From Twinkle, with Love: Chapters 4–6

by Sandhya Menon
Self-described wallflower Twinkle Mehra dreams of becoming a filmmaker — and when Sahil Roy suggests teaming up to make a movie for their school's Midsummer Night celebration, she finally gets her chance. But can Twinkle stay true to herself now that she's in the spotlight?

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–6, Chapters 7–9, Chapters 10–13, Chapters 14–19, Chapters 20–25

Here is a link to our lists for When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. smug
    marked by excessive complacency or self-satisfaction
    Brij smiled smugly and opened the binder.
  2. abashed
    feeling or caused to feel uneasy and self-conscious
    I cleared my throat, and Maddie jerked her head up at me, abashed.
  3. plod
    walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
    “Nath, you coming or what?” Matthew called from his locker. “We’re going to be late.”
    “Yeah.” He lifted a hand to us and then plodded off.
  4. undulate
    move in a wavy pattern or with a rising and falling motion
    Her soft, iron-gray hair undulated in waves.
  5. conscientious
    guided by or in accordance with a sense of right and wrong
    So she told us that we could both be excused. Brij on the grounds of religious tolerance and me on account of I’m a conscientious objector.
  6. wench
    a young woman
    Matthew Weir came to sit by Brij, and then they were discussing what it was like to be a five-hundred-level mage in a two-hundred-level wench world.
  7. floe
    a flat mass of ice drifting at sea
    It was this gigantic sign of how Mummy and I are like two ice floes, passing each other, cold and silent.
  8. guffaw
    a burst of loud and hearty laughter
    “You have leg pain?” he said, between guffaws.
  9. regal
    belonging to or befitting a supreme ruler
    Then Dadi looks at me and says, “Oh! Princess Diana! Chandrashekhar says she has a very regal and respected presence on the other side.”
  10. subtly
    in a manner difficult to detect or grasp
    Anyway, I’ve been subtly probing Maddie’s interest in Brij all night by asking sly questions, such as, “Hey, wasn’t that binder Brij made so cool?”
  11. gluttonous
    given to excess in consumption of especially food or drink
    My field of sunflowers looks like a toxic waste dump, which might turn out to be a cool statement on society’s unthinking gluttonous exploitation of our planet’s natural resources.
  12. exploitation
    the act of making use of and profiting from resources
    My field of sunflowers looks like a toxic waste dump, which might turn out to be a cool statement on society’s unthinking gluttonous exploitation of our planet’s natural resources.
  13. delicacy
    something considered choice to eat
    The owner lured Roux away with a shriveled pig’s ear, which is apparently a canine delicacy?
  14. dowdy
    lacking in stylishness or taste
    I felt a little dowdy in my clothes, tbh, which was crap because it’s what’s inside that matters and I’d been proud of my T-shirt and glitter Keds at my house, parental comments aside.
  15. endearing
    lovable especially in a childlike or naive way
    Dadi calls it my bain-gan, aka “eggplant,” look. I think she means it in an endearing way, though.
  16. intently
    with strained or eager attention
    Brij was watching us intently.
  17. ostensibly
    from appearances alone
    Your movies were a lot about insider/outsider status, Sofia, and I wonder what you’d say about me sitting at this table (ostensibly a loser table, but populated by some of the funniest, kindest, most talented people I’ve ever met).
  18. respectively
    in the order given
    Sahil and I both turned red and purple respectively.
  19. coup
    a brilliant and notable success
    If I do it right, it could be like this giant coup for the women of PPC and beyond.
  20. melodrama
    a story with characters behaving in an extreme emotional way
    Also, I had no idea how much people in the thirties liked melodrama.
  21. charismatic
    possessing an extraordinary ability to attract
    I nodded, pointing to the notebook page on my lap, which was filled with scene-blocking diagrams, bits of dialogue, and costume ideas. “We need to keep it creepy, but charismatic creepy. Whoever our Dracu-lass ends up being, she needs to be just as captivating as Bela Lugosi.”
  22. swoon
    pass out from weakness or physical or emotional distress
    He pretended to swoon, just like Mina in the movie, and Maddie bent close to his throat, pausing just short of putting her mouth on his skin.
  23. unwitting
    not done with purpose or intent
    That sort of broke Sahil’s and my paralysis, and then we all began jumping up and down and shouting and yelling until Lyla came downstairs and shushed us, saying that Mr. Tanaka was on the verge of a breakthrough about how his latest piece might be about the Dadaists’ unwitting altruistic donation to the modern zeitgeist.
  24. altruistic
    showing unselfish concern for the welfare of others
    That sort of broke Sahil’s and my paralysis, and then we all began jumping up and down and shouting and yelling until Lyla came downstairs and shushed us, saying that Mr. Tanaka was on the verge of a breakthrough about how his latest piece might be about the Dadaists’ unwitting altruistic donation to the modern zeitgeist.
  25. Zeitgeist
    the spirit of the time
    That sort of broke Sahil’s and my paralysis, and then we all began jumping up and down and shouting and yelling until Lyla came downstairs and shushed us, saying that Mr. Tanaka was on the verge of a breakthrough about how his latest piece might be about the Dadaists’ unwitting altruistic donation to the modern zeitgeist.
  26. thespian
    of or relating to drama
    So Maddie said, “Costumes! We need costumes!” And I said, “Well, okay, but Thoroughly Thespian is the only local place that sells theater costumes that don’t look like Halloween rejects, but you have to be famous or have an agent to shop there because all their stuff is so professional.”
  27. ware
    commodities offered for sale
    And I stare at him and then at Maddie, who’s staring at me, and then I stare at him again and he puts one finger on his lips and says in a confident but snooty voice, “Yes, hello. This is the Zenith Talent Agency calling on behalf of Twinkle Mehra. Ms. Mehra is in the Springs for just a few days and would love to stop by to sample your wares for her newest movie.”
  28. avant-garde
    radically new or original
    “She’s very avant-garde, very new, but so up-and-coming. You know, there’s already Sundance buzz for this project and you would be credited. Of course, if you’re too busy, Karen at Perfect Props in Denver already has her scheduled first thing tomorrow.”
  29. obscurity
    an unimportant and not well known standing
    Here was someone who was so passionate about his art, he refused to let small things like obscurity hold him back.
  30. stupor
    a state of being half-awake
    “We’re so legit it hurts,” Sahil said, holding up his glass of lemonade, thankfully having shaken himself out of that stupor.
Created on Tue Feb 19 17:03:55 EST 2019 (updated Wed Feb 20 11:27:29 EST 2019)

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