sparkler
nounEtymology From sparkle + -er.
7 senses
1
Anything that sparkles.
- 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.1852 March – 1853 September, Charles Dickens, Bleak House, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1853, →OCLC:
2
A hand-held firework that emits sparks.
- 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.2006, Marcus Collins, Modern Love, page 258:
3
Slang A gem or ornament that sparkles.
- When the bill came, I got a side-glance at it, and hoped Rose would have to hock her sparklers to pay it.1964, Mexican Life: Mexico's Monthly Review, volume 40, page 65:
4
A vivacious and charismatic person.
- “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.”2008, Robert Scott, Driven to Murder: The Blood Crimes at the Sam Donaldson Ranch:
5
Informal A sparkling wine.
- 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.1984, Sheldon Wasserman, Pauline Wasserman, Sparkling Wine, page 238:
6
A tiger beetle.
7
Dated One who scatters; especially, one who scatters money; an improvident person.
- Derived terms
- Sparkler