Shell Description Glossary


ARTILLERY:  Multiple reports give a machine gun burst.

BARRAGE: (MULTI-SHELL BARRAGE UNITS)  Multiple tubes fastened and fused together as one unit.  When lit, the fuse travels from tube to tube in succession.  Each tube functions like a small mortar to launch the effects.  The individual tubes can range in size 1/2" to 3", with a wide range of effects.  Also known as a cake.  See also fan cake.

BATTLE IN THE CLOUDS:  A break of color stars with numerous reports. The second break is a heavy report.

BOTTOM SHOT:  Primarily used to describe american shells.  The traditional term for the final heavy report in a multiple break.

BEES:  Brightly colored self-propelled stars.

BOW TIES:  Butterfly or hourglass - the stars cascade out in the pattern of a bow tie often circled by a ring pattern.

BROCADE:  Stars with flashing metallic sparks in their long rails.

CHRYSANTHEMUM:  A hand round break of colored stars with tails.  The stars may change in color as they travel outward from the shell burst.

COCONUT TREE:  Similar to a palm tree.

COLOR AND REPORT:  An asymmetrical break of colored stars followed by a heavy report.

COLOR AND SPIDER:  A two-break shell with a colored break followed by a spider break.  See Spider.

COLOR TO DARK TO COLOR:  The shell breaks in a normal peony pattern, the stars appear to burn out, only to reappear after a short delay.

COLOR TO FLASH:  Each colored stars ends with a short duration flash of brilliant white.

COLOR, TOURBILLIONS AND TITANIUM REPORT: Two-break sell, with a break of color and tourbillions followed by a heavy report.  See Tourbillions.

COLOR, WHISTLE AND REPORT:  An asymmentrical break of colored stars with multiple whistling or "screaming" serpents followed by a heavy report.

COMET:  A large ball of colored composition is fired directly from the mortar.  The effect is a straight brightly colored column of sparks. Also know as Stickles Rocket.

CRACKING:  The gold and silver stars crackle, or erupt into snaps, pops and flashes.

CROSSETTE:  Or split comet.  After a soft break, large comets start to fall through the sky.  Each comet then breaks with a sharp crack into smaller comets shooting in different directions crossing over themselves.

DAHLIA:  A break of large brightly colored stars.

DIADEM (OR CROWN):  A round brake of long tailed stars that hand in the sky for several seconds, often ending in color.  This effect resembles a diadem (or crown)  the colors representing the jewels.

DISCO LIGHTS:  Variegated color strobe stars.  See Strobe.

DRAGON EGGS:   See crackling.

FAN CAKE:  A barrage unit in which the mortar tubes are positioned on the base in a spreading fan pattern.  When fired the effects cover a large area of the sky.

FINALE:  String of shells fused together to fire rapidly in order from a rack of tubes (finale rack).

FISH:  Small inserts that dart out from the burst of the shells, like a school of minnows.  Available in several colors.

FLIGHTS:  String of shells fused together to fire rapidly in order from a rack of tubes (finale rack).

FLOATING LEAVES (FALLING LEAVES):  Long burning colored or crackling stars, which slowly float down from the burst of the shells.

GAMBOGE:  Refers to the reddish orange color tail left by a type of chrysanthemum shell.

GO-GETTER:  Brightly colored stars those are actually self-propelled, spreading out in a wide pattern from the burst.

GUN FIGHTING:  A brake of large bright red comets which all end in reports.

HEART PATTERN:  The colored stars form a heart pattern in the sky.  See also Shell.

KAMURO:  From the japeanese term for a boy's haircut.  Similar to a diadm, but the stars tell often contain metallic sparks.

METEOR (METEOR SHOWER):  A break of self propelled stars.

MINE:  All of the stars are ignited as they leave the mortar.  When multiple mines of the same type are fired at the same time from multiple locations, it can give the effect of a curtain or wall of that mine's effect.

OCTOPUS:  Small clusters of stars fly out in different directions from the center break.  This results in a shape that can resemble the arms of an octopus.

PALM TREE:  The trunk is the thick rising tail large stars leaving a spark tail in a palm pattern make the palm leaves.

PATTERN SHELL:  The colored stars arranged to form a pattern or the outline of an object when the shell bursts.  Available patterns include hearts, five pointed stars, rings and bow ties.

PEANUT SHELL:  Stacked and pasted together ball shells.  The outward appearance resembles a peanut shape.  When you fire a peanut shell, you actually launch two ball shells from a single mortar.

PEONY:  A hard, round break of colored stars without tails.  The stars may change color as they travel outward from the shell burst.

PISTILS:  Stars in the center of a chrysanthemum or peony break usually of a different color than the outer petals.

REPORT:  See salute.

SALUTE:  A brilliant  flash of light of a light followed by a thunderclap of noise bang!

SATURN RING:  A peony with a different colored ring surrounding it, resembling  the planet saturn and its rings.

SCATTERING:  (SHUTTLE,CRISS CROSS A TYPE OF SHELL)  After a short delay from the shell break, the shell inserts that are thrown out project only tow stars in opposite directions.  The stars travel at a great speed making this a dramatic effect.

SERPENT:  The serpents have silver tails and fly around in a random, wiggling pattern.

SHELLS OF SHELLS:  The break of this shell ignites many smaller shells inside.

SILVER WHISTLES TO REPORTS:  Silver-tailed screaming whistles squirm out in a ring, shape, then all end in a report

SPIDER:  A hard break of tailed stars, which radiate outward from the burst.  Available in gold or white.

SPIKE:  (SWISH) A type of star, usually tailed, that changes to a swimming or random movement towards the end of its trajectory.

STAR PATTERN:  The colored stars expand in the outline of a five-pointed star in the sky.

STROBE:  Extremely brilliant, the stars strobe or flash on and off as they fall.

SUNFLOWER PATTERN:  A saturn type break in which the ring is composed of color to brocade to color  stars.  See Saturn Ring.

THOUSAND OF CHRYSANTHEMUMS: Many small bursts of colored stars in a single shell.  See Shell of Shells.

THREE BREAK:  Three shells in one!  three timed breaks of different color or two breaks of color followed by a heavy report

THREE TIMES FLOWERS:  A special shell of shells effect.  The inside shells are grouped together in three separate timings.  The first  group of small shells break in red, followed by a group of white, the third group is blue.

THUNDER AND BLOSSOM:  A shell of shells break with small colored breaks appearing first, followed artillery.

TIGER TAIL:  A large ball of colored composition is fired directly from the mortar.  The effect is a straight, brightly colored column of fire. Can end in a shell burst.

TIMED REPORTS:  Loud reports fused to fire in succession.  In the american version, the finale report is usually a bottom shot.

TOURBILLIONS:  From the french term for whirlwind.  Silver sparked spinners in a ring shaped that all end in reports.

TRACER:  Similar to a go-getter, this star is self-propelled and moves in a swimming or random pattern.

TREASURE CHEST:  A asymmetrical break of very bright-variegated stars, mixed with gold flitter.

TWISTER:  A corkscrew of twisting star, usually silver tailed.

WALL OF FIRE:  A set of multiple tailed shells connected electrically to fire simultaneously giving the effect of a rising wall of gold or silver sparked comets.

WILLOW:  Its stars leave long filmy, gold sparked charcoal tails as they fall through the sky.  This long duration effects resemble a weeping willow's branches.


NOTE:  Weather conditions can and will affect the effects of the fireworks material and duration of the display.