purple prose
Say it: PUR-pul prose /ˌpɜːpəl ˈprəʊz/ · noun phrase
What “purple prose” means
Writing so fancy and flowery that it distracts you.
More precisely: Writing so ornate and flowery that it becomes distracting.
When to use it
When criticising writing overloaded with decorative language, usually in editing, reviews or an amused conversation about style.
Memory trick
Picture a simple sentence buried under purple flowers, ribbons and glitter.
Similar words
overwriting, flowery language, grandiloquence
Where it comes from
From Horace's 'purple patch', a gaudy passage sewn onto plainer writing.
Quick check
A weather report calls drizzle 'the heavens' silken tears caressing the slumbering earth'. What might an editor call this?
poetic licence or purple prose?
Show the answer
purple prose
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