What does "waxed rhapsodic" mean?

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Bloomberg is well known for his malapropisms and mispronunciations: he's introduced former Yankee manager Joe Torre as "Joe Torres" [and] waxed rhapsodic about the famous singing duo "Simon and Garfinkle."

Related: Is there any other way you can “wax” as you do when you “wax philosophical”? — RegDwigнt, Jul 29 '11 at 13:42
"rhapsodic" is the adjective form of "rhapsody" ... meaning "exaggeratedly enthusiastic or ecstatic expression of feeling". — GEdgar, Jul 29 '11 at 14:19

score 3 · Accepted Answer · answered Jul 29 '11 at 13:42

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To wax rhapsodic about something is a common idiom meaning to praise something excessively.

As James indicated, the verb to wax is a verb meaning to grow, but the verb is very uncommon outside of a few contexts such as this idiom, and when speaking of the phases of the moon.

answered Jul 29 '11 at 13:42

JSBձոգչ

54,843

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Until about a century ago it was almost always "wax wroth", but that's hopelessly archaic now. Today it's mainly "wax lyrical", with "rhapsodic" accounting for most of the rest. – FumbleFingers Jul 29 '11 at 14:51
Indeed; "to wax lyrical" is by far the most common variant. – Mar 25 '17 at 03:11

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Jul 29 '11 at 13:04

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In this context, "to wax" means "to grow." It is also commonly used to describe the moon as it goes from new to full.

answered Jul 29 '11 at 13:04

James McLeod

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This is incorrect. Bloomberg did not grow rhapsodic about Simon and Garfinkle [sic]. – MrHen Jul 29 '11 at 13:43
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I grow weary of this pedantry. – FumbleFingers Jul 29 '11 at 14:52

What does "waxed rhapsodic" mean?

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