sparkler

See also: Sparkler

English

Etymology

sparkle +‎ -er

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

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Noun

sparkler (plural sparklers)

1. Anything that sparkles.
   • 1852 March – 1853 September, Charles Dickens, Bleak House, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1853, →OCLC:

     And yet a married woman, possessing your attractions, shuts her eyes (and sparklers too), and goes and runs her delicate-formed head against a wall.

2. A hand-held firework that emits sparks.
   • 2006, Marcus Collins, Modern Love, page 258:

     The Playboy cover was of a girl in grey slacks and sandals, one hand on hip and the other waving a sparkler for Independence Day.

3. (slang) A gem or ornament that sparkles.
   • 1964, Mexican Life: Mexico's Monthly Review, volume 40, page 65:

     When the bill came, I got a side-glance at it, and hoped Rose would have to hock her sparklers to pay it.

4. A vivacious and charismatic person.
   • 2008, Robert Scott, Driven to Murder: The Blood Crimes at the Sam Donaldson Ranch:

     “As for Marilea, she was a sparkler. She was very effervescent. The family would often come out as a family unit when we were in the barnyard or the horse corral, and Marilea was just fine.”

5. (informal) A sparkling wine.
   • 1984, Sheldon Wasserman, Pauline Wasserman, Sparkling Wine, page 238:

     Irvine's white, a grape variety named for Hans Irvine, who developed the vineyards at Great Western (now owned by Seppelt), is frequently used in the Australian sparklers.

6. A tiger beetle.
7. (dated) One who scatters; especially, one who scatters money; an improvident person.

Derived terms

• Sparkler

 

Translations

hand-held firework

• Armenian: բենգալյան կրակ (hy) (bengalyan krak)
• Bulgarian: фойерверк (bg) m (fojerverk), бенгалски огън m (bengalski ogǎn)
• Czech: prskavka f
• Danish: stjernekaster c
• Dutch: sterretje (nl) n
• Estonian: säraküünal
• Finnish: tähtisadetikku
• French: cierge magique (fr) m
• German: Wunderkerze (de) f, bengalisches Feuer n
• Greek: βεγγαλικό (el) n (vengalikó)
• Hungarian: csillagszóró (hu)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: stjerneskudd n

• Polish: zimny ogień m
• Russian: бенга́льский ого́нь (ru) m (bengálʹskij ogónʹ)
• Slovene: prskalica f
• Spanish: bengala (es) f
• Swedish: tomtebloss (sv) n
• Tagalog: luses
• Thai: ไฟเย็น (th) (fai-yen)
• Turkish: maytap (tr)
• Ukrainian: бенга́льський вого́нь (uk) m (benhálʹsʹkyj vohónʹ), бенга́льський во́гник m (benhálʹsʹkyj vóhnyk)

slang terms only: gem or ornament that sparkles

• Bulgarian: брилянт (bg) (briljant)
• Finnish: killutin (fi)

informal terms only: sparkling wine

• Finnish: kuohari (fi), skumppa (fi), kupliva

tiger beetle — see tiger beetle

one who scatters money