Arnel Salgado's Favorite Phrase

purple prose (PUR-puhl proz) noun

An overly ornate piece of writing.

[Two synonyms of the term are 'purple passage' and 'purple patch'. The idea comes
from Latin pannus purpureus (purple patch), a phrase used by the poet Horace in
his Ars Poetica (The Art of Poetry) to suggest a patch of royal fabric on an
ordinary cloth, a brilliant piece of writing in an overall dull work.
Purple was the color of choice by the royalty as the purple dye was the most rare
and hence most expensive.]