From Twinkle, with Love: Chapters 20–25

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. hypocritical
    professing feelings or virtues one does not have
    “So just because they consider me their friend I shouldn’t tell the truth about them? I should be hypocritical?” I asked, feeling my temper rising.
  2. blatantly
    in a completely obvious manner
    How had I become this person who couldn’t even see what she was doing was so blatantly wrong?
  3. idealize
    consider or render as the best or most appropriate type
    “Stop,” I said, tears filling my eyes. “That’s not what I was doing at all; I wasn’t weighing you against him! Sahil, I was falling for you, too. That’s the realization I was coming to this whole time. That I liked you. I had this idealized, fantasy version of Neil in my head. But my fantasy wasn’t about Neil at all. Okay? It was about me, my need to be more than just some wallflower!”
  4. omniscient
    knowing, seeing, or understanding everything
    A girl needed to preserve some mystery, even from her omniscient Dadi.
  5. gingerly
    in a manner marked by extreme care or delicacy
    Biting my lip, I pivoted the candle gingerly on its side and watched as one drop of wax after another plopped onto the surface.
  6. coalesce
    fuse or cause to come together
    I kept going until a big wax piece had coalesced in the center of the bowl.
  7. archipelago
    a group of many islands in a large body of water
    The wax was thin and cold, and I flipped it over and over in my hand, thinking. “It looks like an archipelago: lots of islands clustered together, almost holding hands.”
  8. pilfer
    make off with belongings of others
    I was ensconced in my covers and had just unwrapped the first Peanut Butter Cup I’d pilfered from the kitchen when I heard the doorbell ring.
  9. palindrome
    a word or phrase that reads the same backward as forward
    I couldn’t believe it. Hannah, with her cool palindrome of a name and her shiny, purple VW Bug, was jealous of me? Of how much Maddie loved me?
  10. relegate
    assign to a lower position
    What if I’d always known that there was someone else she liked more? What if I had to be relegated to second place all the time?
  11. incessantly
    without interruption
    More soon; she’s trying to peek into this diary while also incessantly asking me questions.
  12. muss
    make messy or untidy
    His hair was adorably mussed, his vintage Poltergeist T-shirt hugging his frame nicely.
  13. apathetic
    showing little or no emotion or animation
    “Can I help you?” Stan and his apathetic skinny mustache were waiting for me.
  14. flak
    intense adverse criticism
    “I am,” he said. “But as the producer, I don’t have to do anything. You’re the one who gets all the glory.”
    “Or all the flak.”
  15. talisman
    a trinket thought to be a magical protection against evil
    “I can see that now. But also...if I had, would he even have given me the time of day? I mean, look at how he’s completely disengaged now. Just mentioning his brother was an anti-Sahil talisman.”
  16. chutney
    a spicy relish usually made with fruit, vinegar, and spices
    “I am making kaju pista biscuits. And idli and chutney is ready for you. Oh, and next on the list is gajar ka halwa.”
  17. quota
    a prescribed number
    It was like she had this quota to fill in order to not be a crappy mother, and my filmmaking was above and beyond the call of duty.
  18. morose
    showing a brooding ill humor
    “But I have a feeling this moroseness is not only about Mummy, hmm?” Dadi said, stroking my hand.
  19. aloof
    distant, cold, or detached in manner
    I realized how...professionally aloof his words were. He was purposely holding me at arm’s length, afraid to let me get too close.
  20. segue
    changing smoothly from one state or situation to another
    As the last scene faded and the segue music played, my heart started to thunder.
  21. candid
    informal or natural
    The first candid scene began.
  22. skimp
    supply sparingly and with restricted quantities
    I sniffed. Wow. Skid hadn’t skimped on deodorant tonight.
  23. gist
    the choicest or most vital part of some idea or experience
    “And he told you it hurts him to be near you?”
    “Um, sort of. That’s the gist, yeah.”
  24. emanate
    proceed or issue forth, as from a source
    The shades were drawn, so I couldn’t see in, but there was enough light emanating from behind the shades that I could tell he wasn’t asleep.
  25. clamber
    climb awkwardly, as if by scrambling
    He gently tugged and guided me until I was able to let go of the branch and clamber into his room.
  26. inscrutable
    difficult or impossible to understand
    “Hi,” he said after a moment of silence, the expression in his eyes inscrutable.
  27. convey
    make known; pass on, of information
    We would like to invite you to our show to talk to our audience about what led you to make this movie, and the message you were trying to convey.
  28. brandish
    move or swing back and forth
    “Arey, yeh sab kya hai?” Dadi said, brandishing her rolling pin around at you and Sahil.
  29. catalyst
    something that causes an important event to happen
    “I knew it, Twinkle!” she crowed, holding her rolling pin above her head in a victory dance. “I knew it! Chandrashekhar told me there would be travel in our future and that you would be the catalyst!”
  30. kismet
    fate or fortune
    But I do know you’ll work your entire life to be worthy of all that kismet has given you.
Created on Tue Feb 19 17:06:26 EST 2019 (updated Wed Feb 20 11:31:00 EST 2019)

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