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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."
asked Jul 29, 2011 at 11:55
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5Related: Is there any other way you can “wax” as you do when you “wax philosophical”?– RegDwigнtCommented Jul 29, 2011 at 13:42
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"rhapsodic" is the adjective form of "rhapsody" ... meaning "exaggeratedly enthusiastic or ecstatic expression of feeling".– GEdgarCommented Jul 29, 2011 at 14:19
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2 Answers
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.
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1Until 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. Commented Jul 29, 2011 at 14:51
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Indeed; "to wax lyrical" is by far the most common variant.– user221615Commented Mar 25, 2017 at 3:11
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, 2011 at 13:04
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1This is incorrect. Bloomberg did not grow rhapsodic about Simon and Garfinkle [sic].– MrHenCommented Jul 29, 2011 at 13:43
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