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Magic words are words which have a specific, and sometimes unintended, effect. They are often nonsense
Nonsense

Nonsense is a Linguistics or Writing which resembles a human language or other symbolic system, but in fact does not carry any identifiable meaning....
 phrases used in fantasy
Fantasy

Fantasy is a genre that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of Plot , Theme , and/or Setting . Fantasy is generally distinguished from science fiction and horror by the expectation that it steers clear of technological and macabre themes, respectively, though there is a great deal of overlap between the three ....
 fiction or by stage prestidigitators
Magic (illusion)

Magic is a performing art that entertains an audience by creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats, using purely natural means....
. Certain comic book
Comic book

A comic book is a magazine or book of narrative artwork and dialog and descriptive prose. The style was introduced in 1934. Despite the term, comic books do not necessarily feature humorous subject-matter; in fact, it is often serious and action-oriented....
 heroes use magic words to activate their super powers. Magic words are also used as Easter eggs or cheats in computer games, other software, and operating system
Operating system

An operating system is an interface between hardware and applications; it is responsible for the management and coordination of activities and the sharing of the limited resources of the computer....
s. (For example, the words xyzzy, plugh, and plover were magic words in the classic computer adventure game Colossal Cave Adventure
Colossal Cave Adventure

Colossal Cave Adventure was the first computer adventure game. It was originally designed by William Crowther, a programmer and spelunking enthusiast who based the layout on part of the Mammoth Cave National Park system in Kentucky....
).

ples of traditional magic words include:

Craig Conley, a scholar of magic, writes that the magic words used by conjurers may originate from "pseudo-Latin phrases, nonsense syllables, or esoteric terms from religious antiquity," but that what they have in common is "language as an instrument of creation."

Note that the television
Television

Television is a widely used telecommunication mass-media for transmitting and receiving moving , either monochrome or color, usually accompanied by sound....
 game show
Game show

A game show is a type of television program in which members of the public or celebrity, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving problems for money and/or prizes....
 You Bet Your Life
You Bet Your Life

You Bet Your Life is an United States radio and television quiz show. The first and most famous version was hosted by Groucho Marx, of Marx Brothers fame, with the unflappable announcer and assistant George Fenneman....
, hosted by Groucho Marx
Groucho Marx

Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx , was an American comedian and film star famed as a master of wit. He made 13 feature films with his siblings the Marx Brothers and also had a successful solo career, most notably as the host of the radio and television game shows You Bet Your Life and Tell it to Groucho....
 in the 1950s, used the term secret word, not magic word.






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Magic words are words which have a specific, and sometimes unintended, effect. They are often nonsense
Nonsense

Nonsense is a Linguistics or Writing which resembles a human language or other symbolic system, but in fact does not carry any identifiable meaning....
 phrases used in fantasy
Fantasy

Fantasy is a genre that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of Plot , Theme , and/or Setting . Fantasy is generally distinguished from science fiction and horror by the expectation that it steers clear of technological and macabre themes, respectively, though there is a great deal of overlap between the three ....
 fiction or by stage prestidigitators
Magic (illusion)

Magic is a performing art that entertains an audience by creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats, using purely natural means....
. Certain comic book
Comic book

A comic book is a magazine or book of narrative artwork and dialog and descriptive prose. The style was introduced in 1934. Despite the term, comic books do not necessarily feature humorous subject-matter; in fact, it is often serious and action-oriented....
 heroes use magic words to activate their super powers. Magic words are also used as Easter eggs or cheats in computer games, other software, and operating system
Operating system

An operating system is an interface between hardware and applications; it is responsible for the management and coordination of activities and the sharing of the limited resources of the computer....
s. (For example, the words xyzzy, plugh, and plover were magic words in the classic computer adventure game Colossal Cave Adventure
Colossal Cave Adventure

Colossal Cave Adventure was the first computer adventure game. It was originally designed by William Crowther, a programmer and spelunking enthusiast who based the layout on part of the Mammoth Cave National Park system in Kentucky....
).

