purple prose
Writing that is full of flowery or excessively elaborate language. My early romance novels were nothing but purple prose—very embarrassing to read now.
purple prose
Exceedingly florid, oversentimental writing. This term began life as purple patches in the Latin poet Horace’s De Arte Poetica (ca. 20 b.c.): “Often on a work of grave purpose and high promise is tacked a purple patch or two to give an effect of color.”