magicn.
/ˈmadʒɪk/, U.S. /ˈmædʒɪk/ 1.
a. The use of ritual activities or observances which are intended to influence the course of events or to manipulate the natural world, usually involving the use of an occult or secret body of knowledge; sorcery, witchcraft. Also: this practice as a subject of study.The relationships between magic, religion, and science are central to the history of the term in English. In the Judaeo-Christian tradition, magic, and esp. conjuration, are regarded as falling outside the province of religion proper. However, those areas of magic which stemmed from the Hermetic and Neoplatonic traditions were widely regarded in the medieval and early modern periods as legitimate and necessary fields of enquiry, as was much of the field of ‘natural magic’ (see sense 1b). Subsequently, with the spread of rationalistic and scientific explanations of the natural world in the West, the status of magic has declined.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > the occult > sorcery, witchcraft, or magic > [noun]
wielingeOE
wielOE
craftOE
witchcraftOE
witchdomOE
telingc1230
demerlaykc1275
dweomercraeftc1275
sorcerya1300
magicc1387
maleficec1390
jugglerya1400
precination1503
witchery1546
maleficiousness1547
prestigiation?c1550
wizardry1583
magie1592
dark art1613
prestigion1635
conjurement1645
magomancy1652
wizardism1682
thaumaturgy1727
warlockry1818
witchwork1827
brujería1838
wizardship1882
trolldom1891
mojo1923
pixie dust1951
witchering1956
old religion1964
c1387–95 G. Chaucer Canterbury Tales Prol. 416 He kepte his pacient a ful greet deel In houres by his magik natureel.
c1390 G. Chaucer Man of Law's Tale 214 They speken of magyk and abusioun.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) vi. 1333 Magique he useth forto winne His love.
1447 O. Bokenham Lives of Saints (Arun.) (1938) 9340 The myht of malgyk or enchauntement.
1490 W. Caxton tr. Eneydos xxiv. 88 She inuoqued..the moder of magyque in her triple proporcyon.
1509 S. Hawes Pastime of Pleasure (1845) xxxvi. 189 My swerde..set with magykes arte.
1569 Bp. J. Parkhurst Injunct. Articles to be inquired of ⁋29 Whether ye know any that vse any sorcerie Inchantments, Magika [etc.].
1581 N. Burne Disput. Headdis of Relig. xxii. f. 102v As for the practeis of magict I micht obiect vnto you Willox, quhais sone raised the deuil.
a1593 C. Marlowe Tragicall Hist. Faustus (1604) sig. A2v Nothing so sweete as magicke is to him.
1642 T. Fuller Holy State ii. x. 89 When they cannot flie up to heaven to make it a Miracle, they fetch it from hell to make it Magick.
1727 D. Defoe Syst. Magick i. i. 33 There is a manifest difference between Magick, which is Wisdom and supernatural Knowledge, and the Witchery and Conjuring by which we now understand the Word.
1781 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall II. xxiii. 368 The arts of magic and divination were strictly prohibited.
1867 W. W. Smyth Treat. Coal & Coal-mining 194 It is like an effect of magic to pass, with the safety-lamp in hand, into a fiery stall.
1884 H. Jennings Phallicism ii. 8 Magic, which means the unnatural interference with nature.
1938 R. G. Collingwood Princ. Art iv. 67 ‘Savages’ believe, or seem to believe, that magic can do things which we ‘civilized’ men believe to be impossible, like making rain or stopping earthquakes.
1949 M. Mead Male & Female i. 7 In some societies it is girls for whom parents must collect a dowry or make husband-catching magic.
1968 Brit. Jrnl. Psychiatry 114 967/2 In order to make the menstrual blood effective, two words..are spoken, in which no difference is made between Christ and a Demon. It is merely a question of forces, which can be employed in magic.
