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A GLOSSARY OF FREQUENTLY
MISUNDERSTOOD MAGICAL TERMS
By Tim Ellis & Christof!!
(Reproduced from Ellis & Webster's
lecture notes "Ellis in Wonderland".)
PATTER:
v. Polite applause from your relatives.
SILENT ACT:
n. An act without patter.
MENTALISM:
n. A predictable act.
ILLUSIONS:
n. Thinking that you are entertaining.
SLEIGHT OF HAND:
adj. Having small hands. "Digitally challenged".
MAGICIAN'S CHOICE:
n. Get a real job or continue to be a bankrupt outcast.
MISER'S DREAM:
v. The fantasy that you can go another year without buying a
new costume.
SPRING FLOWERS:
v. Pieces of paper that look more like springs than flowers.
AFGHAN BANDS:
n. Groups of musical dogs.
GUNG HO SILK BOX:
n. An enthusiastically performed silk box.
DOVE PAN:
n. A device used for cooking birds.
ZOMBIE BALL:
n. The Magic Club's annual dinner dance.
SUCKER TRICK:
n. Any trick purchased by mail.
ELECTRIC DECK:
n. A battery operated device for lonely magicians.
BLINDFOLD:
n. Something you can see through.
SPIRIT SLATES:
n. The tab kept at the bar at a Magic Convention.
PRESTIDIGITATION:
n. The uncontrollable fidgeting that takes over the audience
two minutes into a magic convention gala show and continues for the
next seven hours.
MENTAL EPIC:
n. Trying to work out exactly what percentage of your fee
your agent has actually taken.
SUB TRUNK:
n. The area below your torso.
HEAD CHOPPER:
v. The person in charge of the swords.
ZIG ZAG:
med. A spinal condition peculiar to illusionists assistants.
MISDIRECTION:
v. Following an agent's instructions on how to get to a gig.
KID'S PARTIES:
v. Getting paid $80 to do something that even the parents,
who love their child very, very much, aren't prepared to do.
SERVANTE:
n. Term used by the booker to describe the magician she has
hired to 'entertain' the kiddies.
PACK: n. Term used by the magician to describe the audience at a
children's party.
BREAKAWAY:
n. A small child who wanders into the middle of your show -
and suddenly has no parents.
FRENCH DROP:
v. Wrestling move used to control children.
PALM: n. Part of the hand used to stun a child before executing the
French Drop.
BOBO SWITCH:
Aust. Sending another clown to a party when you've got a
better paying gig.
GLIMPSE:
n. Sneaking a look at your watch after every trick to see how
long you have to continue.
DOUBLE FACE:
v. All your friends in the magic fraternity.
DOUBLE BACK:
n. What you need to hold the knives if you have a lot of
friends.
GAFF: coll. The tape that holds all your props together.
BOTTOM DEAL:
n. A novel way of distributing the cards without using your
hands.
BICYCLE CARDS:
v. The things that go in your spokes to make that really cool
motorbike sound.
MARKED CARDS:
v. Damaged cards at cheaper prices.
THE PASS:
Aust. Chatting someone up after the show.
ELMSLEY COUNT:
n. A technique of giving change at a magic shop.
PROPS: n. Used to hold up old magicians.
FLASH PAPER:
v. Fancy letterhead.
SEMI PROFESSIONAL:
n. A truck driver.
By Tim
Ellis & Christof!!
Addendum - Courtesy of 'Australian Magic Monthly' April 1992
BLINDFOLD EFFECTS:
n. Magic you can do with your eyes shut. (See:
'Self-Working')
BOOK TESTS:
n. Attempting to perform a trick while reading the
instructions.
BREAKAWAY PROPS:
n. Tables, Square Circles, Milk Jugs... anything bought by
mail order.
DITCH: n. What magicians would like to crawl into when using
'Breakaway Props'.
FLIES: n. What Copperfield does, but most of us leave undone.
HOUSE CURTAIN:
n. The curtain at home you take publicity shots in front of.
LAYMAN:
n. A good lover.
MAGICIAN'S WAX:
n. A substance found in magician's ears when the conversation
drifts away from themselves.
PASSE PASSE:
n. Most magicians' patter.
PULL: v. Most magicians have one on stage.
SELF WORKING EFFECT:
n. A term used by dealers to fool magicians into buying a
trick. Most 'self working effects' are way too difficult for
the majority of magicians anyway. (NB: The author of 'The Expert At
The Card Table' was S. W. Erdnase. "Self Working"?)
SHELL: n. A hollow imitation of the real thing. (See: 'Joe Labero').
SIGHTLINES:
n. How much of the audience you can see when you put your
hand above your eyes like a salute and peer out at them.
STOOGE:
n. An assistant you train to pretend to be a 'volunteer' who,
once on stage, behaves like Larry, Curly or Moe.
STRIPPERS:
n. The next step down on the entertainment ladder below
magicians.
Article © Magic Unlimited 2000 |
