Sex and the city: The A-Z guide

THE wait is almost over – after four years, Sex And The City: The Movie hits the cinema
screens next week. Time to take Emma Cowing's refresher course on the finer details

A AIDAN SHAW Furniture designer who became the almost Mr Bradshaw. Kind, loving, utterly gorgeous and just a little bit boring.

ALCOHOL A constant friend to all the girls, usually served in a cocktail glass.

ALEKSANDR PETROVSKY Wooed Carrie with Russian romance and black cherries, whisked her to Paris then promptly ignored her, except for that slap. No wonder Big was cross.

ANTHONY MARENTINO Charlotte's GBF (see under G). The bitchiest wedding planner on the Upper East Side and sworn enemy of Stanford.

B BABIES A divisive subject among the girls. Miranda's got one, Charlotte's been trying for one for years, Carrie can't decide if she wants one and Samantha wouldn't thank you for one.

BERGER Carrie's ex. The bad sex, the sound machine, his horror at the price of a shirt from Prada… Was never going to be the right man for Carrie, a fact proved when he broke up with her "ON A POST-IT".

BRADY Miranda's son. "Just think of this as a big purse," Miranda pleaded at a post-birth brunch with the girls. A purse that persuaded devoted Manhattanite Miranda to move to Brooklyn, and reveal a softer side.

C CANDACE BUSHNELL Without her, it would never have been made. Unthinkable now.

CARRIE The undisputed queen of SATC. If Carrie wore it, we wanted it. If she drank it, we ordered it. If she said it, we repeated it. We were always on her side, buoyed by the fact that, as the ultimate girl's girl, she would be on our side, too.

CHARLOTTE YORK The eternal optimist, the wide eyed WASP from the Upper East Side who always believed in true love, even whilst going through a divorce. Idolised Elizabeth Taylor.

COCKTAILS From a ruby to a dirty martini, an ideal accessory for drinking, posing, or throwing in a man's face.

D DARREN STAR Bought the rights to Bushnell's columns for $50,000 and turned them into the TV series we know and love. Produced the SATC movie.

DESIGNERS On first-name terms with the girls, if their prodigious spending habits were to be believed. Favourites include Miuccia Prada, Manolo Blahnik and Jimmy Choo.

DOGS Animals which should be kept on a lead and away from shoe cupboards, and may, upon occasion, be renamed Elizabeth Taylor.

E EX-FILES In a relationship, the time when you tell the new partner about the old ones. Dangerous ground, particularly if they're still leaving messages on the answering machine.

F "FABULOUS!" Samantha says it best, but for all the girls it's a mantra.

FASHIONISTA The dictionary definition of Carrie Bradshaw.

G GAY BEST FRIENDS There to give catty advice and buy pretzels. Should be kept apart from each other at all costs.

G-SPOT A popular downtown location.

H HAIRDOS Adaptable. Carrie's curls, Charlotte's updos, Miranda's pageboy and Samantha's L'il Kim wig – hair comes second only to the girls' outfits.

HANDBAGS For carrying items your boyfriend won't let you keep at his place. Also used as a fashion statement, even if it means using Lucy Liu's name to get one.

HARRY GOLDENBLATT Short, bald lawyer with a tendency to wander around naked. Who'd have predicted he would give everyone's favourite Upper East Side Princess, Charlotte, not the perfect wedding, but the perfect marriage?

I "I COULDN'T HELP BUT WONDER…" Advance warning that the schmalzy bit in the episode is coming up.

IN-LAWS Mostly avoided (and with good cause, just look at Bunny), although special mention goes to Steve's beer-drinking mother Mary. Sample quote (while regarding her new grandson]: "He's a cute f****** Catholic".

J JIMMY CHOOS A coveted item.

JOHN JAMES PRESTON Big's real name. Yes, really.

JUDAISM

A prerequisite of marrying Harry that involves giving up Christmas and plaiting the Challah while your friends try not to snigger.

