A Glossary Of Magical Terms
If you want to perform magic like a pro and learn faster, then one way which will make it a lot easier is to learn the slang terms that are used by professionals. Often the same moves appear in a lot of different tricks, and knowing how to do one unlocks a bunch of others that you will be able to do just as easily. Some useful slang terms follow.
Gimmick: A word we know already, which we use to refer to anything flashy which attracts the attention of fad junkies. In magic, it refers to a prop which takes the audience's attention in a direction which allows the trick to be completed.
Misdirection: This is one of the trickier parts of the act, in that it makes the audience look away from what you are doing so that you can complete a secret move. It gives you just moments in which to carry out the move, so you need to be quick with it.
Patter: This is your stage commentary. Silently performing tricks will only ever work if the tricks themselves are quite brilliant. If you can tell a few jokes or a story while running through the tricks, it will keep the audience's attention and may help you misdirect, too.
Palming: The key to sleight of hand. You need to be able to hide an object in your hand ready for movement into their sight at the completion of a trick. The real trick here is in palming an object while making it look as if you are holding your hand perfectly normally.