What Does a Pretty Girl Want With a Book on Black Magic?

via Frog Blog

Karma

"I pronounce the magic word [karma] like I'm presenting it for the first time to the Webster's dictionary committee to be considered for inclusion in their latest edition." —Jessica Brody, The Karma Club (2010)

Conjuring a Book

"There's something special about writing by hand, writing with a fountain pen, and there's something special about writing into a book, to take a blank book and turn it into an actual book. I guess there's a sort of superstitious or mystical aspect to it." —science fiction author Joe Haldeman, in an interview by Mitch Wagner

(Thanks, Gordon!)

Giggle-Gaggle-Goo

“The King placed the casket on a small table before him, and then, after a solemn look at the expectant faces, he said slowly: ‘Giggle-gaggle-goo!’ which was the magic word that opened the box. At once the lid flew back, and the King peered within and exclaimed: ‘Ha!’” —L. Frank Baum, The Surprising Adventures of the Magical Monarch of Mo (1903)

Flurr Ecke Ecke Ecke Ecke Ben Yan Bjorn

This magic phrase to transform anything into a toaster is from the television series “The Rottentrolls” (1998).

Crazzabelam

This is a magic word granting invisibility, as discussed in Writing Prompts by Justin McCory Martin (2001).

Cullen, Rayburn, Narz, Trebek

This is a spell that conjures zombies (actually names of game show hosts: Bill Cullen of To Tell the Truth, Gene Rayburn of Match Game, Jack Narz of Concentration, and Alex Trebek of Jeopardy), chanted by cartoon character Bart Simpson in the episode “Dial Z For Zombies” from The Simpsons television series.

Boohbah

This magic word, representing the power of imagination, is featured in the educational computer program “Boohbah” (2003) to stop action or make things happen.

Nikstlitselpmur

This is the name “Rumplestiltskin” spelled backwards, used as a magic word in the computer game “King’s Quest 1.”

Tasted Like Magic Words

Umberto Eco notes terms he encountered in the Nuovissimo Melzi, 1905 edition, that "tasted like magic words":

avolate, baccivorous, benzoin, cacodoxy, cerastes, crubble, dogmatics, glaver, grangerism, inadequation, lordkin, mulct, pasigraphy, postern, pulicious, sparble, speight, vespillo, Adrastus, Allobroges, Assur-Bani-Pal, Dongola, Kafiristan, Philopator, Richerus ...

(The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana, p. 111-112)