AMBITIOUS CARD A classic routine wherein a signed card rises to the top of the deck after being placed in the middle. It was an Ambitious Card effect that fooled Houdini.
ASCANIO SPREAD A method for showing five cards as four.
BACK FINGER CLIP The concealment of an object, usually a card or coin, at the back of the hand, clipped between the index and second fingers.
BACK PALM The concealment of an object at the back of the hand, gripped between the index finger and pinkie.
BLIND SHUFFLE A false shuffle that leaves the order of the cards unchanged.
BOOK TEST A classic of mentalism in which the magician divines a word or phrase randomly selected from a book.
BOTTOM (OR BASE) DEAL A trick deal in which the bottom card is dealt instead of the top card.
BREAK A gap secretly held in the deck to mark the location of one or more cards.
CARD CONTROL Any of a number of sleights for moving a card to a desired position in the deck.
CHARLIER CUT A one-handed cut.
CLASSIC PALM The fundamental concealment in coin magic; the coin is held between the muscles at the base of the thumb and little finger.
CLASSIC PASS The rapid transposition of two halves of a deck. It’s done by pivoting the top half under the bottom with the middle and ring fingers.
CLOSE-UP MAGIC Magic performed at short range, in an intimate setting, with small props.
COLOR CHANGE The visual transformation of one card into another.
COOLER/COLD DECK A presequenced deck of cards secretly switched into play during a game or routine.
CULL A move used to isolate and control individual cards during a shuffle or spread.
CUPS AND BALLS An ancient effect in which three balls transpose, multiply, vanish, and reappear beneath the mouths of three cups. A typical cups-and-balls routine uses three wide-mouthed, stackable cups. The balls vanish and reappear under the mouths of the cups, penetrate the solid bottoms, and at the climax, large objects called jumbo loads are usually produced: lemons, giant balls, live animals. There are hundreds of variations, and most magicians know at least one.
DOUBLE LIFT A sleight for turning over two cards as if they were a single card.
EGG BAG A gimmicked bag used to vanish objects, including but not limited to eggs.
ELMSLEY COUNT A false count used to conceal one or more cards in a packet.
FARO SHUFFLE A shuffle in which the deck is cut exactly in half and the cards are perfectly interwoven.
FLASH An accidental revelation.
FLASH PAPER Sheets of paper, made from nitrocellulose, that flash brightly when ignited and leave no ash.
FLOURISH An embellishment, e.g., a coin roll or card fan.
FORCE A choice controlled by the magician.
GAFF 1. (n.) A gimmick.
2. (adj.) Gimmicked.
HAND MUCKING A method of cheating at cards in which the cards one has been dealt are switched for cards secretly removed from play earlier in the game.
LAP To drop an object into the lap while seated.
L’HOMME MASQUE LOAD A move in which a coin is secretly transfered from one hand to the other by means of a waving motion.
LOAD 1. (n.) An object to be produced. A jumbo load is an especially large object, usually produced as a finale.
2. (v.) To place a load in a desired location by secret means.
MANIPULATION (MANIP) A mix of flourishes, vanishes, and changes usually performed with cards, coins, or balls.
MATRIX/COIN ASSEMBLY An effect wherein four coins placed at the four corners of a mat or cloth magically assemble at a single corner.
MENTALISM A branch of magic that simulates telepathy, telekinesis, and other psychic acts.
MIDDLE DEAL A trick deal in which a card from the middle of the deck is dealt instead of the top card.
OUT An alternative ending to a trick gone awry.
PALM Any of a number of sleights for concealing objects in the hand.
PK (PSYCHOKINESIS) A branch of mentalism that involves psychically bending and moving objects, especially cutlery, keys, watch dials, and coins.
RETENTION PASS A false transfer that exploits an intrinsic lag in the brain’s visual frame rate known as persistence of vision. To perform a retention pass, pinch a coin at its extreme edge between the thumb and first finger of your right hand and place it openly in your left palm without letting go. Begin to close the fingers of the left hand. The instant the coin is out of sight, extend the last three digits of your right hand and secretly retract the coin. The left hand makes a fist while the right casually palms the coin and drops to the side. When done convincingly, the viewer actually sees the coin in the left palm for a split second after the hands separate. Magicians call this getting a good burn.
RIFFLE SHUFFLE A common shuffle wherein the cards are cut into two stacks of roughly equal size that are then riffled together.
SECOND DEAL A trick deal in which the second card from the top is dealt instead of the top card.
SPIRIT HAND A fake hand used as cover for behind-the-scenes work.
SPREAD PASS A move for transposing the two halves of a deck in the act of spreading the cards.
STACK A prearranged deck of cards.
STAGE MAGIC Magic that typically involves large illusions and props performed in a theater.
STOOGE An audience member who is in league with the magician.
STREET MAGIC A style of close-up magic popularized by David Blaine in which the magician wows random spectators in public.
SUBTLETY/ACQUITMENT A false display, e.g., showing the hands as empty while palming a coin or card.
SWAMI GIMMICK A secret writing implement used to simulate precognition.
TALKING Unwanted noisemaking by props, especially coins.
TENKAI PALM A palm in which a coin or card is held parallel to the floor against the palm by the curled tip of the thumb.
THUMB PALM A palm in which a coin is clipped edgewise in the fork of the thumb.
THUMB TIP A fake thumb used to conceal small objects.
TOPIT A hidden pouch sewn into the lining of a coat.
TOSSED-OUT DECK A classic of mental magic wherein the magician divines the names of several cards selected from a deck that has been tossed out in the audience.
XCM (EXTREME CARD MANIPULATION) A form of modern card artistry characterized by exotic and technically demanding flourishes. XCM is often likened to juggling with a deck of cards.
ZARROW SHUFFLE A blind on-the-table riffle shuffle.