Figure of Speech
Hyperbole
From Greek hyperballein: to throw beyond. A standard figure in Petrarchan love poetry; also central to epic grandeur and satirical deflation.
Definition
Deliberate, extravagant exaggeration used for emphasis, satire, or comic effect, not intended literally.
Example
Marvell: 'My vegetable love should grow / Vaster than empires, and more slow.' (To His Coy Mistress)