to glowstick

A scene in an old Criminal Minds show, caught this morning on tv: college kids on spring break on South Padre Island, dancing with glow sticks:

A glow stick is a self-contained, short-term light-source. It consists of a translucent plastic tube containing isolated substances that, when combined, make light through chemiluminescence, so it does not require an external energy source. The light cannot be turned off, and can be used only once. Glow sticks are often used for recreation, but may also be relied upon for light during military, police, fire, or EMS operations. (Wikipedia link)

The compound glow stick (or glowstick) has been verbed, with a full range of uses for the verb. A BSE form, in an infinitive:

But since I can’t dance to save my life, I’d rather be able to glowstick if at all possible. (link)

The finite form PST:

Unfortunately, Rodaner, Tech-support, and Stonddezujazz attended the meet up but did not get filmed when they glowsticked. (link) Remember I mentioned I glowsticked at Entropy? (link)

And a PRP form in a progressive (with, as a bonus, the derived agentive noun glowsticker, in the abbreviated variant gscer):

i was hoping that when we were glowsticking earlier, we’d attract some fellow gscers but …no. (link)

But by far the most common form is the PRP functioning as a nominal, as in this continuation of the Wikipedia piece:

Glowsticking is the use of glow sticks in dancing. This is one of their most widely known uses in popular culture, as they are frequently used for entertainment …, at parties (in particular raves), concerts, and dance clubs. They are used by marching band conductors for evening performances; glow sticks are also used in festivals and celebrations around the world. Glow sticks also serve multiple functions as toys, readily visible night-time warnings to motorists, and luminous markings that enable parents to keep track of their children. Yet another use is for balloon-carried light effects. Glow sticks are also used to create special effects in low light photography and film.

A brief elementary glowsticking tutorial from YouTubecan be seen here. On how glowsticks work (from the Wikipedia article):

Glow sticks give off light when two chemicals are mixed. The sticks consist of a tiny, brittle container within a flexible outside container. Each container holds a different solution. When the outer container is flexed, the inner container breaks, allowing the solutions to combine, causing the necessary chemical reaction. After breaking, the tube is shaken to thoroughly mix the two components.

(The earliest patents date to the mid-1960s.)

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