sparkler

Everyday

1. A sparkler is a thin wire stick covered with a firework mix that burns slowly and throws off bright sparks when you hold it. tree →
2. A sparkler can also mean something that sparkles, like a shiny jewel, or a sparkling drink. tree →

In the lessons

Everyday: sparklers are used on Bonfire Night (UK), on Independence Day (USA), at New Year, at Diwali and on birthday cakes. Safety: sparklers get very hot, much hotter than a cooker, and can burn skin and set clothes on fire; wear gloves, hold at arm's length, one at a time, never wave near others, and put used ones in a bucket of water or sand because the wire stays hot. Children under five should not hold them. Phrases: «light a sparkler», «wave a sparkler», «write your name with a sparkler».

Examples

• We wrote our names in the air with sparklers. tree →
• Hold the sparkler at arm's length. tree →
• Put the used sparkler into the bucket of water. tree →
• Wear gloves when you hold a sparkler. tree →
• The birthday cake had a sparkler on top. tree →
• On Bonfire Night we had sparklers in the garden. tree →
• A sparkler can stay hot for minutes after it goes out. tree →
• Only one sparkler at a time, please. tree →

Note

Countable: «a sparkler, sparklers». Myth: sparklers are not «safe little fireworks»; they cause many burns to children every year. Verb: «sparkle»; adjective: «sparkly».