discourse · digress · ramble · elaborate · embellish · dramatize · exaggerate · expound

literary

verse

Metered poetic passage

stanzaPoem's line grouping
sonnetFourteen-line metered poem
odeLaudatory verse form

elegy · ballad · meter · rhyme · cadence · imagery · metaphor · simile · alliteration · prose

Opposites

expressiveness and elaboration

wax poeticspeak plainly

cut to the chase · get to the point · grunt · clam up · say nothing

emotional engagement in speech

wax poeticdeadpan

Expressionless, especially for humor

drone on

Family

wax, poetic, waxed, waxing, waxes, waxy, waxen, poet, poetry

Familiarity: Top 200,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Abstract · Everyday, not technical · Rated G