What's the difference between sparkle and tinsel?

Sparkle


Definition:

  • (n.) A little spark; a scintillation.
  • (n.) Brilliancy; luster; as, the sparkle of a diamond.
  • (n.) To emit sparks; to throw off ignited or incandescent particles; to shine as if throwing off sparks; to emit flashes of light; to scintillate; to twinkle; as, the blazing wood sparkles; the stars sparkle.
  • (n.) To manifest itself by, or as if by, emitting sparks; to glisten; to flash.
  • (n.) To emit little bubbles, as certain kinds of liquors; to effervesce; as, sparkling wine.
  • (v. t.) To emit in the form or likeness of sparks.
  • (v. t.) To disperse.
  • (v. t.) To scatter on or over.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) The sparkling vehicle, larger than a school bus, decorated in tropical colours and equipped with three dental chairs, pulled up in front of its very first school: the Foundation School, where Deamonte had been a student.
  • (2) English wine is to be the toast of the country’s farmers this week, with more than £100m in sales expected this year for sparkling and still varieties combined, the environment secretary will announce on Wednesday.
  • (3) Finally, Guardian sports reporter turned ace observationalist Josh Widdicombe has the ability to find the sparkle in the mundane that puts him in line to become the next Sean Lock.
  • (4) The levels of migration of mineral hydrocarbons from polystyrene cups and glasses have been measured into aqueous food simulants as well as lager, beer, cola, sparkling apple juice, lemon barley water, coffee, hot chocolate, tea, lemon tea and chicken soup.
  • (5) After a glorious few days, Nick Clegg has had a less than sparkling Monday morning, according to Rachel Younger on Adam Boulton's blog on the Sky News website .
  • (6) Experts suggest that the popularity of prosecco means it risks becoming a generic term for any sparkling wine that is not champagne.
  • (7) Inside was the world's biggest map, depicting all of New York state, laid out in sparkling terrazzo, across which troupes of acrobats and dancers would perform, and the animals of the kiddies' petting zoo would snuffle.
  • (8) The sand was brown-red and the speckles of salt sparkled in the sun.
  • (9) Two-dimensional echocardiography provided additional features: (1) a more accurate diagnosis of pericardial effusion (67%) and (2) a characteristic "granular sparkling" appearance of the ventricular wall (55%).
  • (10) The truth is that some of these jokes might not have seemed very funny to the Romans either, no matter how the most sparkling ancient comic might have delivered them.
  • (11) But early audience figures for Big Brother suggests viewers are missing the celebrity sparkle – such as it was – provided by the likes of Kerry Katona and the show's eventual winner, Paddy Doherty .
  • (12) Instead, it fell steadily to just above the $1,000 mark, before this year’s sparkling recovery.
  • (13) Pedro was often the architect on a day when he introduced himself to the Chelsea supporters with a sparkling performance that included a goal and an assist on his debut.
  • (14) Yvonne Robertson, who had travelled from Glasgow with her district lodge, spoke of "an absolutely amazing day" as her red, white and blue glitter headband sparkled in the sunshine.
  • (15) Mané, in particular, has become erratic, while Tadic has suffered from the fact that opponents have studied him after his sparkling start to the campaign and increased their efforts to shackle him, partially by curtailing the ability of Southampton’s flying full-backs to support him down the flanks.
  • (16) A little magic from Messi, who sparkles along the byline and stands one up into the centre.
  • (17) Add as much of the sparkling water as you need to make a smooth, pliable mixture.
  • (18) And the sunlight, streaming down through the sparkling clear water, has turned the mother-of-pearl tones below into pure silver.
  • (19) For the first time, it looked like there was a sparkle in his eyes.
  • (20) Saponara has been at his sparkling best in the role, relishing the creative licence handed to him in a more central area.

Tinsel


Definition:

  • (n.) A shining material used for ornamental purposes; especially, a very thin, gauzelike cloth with much gold or silver woven into it; also, very thin metal overlaid with a thin coating of gold or silver, brass foil, or the like.
  • (n.) Something shining and gaudy; something superficially shining and showy, or having a false luster, and more gay than valuable.
  • (a.) Showy to excess; gaudy; specious; superficial.
  • (v. t.) To adorn with tinsel; to deck out with cheap but showy ornaments; to make gaudy.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) The tinsel coiled around a jug of squash and bauble in the strip lighting made a golf-ball size knot of guilt burn in my throat.
  • (2) Men dressed as Hindu deities, with tinsel crowns and tridents, wait for their turn on the stage.
  • (3) Imagine the biggest supermarket you've ever been to, then replace all the food with tinsel, artificial trees and decorations, and you'll be close to the spectacle that Bronner's Christmas Wonderland provides.
  • (4) Baubles and tinsel lose their shine Facebook Twitter Pinterest Sales of Christmas baubles fell.
  • (5) He’s a great leader, a great Australian and a great prime minister,” howls Reynolds, in a checked shirt, striking white beard and with tinsel around his neck.
  • (6) Britain’s retailers are hanging out the tinsel and looking forward to a bumper Christmas, with unemployment down, living standards finally climbing and house prices on the rise.
  • (7) This year, after the turkey and tinsel are put away, why not start small and plot a sustainable course for success?
  • (8) Ignoring my entreaties that you really didn’t need to dress up to go to a gig, my daughter had her hair tied up with tinsel, her best party dress on and a purple sequined stole.
  • (9) Silver frost on barbed wire, strange tinsel, sparkled and winked.
  • (10) So here we are in frosty, socially conscious Poplar, passing tinsel-garlanded forceps to the doughty district nurses of Nonnatus House as they tend to a flurry of imperilled postwar flimflams.
  • (11) The reason I am so non-judgmental of Hoffman or Bieber and so condemnatory of the pop cultural tinsel that adorns the reporting around them is that I am a drug addict in recovery, so like any drug addict I know exactly how Hoffman felt when he "went back out".
  • (12) Like most of his generation, he became infected by the mutant spores of rock’n’roll – Buddy Holly and Little Richard were favourites – but he also loved the tinsel, glamour and artifice of old-time show business.
  • (13) The duchess sat at a table with a group of children decorating picture frames with stars and tinsel flowers.
  • (14) Photograph: Alamy After two years of growing sales from 2011, sales of festive products such as baubles, tinsel and artificial Christmas trees dropped almost a third last year.
  • (15) We stopped, and Susie motioned for Mae to open a gate decorated in yellow Christmas tinsel.
  • (16) It was bizarre coming to work: there was the big Christmas tree up in the square, and every set was covered in tinsel and Christmas lights.
  • (17) At full-time golden tinsel exploded from the rafters at the Stade de France and it rained down on to the pitch.
  • (18) His penchant for pinstripe trousers, Cuban heels and chunky jewellery meant Davis stood out from his fellow BBC correspondents, as did the rumours of tattoos, pierced nipples (office nickname: Tinsel Tits) and a Prince Albert, which he has consistently refused to confirm or deny.
  • (19) Look under the tinsel in LA, they say, and there's real tinsel.
  • (20) Sue and Brian Legg, in their 60s, window shopping beneath tinsel banners in the George Yard shopping arcade, couldn't really see what the fuss was about.