• Thornburywitch@aussie.zone
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    1 year ago

    I’ve always used ‘wax lyrical’ to describe someone speaking of a topic in enchanting detail - not boring at all but both comprehensively and rigorously. A good after dinner speech should wax lyrical, but also be accurate in detail. Does this fit your understanding?

    • Rusty Raven @aussie.zoneM
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      1 year ago

      Absolutely. The lyrical would imply the speach is entertaining, and wax is growth/increase, which probably refers to both the amount of speaking itself, but also the knowledge that it imports, as opposed to something repetitious that adds nothing new.

      • StudSpud The Starchy@aussie.zone
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        1 year ago
        etymology reply 2

        You’re pretty much spot on. Wax meaning ‘grow bigger/greater’, so ‘wax lyrical’ is enthusiasm regarding a topic or person, talking at great length about it.

        Wax with this meaning only really survives in the ‘wax lyrical’ idiom, and when talking about the phases of the moon.