1990 CrazyQuilt Winter 14/2 Many of our groups work magick. Magick is ‘the art of changing consciousness at will’.
b. With defining adjective. natural magic n. (also †magic natural) historical magic involving the manipulation of supposed occult properties of the natural world (usually excluding the conjuration of personal spirits); this skill as a subject of study.black magic: see black adj. 8. white magic: see white adj. 7b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > the occult > sorcery, witchcraft, or magic > [noun] > white or natural magic
natural magicc1425
theurgy1569
white magic1614
c1387-95Magik natureel [see sense 1a].
c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) ii. 6762 (MED) Musing wher it [sc. a tree] wer artificial, Erect, or set by magik natural Or by engyne of werkmen corious.
c1450 (c1380) G. Chaucer House of Fame 1266 Clerkes eke, which konne wel Al this magik naturel..thrugh which magik To make a man ben hool or syk.
a1550 (c1477) T. Norton Ordinal of Alchemy (Bodl. e Mus.) 1692 But the cheife maisters amonge sciences all for helpe of this art is magike naturall.
1582 S. Batman Vppon Bartholome, De Proprietatibus Rerum f. 165v These thinges are the foundation of all naturall magike.
1593 G. Harvey Pierces Supererogation 29 Who such monarches for Phisique.., Palmastry, naturall and supernaturall Magique..as some of these arrant Impostours?
1605 F. Bacon Of Aduancem. Learning i. sig. F3v Naturall Magicke pretendeth to cal & reduce natural Philosophie from variety of speculations to the magnitude of works. View more context for this quotation
1816 W. Scott Black Dwarf v, in Tales of my Landlord 1st Ser. I. 110 If his magic diabolical should fail him..I would have him trust to his magic natural.
1841 E. W. Lane tr. Thousand & One Nights I. 69 Natural Magic..is regarded by most persons of the more enlightened classes..as altogether a deceptive art.
1895 A. Nutt Voy. Bran I. 206 That natural magic which we seek in vain outside Celtdom.
1924 R. Graves Mock Beggar Hall 16 They checked my natural-magic reveries.
1993 Q Jan. 22/2 We must return to the Palaeolithic world of natural magic through psychedelic plants.
c. An instance of magic; a magical procedure or rite. Also concrete: a magical object, a charm or fetish.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > the occult > sorcery, witchcraft, or magic > [noun] > magic rite
magicc1395
the world > the supernatural > the occult > sorcery, witchcraft, or magic > [noun] > magical object
magic1811
c1395 G. Chaucer Squire's Tale 218 It is rather lyk An apparence ymaad by som magyk.
?1573 L. Lloyd Pilgrimage of Princes 37 There are diuers kindes of these Magicks, whereby they bragge and boast that they are able to do any thing, and that they know hereby all things.
1603 M. Drayton Barrons Wars ii. xi. 28 To sing..Of gloomy magiques, and benumming charmes.
1648 R. Herrick Hesperides sig. B4 Bring your Magicks, Spels, and Charmes, To enflesh my thighs, and armes.
1811 H. M. Brackenridge Jrnl. 18 June in Views Louisiana (1814) 256 Besides their public resident lodge, in which they have a great collection of magic, or sacred things, every one has his private magic in his lodge about his person.
1811 H. M. Brackenridge Jrnl. 18 June in Views Louisiana (1814) 257 On these occasions, each one suspends his private magic on a high pole before his door.
1906 R. Kipling in Strand Mag. Jan. 50/2 ‘What's that for—magic?’ said Una... ‘One of my little magics,’ he answered.
1935 T. Wolfe Of Time & River i. i. 24 Like a dream made real, a magic come to life, he knew that in another hour he would be speeding world-ward, life-ward, North-ward.
1962 P. Bracken I hate to housekeep Bk. iii. 25 In this stain-removal business you keep bumping into these small magics—things people would like to believe, just as we'd all rather like to believe in haunted houses and water witching.
1990 Real Ghostbusters 20 Jan. 9/1 Rituals are complex, esoteric and bizarre..and..through them, we can summon spirits, travel through the Astral plane, conjure fearful magicks.
d. as if by magic: as though accomplished by supernatural means or trickery; in a preternaturally swift, deft, or timely manner; suddenly and surprisingly.
ΚΠ
1781 R. Jephson Count of Narbonne v. i. 64 Yet still my eyes Again are drawn, as if by magick on him.
1851 H. Melville Moby-Dick lxxi. 354 The oarsmen expectantly desisted from rowing; the boat drifted a little towards the ship's stern; so that, as if by magic, the letter suddenly ranged along with Gabriel's eager hand.