K KINKINESS A Samantha Jones speciality (she's even injured herself in pursuit of the cause), although not limited to her. From dressing up like a man (Charlotte) to being asked to take part in some "watersports" (Carrie), all the girls investigated their kinky side.

KRISPY KREMES A doughnut that can turn even the most dedicated Weight Watcher into a drooling (and horny) imbecile.

L LAPTOPS Another Carrie accessory, although she never did work out how to use the e-mail

LESBIANS Briefly of interest to Samantha, while Charlotte thought they made great friends, until they asked her to 'commit' to 'the cause'.

LIMOUSINES Driven by Raoul, often containing Big, and frequently the scene of an argument.

LOVE What you only truly find with 'the One'.

M MANOLO BLAHNIK God of shoes.

MASTURBATION Frequently discussed activity.

"MEANWHILE…" Usually indicates a sex scene is coming up.

MIRANDA Flame-haired, hard-nosed lawyer whose unconventional relationship with a bartender and eventual pregnancy resulted in her being the first of the girls to fully embrace family life.

N NEW YORK CITY Perhaps Carrie's greatest love of all. The city that put sex in Sex and the City.

O IS FOR ORGASM Usually occur several times an episode, and are discussed at length. Once lost, temporarily, by Samantha.

P PARIS Rival city that competed for Carrie's love but ultimately landed her in la merde.

PATRICIA FIELD Quirky stylist to the show. Responsible for a few frock horrors as well as some of the decade's most coveted outfits.

PENISES Popular, if unpredictable, plaything. Come in all shapes, sizes and, as Samantha once found out, flavours.

Q QUEENS (OF THE BITCHY VARIETY) Found in fashion circles, gay clubs, and the decorating committee of the Gay Prom.

R RABBIT Contraption that turned the public image of the vibrator from seedy to sexy. Best hidden from cleaning ladies.

RICHARD WRIGHT Smooth, rich hotelier with commitment issues. Breaks Samantha's heart – although she bounces back soon enough.

S SAMANTHA JONES Tough-talking PR and sexual predator, a legend in New York social circles who'll try anything, from lesbianism to sex in a swing, at least once. Also an incredibly loyal friend with a heart made of pure Tiffany gold.

SHOES An integral part of the SATC woman's armour. Should be appropriately fawned over whether on feet or in shop windows. Usually cost the same as the monthly rent.

SMITH JERROD (above) The out-of-work actor and Absolut hunk who tames Samantha and nurses her through her cancer, despite his youth and naivety.

STANFORD Carrie's GBF (see under G]. Penfold a-like who adores Carrie and co, and hates Anthony. Ends up with Marcus, a Broadway dancer he met in line at Starbucks.

STEVE BRADY The bartender with the cute smile and the specs who, from their very first date, convinces Miranda to believe there are good guys out there after all. Father of baby Brady.

T TREY MCDOUGALL Charlotte's first husband. Meant well, but retained disturbing hang-ups concerning sex, his mother, and the issue of children. Prone to saying "Alrighty".

U UPPER EAST SIDE Charlotte's favourite stomping ground.

V VIAGRA Beloved of older lovers who say things like "all cats look the same in the dark".

VOGUE Edited by the terrifying Enid Frick and home to the world's most wonderful accessories closet. Not a good place to get drunk.

W WEDDINGS Hit-and-miss affairs. From Charlotte's 'perfect' white wedding to Trey to Miranda's low-key ceremony in a local park they tend to be highly emotional, and more about the girls' friendships than the men they are marrying.

X-RATED SEX SCENES Conducted by all the characters except Carrie, SATC's sex scenes helped bring down barriers about what was acceptable on TV.

Y 'YES! YES! YES!' Samantha's other mantra.

Z ZIPPERS (UNDONE) Hazard of the dating trade. All four of the girls were cheated on at least once during the series.