Invocations of magic

Examples of traditional magic words include:
  • Abracadabra
    Abracadabra

    Abracadabra is a word used as an incantation....
     - prototypical magic word used by magicians.
  • Alla Peanut Butter Sandwiches-used by The Amazing Mumford on Sesame Street
    Sesame Street

    Sesame Street is an Television in the United States educational children's television series and a pioneer of the contemporary educational television standard, combining both edutainment....
    .
  • Alakazam
  • Cei-u used by the DC Comics
    DC Comics

    DC Comics is one of the largest and most popular American comic book and related media companies, along with Marvel Comics. A subsidiary of Warner Bros....
     superhero, Johnny Thunder
    Johnny Thunder

    Johnny Thunder is the name of three fictional characters in comics published by DC Comics. A fourth character has the variant name Jonni Thunder....
    , to summon his magical genie-like Thunderbolt.
  • Hocus pocus
    Hocus Pocus (magic)

    Hocus Pocus or hocus-pocus is a generic term used by Magician , usually the magic words spoken when bringing about some sort of change. It was once a common term for a magician, juggler, or other similar entertainer....
     - a phrase used by magicians.
  • Klaatu barada nikto
    Klaatu barada nikto

    "Klaatu barada nikto" is a phrase originating from the science fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still . "Klaatu " is the name of the humanoid alien protagonist in the film....
     - A phrase used in the 1951 movie The Day The Earth Stood Still. While not intended as magical words in that movie, they were used as such in the spoof horror movie Army of Darkness
    Army of Darkness

    Army of Darkness is an Cinema of the United States comedy horror / adventure film, released in 1993 in film. This movie is rated R and is a sequel to The Evil Dead and Evil Dead II....
    .
  • Open sesame
    Open Sesame

    Open Sesame is a children's television series composed solely of the skits and segments of the legendary American television series Sesame Street....
     - used by the character Ali Baba
    Ali Baba

    Ali Baba is a fictional character based in Ancient Arabia. He is described in the adventure tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. Some critics believe that this story was added to One Thousand and One Nights by one of its European translators, Antoine Galland, an 18th-century France orientalist who may have heard it in oral form f...
     in the English
    English language

    English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
     version of a tale from the collection popularly known as 1001 Arabian Nights.
  • Presto chango or Hey Presto - used by magicians (probably intended to suggest "quick change").
  • Sim Sala Bim
    Sim Sala Bim

    Sim Sala Bim may be:* A magical phrase used by Harry August Jansen* A 1940's musicalReferencesSee also*Sim sim sala bim...
     a phrase used by Harry August Jansen. Sim Sim Sala Bim" are the magic words said by Hadji on the shows The Adventures of Jonny Quest and The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
    The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest

    The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest is an animated action-adventure television series produced by Cartoon Network Studios and broadcast on Cartoon Network from August 26, 1996 to April 16, 1997....
    . A musical group is called Simsalabim
    Simsalabim

    Simsalabim is the second album by stoner rock quartet The Mushroom River Band. It was released in 2002 and contains ten tracks....
    .
  • Shazam
    Shazam (comics)

    Shazam is a comic book character created by Bill Parker and C. C. Beck for Fawcett Comics. He is an ancient Magician who gives young Billy Batson the power to transform into the superhero Captain Marvel ....
     - used by the comic book hero Captain Marvel
    Captain Marvel (DC Comics)

    Captain Marvel is a Fictional character comic book superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics. Created in 1939 by artist C....
    .
  • Izzy wizzy, let's get busy - Used on The Sooty Show
    Sooty

    Sooty is a United Kingdom glove puppet and TV character popular in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and other countries. The children's television show which bears the same name and has featured the character since the 1950s was, according to the Guinness Book of Records, the longest-running children's programme in the UK....
     when using Sooty's magic wand
    Wand

    A wand is a thin, straight, hand-held stick of wood, ivory, or metal. Generally, in modern language, wands are ceremonial and/or have associations with Magic but there have been other uses, all stemming from the original meaning as a synonym of rod and virge, both of which had a similar development....
    .
  • ole ole oxen free - used to reset Hide-and-seek game.
  • ba ram ewe - used by lead character Babe (film)
    Babe (film)

    Babe is a 1995 in film Academy Award winning Australian film that tells the story of a pig who wants to be a sheep dog. The main animal characters are played by a combination of real and Audio-Animatronics pigs and Border Collies....
    .


