wax poetic

English

Etymology

From wax (“become”) + poetic.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈwæks pəʊˈɛtɪk/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈwæks poʊˈɛtɪk/

Verb

wax poetic (third-person singular simple present waxes poetic, present participle waxing poetic, simple past and past participle waxed poetic)

1. (intransitive) To become increasingly verbose.
2. (often derogatory, intransitive) To speak in an increasingly verbose manner, as if constructing poetry.

Related terms

• wax eloquent