The fair's meretricious entrance dazzled visitors with painted gold and imitation gems, encouraging them to admire its sparkle before noticing that the grand pillars were hollow cardboard tubes. (meretricious: flashy but shallow, tawdrily attractive, showy without substance) A stall devoted to kitsch offered musical castles, glittering kittens, and sunsets printed on velvet, which the collector found amusing until the seller described every piece as an ancient treasure. (kitsch: sentimental mass-market art, showy decorative objects, tacky ornament) Beside it stood a rococo mirror covered in curls and flourishes, its decoration so elaborate that the buyer could scarcely find a clear place to see her own reflection. (rococo: ornately elaborate, highly decorative, richly embellished) The seller promised an opulent appearance for any modest room, neglecting to mention that the mirror required a wall stronger than the one supporting his temporary display. (opulent: lavish, luxurious, sumptuous) His assistant continued to burnish a brass bowl, hoping its growing shine would distract visitors from the wobbling legs of the table on which it had been placed. (burnish: polish, make lustrous, buff)
The seller tried to beguile the collector with a story about a lost palace, adding so many attractive details that she began listening more closely rather than less critically. (beguile: charm, entice, captivate) A little chicanery became evident when the same certificate of authenticity appeared beneath three supposedly unique objects, each described as the only surviving example of its kind. (chicanery: trickery, deceptive maneuvering, sharp practice) The artful assistant explained that unique meant unique on that particular table, a definition that the collector declined to accept without first seeing how many tables the fair contained. (artful: cunning, crafty, deviously skillful) She decided not to dissemble her doubts, asking directly why a centuries-old royal inscription included a modern postal code and an address that belonged to a storage warehouse. (dissemble: conceal true feelings, mask intentions, hide one's motives) The seller then tried to foist a damaged vase on her as a complimentary gift, hoping that gratitude would prevent her from examining the printed label still attached to its base. (foist: impose deceptively, palm off, push unwanted goods on someone)
The signature on the vase was counterfeit, and its maker had copied the wrong painter's name, a mistake that even the assistant could not transform into an interesting historical mystery. (counterfeit: forged, fake, fraudulent imitation) An ersatz marble pedestal proved to be painted wood, which might have been perfectly useful had the seller offered it honestly instead of insisting that it came from a demolished temple. (ersatz: substitute, artificial, imitation) The purported royal owner changed with every question, moving between countries so quickly that the collector suggested a travel itinerary would be more helpful than another certificate. (purported: claimed, alleged, professed) A profligate customer nearby bought three decorative thrones without measuring his apartment, then asked whether the fair provided additional rooms for people who had exceeded their available floor space. (profligate: wastefully extravagant, reckless in spending, improvident) The rapacious dealer immediately offered to sell him a fourth throne at a special price, treating the lack of space as an opportunity for more business rather than a reason to stop. (rapacious: greedy, grasping, predatory)
At the smallest stall, a plain wooden box was presented as no paragon of craftsmanship, merely a sturdy object made by an apprentice who was still learning to join its corners. (paragon: model of excellence, exemplar, ideal example) That modest description began to garner attention, drawing visitors who were tired of being told that every inexpensive ornament had once belonged to someone impossibly wealthy or famous. (garner: gather, collect, earn) The apprentice refused to gouge the sudden crowd, keeping the original price while explaining both the box's useful features and the small flaw in its unfinished hinge. (gouge: overcharge, charge excessively, exploit through pricing) The neighboring dealer attempted to besmirch the apprentice's reputation, but his criticism only encouraged the collector to ask for another box as a gift for a practical friend. (besmirch: tarnish, disparage, sully a reputation) As the vainglorious seller delivered one last account of his international importance, the collector left with an honestly described box and the pleasant sensation of having bought something real. (vainglorious: boastful, vainly proud, self-important)