Meaning & use
wax lyrical
Last updated
Meaning
phraseidiom
To speak or write about something with great enthusiasm and admiration, often at length.
Grammar: No object; add about, on or over: wax lyrical about the view. The verb wax changes: waxed lyrical.
Patterns
- wax lyrical about something
- wax lyrical on something
He waxed lyrical about his grandmother's cooking all evening.
Critics waxed lyrical over the new film's photography.
She tends to wax lyrical whenever the subject is travel.
Word forms
| third person singular | waxes lyrical |
|---|---|
| past tense | waxed lyrical |
| past participle | waxed lyrical |
| -ing form | waxing lyrical |
Common combinations
- wax lyrical about
- My uncle can wax lyrical about vintage cars for hours.
- wax lyrical over
- The reviewers waxed lyrical over her debut novel.
- wax lyrical on
- He waxed lyrical on the joys of cycling.
- begin to wax lyrical
- Mention the mountains and she'll begin to wax lyrical.
- wax lyrical at length
- The chef waxed lyrical at length about local cheese.
Synonyms and how they differ
- rhapsodize
- Rhapsodize is more formal and stresses extreme delight, whereas wax lyrical is a common idiom that can sound gently teasing.
- enthuse
- Enthuse is a plain verb for showing excitement, but it does not suggest the long, flowery speech of wax lyrical.
- rave
- Rave is informal and punchy; it can be short, while wax lyrical suggests a longer, more eloquent speech.
- gush
- Gush implies over-the-top, sometimes insincere enthusiasm, so it is more critical than wax lyrical.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: wax lyrical or wax poetic?
wax lyrical vs wax poetic
Wax poetic is the common American version of the same idiom. In British English wax lyrical is more usual.
Practice
My brother will ___ about his new bike if you ask him one question.
Choose one answer.
Wax lyrical is the fixed idiom for speaking enthusiastically at length. The other options are not real expressions.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “wax lyrical”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.