Trojan, Ramses, Magnum, Sheik

This is a spell to get rid of zombies (actually names of condom brands), chanted by cartoon character Bart Simpson in the episode “Dial Z For Zombies” of The Simpsons television series.

Until

“[T]hat is really the magic word—‘until.’ There is nothing that is impossible for the man or woman who says, ‘I will not quit until I succeed.’ And the good news is that we were all born with this ‘never say die’ spirit.” —Eric Aronson, Dash (2003)

Molly Molly Hung

“On July 17, 2004 over 500 spectators were treated to a special show in Hong Kong and shouted out the magic word, ‘Molly, Molly Hung.’ What, haven’t you used this magic word before in your show? It means ‘Abracadabra’ in Cantonese.” —Amadeo Swiss, “Fantasma Open up Magic Venue in Hong Kong” (2004)

From Thin Air ... But Thick With Words

"She is a magician, a messenger, conjuring her spirits out of breath, from air. 'From thin air' comes the whisper in your ear. But it is not thin at all, but thick with words rising around you, towers so tall they have no turrets but stretch ever into the sky; forests so dense and deep their pale inhabitants believe the sun to be a myth, and live their lives in a canopy of limelight, a world ever painted green." —Myrlin A. Hermes, The Lunatic, the Lover, and the Poet (2010)

What Does "Magician" Really Mean?

In a world where everything from floor wax to handheld computers is described as being magical, what does being a magician really mean? Gordon Meyer, a long-time magician and trained sociologist, answers that question by turning to the worldwide id known as Twitter. His collection of one hundred carefully curated quips about conjuring is funny, surprising, insightful, and sometimes just plain odd.

Aalacho

Meanings: The “eleventh hour” is a figure of speech referring to a decisive moment at hand.

Origins: Aalacho is a name that appears in the Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis or The Lesser Key of Solomon (17th century). It means the eleventh hour of the night.

The Magic of Encoded Meaning

"I don't really know why I like letters, by which I mean characters by which language is written down, because we really don't know why we like anything. To say I like letters would force me to say because I like the mystical way in which humans created written language so that meaningless signs could be meaningful. But to say that is to raise the question why I like the magic of encoded meaning., and the questions just come again." —Geof Huth