a man of wax
Preserved but no longer current.
A model man; like one fashioned in wax. Horace speaks of the "waxen arms of Telephus," meaning model arms, or of perfect shape and colour; and the nurse says of Romeo, "Why, he's a man of wax (i, 3), which she explains by saying, "Nay, he's a flower, i* faith a very flower.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “a man of wax” mean?
A model man; like one fashioned in wax. Horace speaks of the "waxen arms of Telephus," meaning model arms, or of perfect shape and colour; and the nurse says of Romeo, "Why, he's a man of wax (i, 3), which she explains by saying, "Nay, he's a flower, i* faith a very flower.
Is “a man of wax” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.