Craig Conley, a scholar of magic, writes that the magic words used by conjurers may originate from "pseudo-Latin phrases, nonsense syllables, or esoteric terms from religious antiquity," but that what they have in common is "language as an instrument of creation."

Note that the television
Television

Television is a widely used telecommunication mass-media for transmitting and receiving moving , either monochrome or color, usually accompanied by sound....
 game show
Game show

A game show is a type of television program in which members of the public or celebrity, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving problems for money and/or prizes....
 You Bet Your Life
You Bet Your Life

You Bet Your Life is an United States radio and television quiz show. The first and most famous version was hosted by Groucho Marx, of Marx Brothers fame, with the unflappable announcer and assistant George Fenneman....
, hosted by Groucho Marx
Groucho Marx

Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx , was an American comedian and film star famed as a master of wit. He made 13 feature films with his siblings the Marx Brothers and also had a successful solo career, most notably as the host of the radio and television game shows You Bet Your Life and Tell it to Groucho....
 in the 1950s, used the term secret word, not magic word. ("Say the secret word and win a prize!")

Magic words in technology


Software like MediaWiki
MediaWiki

MediaWiki is a World Wide Web wiki software application used by all projects of the Wikimedia Foundation, all wikis hosted by Wikia, and many other wikis, including some of the largest and most popular ones....
 uses "magic words" to make system information available to templates and editors, such as , which displays the server time: , see Help:Magic words.

Hexadecimal "words"
Hexspeak

Hexspeak, like leetspeak, is a novelty form of variant English language spelling.Hexspeak was created by programmers who wanted a magic number , a clear and unique identifier with which to mark memory or data....
 used in byte code to identify a specific file or data format are known as magic number
Magic number (programming)

In computer programming, the term magic number has multiple meanings. It could refer to one or more of the following:* a constant used to identify a file format or protocol;...
s.

Manners


The term magic word may also refer to the word please when used by adults to teach children manners
Manners

In sociology, manners are the unenforced standards of conduct which show the actor to be cultured, polite, and refined....
:

"Gimme ketchup!"
"What's the magic word?"
"Sorry. May I have some ketchup, please?"


The reason why the word please has seemingly magical powers is because it expresses respect
Respect

Respect is esteem for, or a sense of the worth or excellence of, a person, a personal quality, ability, or a manifestation of a personal quality or ability....
 for the person's freedom of choice
Free will

The question of free will is whether, and in what sense, rational agents exercise control over their actions and decisions. Addressing this question requires understanding the relationship between freedom and Causality, and determining whether the laws of nature are causally deterministic....
. This single word changes an imperative order into a conditional request, concisely communicating "Do as I say, if it pleases you."

The "magic" is a result of simple psychology
Psychology

Psychology is an academic and applied science discipline involving the science study of human mental functions and behavior. Occasionally it also relies on symbolic hermeneutics and critical theory, although these traditions are less pronounced than in other social sciences such as sociology....
, because when a person feels respected they are much more likely to choose a harmonious
Harmony

In Western music, harmony is the use of different pitches simultaneously, and chord s, actual or implied, in music. The word is related to the word "harmonic" which implies related wavelengths of waves....
 response.

In the Addams Family
The Addams Family (film)

The Addams Family is a 1991 in film black comedy film based on the characters, The Addams Family, created by cartoonist Charles Addams, featuring songs and a video from rap artist MC_Hammer ....
 films, the "magic word" is Now!

See also

  • true name
    True name

    A true name is a name of a thing or being that expresses, or is somehow identical with, its true nature. The notion that language, or some specific sacred language, refers to things by their true names has been central to magic , religious invocation and mysticism since antiquity....