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A
Aerial - Type of fireworks that shoots flaming balls into the air; many different types of effects and sizes
Assortment - pre-packaged collection of items
Artillery Shell - cylindrical or shell style device loaded with powder and fuse that is launched into the air from a mortar tube and creates a fireworks display
B
Barrage - group of fireworks fired at once
Battery - group of similar items constructed as a single bundle
Black Powder - (gun powder) the main ingredient of most fireworks due to predictability and slow-burn time
Bombette - exploding star
Bottle rocket - small rocket with a thin stick attached
Bouquet pattern - (peony) floral-shaped aerial pattern of stars, usually in a spherical shape
Break - when the shell bursts or opens up and makes the effects and colors
Brocade - large spherical break of stars that trail down, typically a silver or gold effect, uses glitter, and brighter than willow or tiger tails
C
Cake - (repeaters or multi-shot aerials) one fuse lights many tubes, up to 3" wide, in sequence; expect a wide variety of effects from 8 to 1,000 tubes
Chrysanthemum - spherical burst of stars shaped like a flower
Comet - star that leaves a thick trail of sparks on the way up
Cone - type of fountain shaped like a cone
Confetti - propelled paper streamers
Crackle Effect - sounds like hundreds of pops occurring rapidly together
Crossette - break that splits in the shape of a plus sign or cross moving outward
D
Dahlia - starfish-like or floral break; bigger and longer-lasting than peony
Day Time Effect - meant to be enjoyed during day, rather than night; smoke items and parachute items
Diadem - large chrysanthemum with willow effect
Dragon Eggs - group of aerial crackling sparks
F
Falling Leaves - glowing embers that float back and forth as they fall to earth
Finale - end of a fireworks show; typically quick-paced
Firecracker - produces a loud bang; sold as strips, rolls or bricks
Firefly - tail effect made of numerous bright flashes
Fish - embers that swim in the air, looking like a school of fish that is startled and scatters frantically in many directions
Flare - very bright light that burns for a length of time
Floral Pattern - breaks outward from the center of the break
Fountain - creates a variety of effects, colors, sounds, shapes and sizes as a shower of sparks into the air
Fuse - used to light fireworks; looks like string or wire
G
H
J
L
M
N
P
R
S
T
U
w
Glitter - bursts of small light and noise that lasts a few seconds
Girandola - wheel that spins, spraying sparks; may contain breaks, effects or whistles
Ground Item - items that are lit and stay on the ground; fountains, sparklers, snaps, snakes, pops, smoke balls, and all other safe & sane items
Helicopter - (UFO, sky flyer or plane) spins quickly and takes off into the sky where it bursts with an effect
Horsetail - (waterfall) long-lasting, short tail that resembles a horse tail
Jumping Jacks - spin on the ground and spray red and green sparks
Mine - stars sprayed up into sky
Missile - rocket that may rotate as it lifts off or shot from a tube
Mortar - tube used to launch single shells or canisters with long fuse; the launched shell or canister will burst in the air, producing effects and noise
Mortar Rack - frame that holds multiple mortar tubes in a variety of quantity and positions
Multi-Shot Aerial - see cake
Layer Effect - fireworks displaying at different levels
Novelty - small fireworks that are generally considered safe for most users; snaps, snakes, poppers, and sparklers
Palm Tree - a gold or silver rising tail then a brocade or willow effect; looks like a palm tree
Parachute - launched into air in a mortar tube or cake and returns to earth with a parachute
Peony - spherical ball of colored lights in the sky that looks like a flower
Pistil - small burst of light within a bigger burst of light; peony within peony
Plane - see helicopter
Punk - bamboo stick with a slow-burn coating used to light fireworks; looks like incense but have no smell
Reloadable Aerial - mortar with multiple shells meant to be loaded individually into tube
Repeater - see cake
Report - the bang of a firework
Ring Shell - bursts as a ring or circle
Rising Tail - gold or silver stream that shoots up into sky with shell
Rocket - tube that shoots into sky; typically has a stick attached
Roman Candle - tube designed to shoot flaming balls
Safe and Sane - fireworks with no explosions or aerial effects and legal to use without permit in Wisconsin; sparklers, snaps, smoke balls, fountains, snakes, wheels
Salute - item that creates a very loud explosion; these are considered professional fireworks
Saturn Shell - bursts as a ring around a ball of stars; peony and ring combo
Serpent - (spinner, tourbillion) bursts and spins into sky like a coiling snake
Shell - made to be launched into sky from a mortar tube to produce an aerial effect
Single Shot Aerial - mortar tube with a single, pre-loaded shell
Smoke Item - produces smoke effect; typically used during the day
Snakes - hard pellets that produce a long carbon snake
Snaps - paper balls filled with ingredients that create a "snap" when thrown
Sparkler - bamboo or wire stick coated with substance that burns and creates sparks
Spider - burst with stars that travel quickly in a straight and flat line; looks like spider legs
Spinner - see Serpent
Star - powder used to produce the light effects in aerial fireworks
Strobe - blinking effect
Tail - trail that follows a star
Time Rain - trail of large, slow-burning glitter with a sizzling noise
Tourbillion - see Serpent
Tube - see Mortar
UFO - see helicopter
Wheel - typically nailed down and spins to make circle of fire and sparks
Whistle - sharp howling sound
Willow - bursts with small golden trails that hang in the sky, typically 10 seconds or longer; looks like giant willow tree