From Twinkle, with Love: Chapters 7–9

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. covet
    wish, long, or crave for
    He was wearing a cool Blair Witch Project T-shirt, which I secretly coveted the entire day.
  2. dinky
    small and insignificant
    I was expecting something dinky and dark, to match the outside. But this space was enormous, all of it brilliant white.
  3. brocade
    thick expensive material with a raised pattern
    They were all dressed in gorgeous costumes, with Victorian-era thick, brocade dresses and fancy, elaborate hats with fake fruits and birds on them.
  4. sidle
    move unobtrusively or furtively
    I sidled over to a shelf along the wall and picked up what looked like a solid gold staff with rubies encrusted on the handle.
  5. worldly
    very sophisticated and experienced
    At least I was wearing these cool skinny-fit black trousers and a mustard-yellow polka-dot top that Maddie had gotten me once for a gallery showing we went to together for one of Mr. Tanaka’s girlfriends, so I looked the part of worldly European filmmaker.
  6. haughty
    having or showing arrogant superiority
    Violet, who was tiny and thin and had a lavender-colored pixie cut, smiled haughtily.
  7. backdrop
    scenery hung at the rear of a stage
    Sahil was immediately drawn to a cyclorama—a curved backdrop—of a landscape that had a moon painted on it that looked like it was screaming.
  8. tulle
    a fine fabric net used for veils, tutus, or gowns
    You know how TV shows have brides shopping for these overpriced white dresses and they always say some variant of, I knew the moment I saw it that it was the One? And it sounds like they’re talking about their fiancés, but they’re talking about a frothy mixture of tulle and lace?
  9. expletive
    profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
    I yelled out some expletive or other, trying to find my center of gravity, but it felt like I was on an ice rink without skates on.
  10. flush
    turn red, as if in embarrassment or shame
    His face was flushed, his eyes wide, like a cornered bunny.
  11. gyrate
    wind or move in a spiral course
    Only the dress had somehow trapped both our legs inside it and all I was doing was gyrating uselessly on top of him.
  12. semblance
    the outward or apparent appearance or form of something
    He kind of turned his head away and bit the inside of his lips like he was trying to maintain some semblance of control.
  13. epitome
    a standard or typical example
    For instance, I know my brother is the epitome of the golden boy: He's athletic and smart and Harvard bound and does SAT practice tests "for fun, dude."
  14. digress
    turn aside from the main subject of attention
    Which is hilarious because we are the exact same from a genetic perspective, but I digress.
  15. masquerade
    a party of guests wearing costumes and disguises
    He’s trying to tell me he remembers that one time we danced at the masquerade ball back in sixth grade, just like I do!
  16. ecstatic
    feeling great rapture or delight
    The part of me that isn’t ecstatic about the e-mail just needs to be squashed.
  17. nostalgia
    a longing for something past
    You once said, Mira, that nostalgia is a useless thing.
  18. retainer
    a fee charged in advance to secure the services of someone
    The yearbook group pays him a retainer because he says his time is too valuable to work on puerile and fleeting pursuits like the high school yearbook for free.
  19. puerile
    displaying or suggesting a lack of maturity
    The yearbook group pays him a retainer because he says his time is too valuable to work on puerile and fleeting pursuits like the high school yearbook for free.
  20. fleeting
    lasting for a markedly brief time
    The yearbook group pays him a retainer because he says his time is too valuable to work on puerile and fleeting pursuits like the high school yearbook for free.
  21. placate
    cause to be more favorably inclined
    Skid looked placated. “All right, then,” he said, and then he and Aaron got into a conversation about some football team.
  22. firewall
    a security system preventing access to a computer or network
    I thought maybe it was just another Monday for a couple of computer science geniuses, but Brij told me that they were fundraising to build the school a better firewall because apparently our security posture is sorely lacking and is an utter disgrace to the school district.
  23. elusive
    skillful at evading capture
    Skid’s into botany and there’s an elusive variety of musk thistle that he’s desperate to track down.
  24. facetious
    cleverly amusing in tone
    Also, I know I was being facetious about that whole musk thistle thing, but hiking with them does sound fun.
  25. impinge
    infringe upon
    Aw come on we're jk. Gl bro. We'll keep our distance so we don't impinge on your moves
  26. frond
    compound leaf of a fern or palm or cycad
    Yeah Skid don't forget the tree of us are best fronds
  27. smitten
    marked by foolish or unreasoning fondness
    I even said Maddie would be there and winked at him, and he just stared at me, all openmouthed like he tends to do. He must be so smitten.
  28. unrequited
    not returned in kind
    I wasn’t completely sure I wanted Sahil to know about my centuries-long unrequited crush on his brother.
  29. quirk
    twist or curve abruptly
    Victoria quirked her mouth at me, shrugged, and left.
  30. blase
    nonchalantly unconcerned
    I have seen way too many charred and splintered husks of trees to be blasé about something like that, let me tell you.
  31. apt
    at risk of or subject to experiencing something
    I like storms when I’m inside and drinking chai and reading a book or watching a movie. Not when I’m apt to be the latest lightning victim.
  32. vehemently
    in a forceful manner
    “You’re not an average nothing,” I said vehemently.
  33. revel
    take delight in
    I reveled in our cleverness at having come in here.
  34. maxim
    a saying that is widely accepted on its own merits
    I should’ve thought of all the reasons kissing Sahil would be a bad thing, not the least of which is one of Dadi’s maxims: Desire has brought great women to their doom as surely as the Germanic leader Odoacer brought Rome to its knees.
  35. pithy
    concise and full of meaning
    It’s not very pithy—I mean, you couldn’t embroider it on a pillow or anything—but she swears it’s true.
Created on Tue Feb 19 17:04:32 EST 2019 (updated Wed Feb 20 11:27:47 EST 2019)

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