Sparkling or twinkling.

[From Latin scintillare (to sparkle), from scintilla (spark).]

Vetitive (VET-i-tiv) adjective

            1. Relating to a veto.

            2. Having the power to forbid.

[From Latin vetare (to forbid).]

            There seemed to be a vetitive aura around Maraj, keeping Harry at a safe distance.

            Using his skills developed during many years of working as a private investigator, it had taken him only a few hours to discover where she lived and what salons and boutiques were her favorites. She did not even try to cover her tracks.

            Harry knew she drove an expensive car and that she lived in an upscale condo. What he did not know was, among other things, what this woman did for a living.

            His probe into her life left him certain Maraj was not a prostitute, but there was no evidence she was in a steady relationship. He learned she traveled extensively, both in country and abroad.

            He also knew she adored Italian gelato and peach-colored roses.

            What he could not know was that he would be one of many men throughout history to lose his mind over a distant fantasy. Maraj remained a mystery despite his best efforts. Through his binoculars, her scintillescent eyes spoke of everything, yet nothing.

---

Rapparee (rap-uh-REE) noun

            1. An Irish guerrilla fighter in the late seventeenth century.

            2. Any freebooter or robber.

[From Irish rapaire/ropaire (half-pike), since rapparees were known to carry these.]

Bilabial (by-LAY-bee-uhl) adjective

            Using both lips.

noun

            A bilabial sound or consonant, for example p, b, m, where both lips touch each other, and w in which lips are rounded.

[Latin bi- (two) + labial, from labium (lip), ultimately from Indo-European root leb- (lip, to lick) that's also the source of lip, labrose (having thick or large lips), and labret (an ornament worn in a pierced lip).]

Froufrou (FROO-froo) noun

            1. Something fancy, elaborate, and showy.

            2. A rustling sound, as of a silk dress.

[From French, of imitative origin.]

            Someone with a weak sense of style might have been embarrassed to model the frosty pink, froufrou hat inspired by the court of Louis the XVI and presented by the newest star designer to be featured in Vogue magazine; but not Maraj. Without any hesitation, and with the same sense of entitlement possessed by infamous rapparees in the pages of naughty books dressed in dust-covered spines hundreds of years older than she, Maraj strutted down the catwalk and then promptly walked out of the fashion show wearing $1950.00 worth of satin, twill, pearls and silver beads that looked like frogs.

            The hat looked great on her. Surely she was meant to have it. It would not look nearly as good on anyone else. There was no question in her mind, except where to wear the headpiece.

            As she pondered what to wear with her trophy and looked forward to seeing photos in Vogue of her posing with the stunning hat, she replayed in her mind the upsetting instructions Stan, the designer, gave her before sending her down the runway.

            He had instructed her to use a bilabial smile, to be conscious of both of her lips and use them to entice the audience. Well, of course she didn’t do it. Maraj wasn’t about to take her clothes off and try to smile with that. Relinquishing the hat was the least the designer could do to make up for the insult. God!

__

Background: 

Along with countless other people the world over, I enjoy my subscription to A. Word. A. Day. that results in a daily email message with interesting, sometimes completely unknown-to-me words, along with pronounciation guide, etymology typical usage and more.

The New York Times hailed AWADmail as: "The most welcomed, most enduring piece of daily mass e-mail in cyberspace."

One day way back when, I decided that for learning, it would be helpful and fun to use the words AWAD sent to me in a sentence or two. Of course I found myself going beyond that and using them in not-so-obvious ways that entertained my friends as well as myself. Sometimes I use words incorrectly on purpose. But if you know the meaning, you get the joke. It is kind of a backward way of doing things, but that's creativity, right?

The first character inspired by AWAD was Maraj (not her real name.) She has quite a few fans. At the encouragement of several persistent friends, I decided it was time to share her and the others with my new friends here at OS, and begin on the first day of 2010. 

I'm offering vocabulary words I received from AWAD and what I wrote to practice using them. Tell me this isn't a much more fun way to work on improving one's vocabulary. Enjoy. Maraj and more will be back – and check out www.wordsmith.org to sign up for the free subscription. They don't know me, but for fun tell them I sent you. Like OS, it can be addictive. -- Natalie