1915 St. Nicholas June 737/2 A pan of batter quickly prepared that, as if by magic it seemed to Belville, was converted into nicely-browned cakes.
1996 C. Brookmyre Quite Ugly One Morning xxx. 195 As he picked up the receiver, the doorbell rang, sharply and briefly. ‘And as if by magic,’ he said, putting the receiver back on its cradle and walking to the door. ‘That'll be a cop from across the Square now.’
e. like magic: without any apparent explanation; with incredible rapidity; with great ease. Cf. like adv. 1c.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > rapidity or speed of action or operation > with rapid action [phrase]
in hastec1300
on wheelsc1547
like wildfire1699
like magic1783
like a shot1809
a dose of salts1837
the mind > mental capacity > expectation > feeling of wonder, astonishment > quality of inspiring wonder > [adverb] > with a degree of strangeness
selcouthlyc1175
ferlyc1230
selcoutha1300
disguisilyc1325
ferlifula1400
ferlilya1400
sellylyc1400
miraculouslya1425
ferlifullyc1425
strangelya1450
strangefully1664
portentously1755
miraculous1781
like magic1783
phenomenally1878
out of this world1941
1758 Coll. Poems Different Hands V. 318 It work'd like magic on your yielding heart.]
1783 Gentleman's Mag. Sept. 232/2 All own thy sway, and single or combined, At thy command, like magic, seize the mind.
1839 C. Darwin in R. Fitzroy & C. Darwin Narr. Surv. Voy. H.M.S. Adventure & Beagle III. iii. 51 It immediately fell to the ground, and like magic caught one hind leg of my horse.
1857 Knickerbocker Jan. 98 Broiled chicken and oysters..disappeared from before us like magic.
1900 Congress. Rec. 9 Jan. 704/2 Germany's Chinese trade is increasing like magic.
1938 Foreign Service Feb. 55/3 (advt.) Amazing New Wall Cleaner... Literally erases dirt like magic from wallpaper and painted walls.
1953 Life 8 June 7/3 (advt.) What finer start to easier housekeeping than this modern miracle of mass production! Whisks up stubborn dirt like magic—yet feather light to move.
1991 Dateline Mag. Jan. 5/3 We ‘clicked’ like magic, and we're made for each other.
2. figurative. An inexplicable and remarkable influence producing surprising results; an enchanting or mystical quality; glamour, appeal. Also: exceptional skill or talent, inspired accomplishment.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > reputation > majesty, glory, or grandeur > [noun] > prestige or charisma
magica1616
prestige1829
izzat1857
cachet1882
yichus1890
mystique1891
charism1930
X factor1930
prestigiousness1962
a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) v. iii. 39 Oh Royall Peece: There's Magick in thy Maiestie.
a1631 J. Donne Poems (1650) 19 All such rules, loves magique can undoe.
1702 Eng. Theophrastus 104 Civility is a strong Political magick.
1792 S. Rogers Pleasures Mem. ii. 26 The Moon..gilds the brow of night With the mild magic of reflected light.
1805 J. Foster Ess. iv. v. 192 A transforming magic of genius.
1822 W. Irving Bracebridge Hall iii. 28 The work of the house is performed as if by magic, but it is the magic of system.
1837 B. Disraeli Venetia I. 202 What mourner has not felt the magic of time?
1869 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest III. xi. 62 To win over the disaffected province..by the power of speech and the magic of royal courtesy.
1918 A. G. Gardiner Leaves in Wind 198 Charlie Chaplin swept the two hemispheres with the magic of his incomparable idiocy.
1955 Times 28 June 2/7 Against this the luckless Drobny simply could not conjure up the old magic of first service aces.
1967 P. Nichols Day in Death Joe Egg ii. 58 I wanted to bring back the magic to our marriage.
1976 South Notts Echo 16 Dec. 7/3 The two-tone Millwall pitch..could not curb the magic of the Irishman who teased and taunted the home side's back-tracking defenders.
1988 Financial Times 19 Mar. (Weekend Suppl.) p. xxiii/6 There are a few isolated passages on this disc where the fingers work their old magic afresh.
3. The art of producing (by sleight of hand, optical illusion, etc.) apparently inexplicable phenomena; conjuring.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > legerdemain, etc. > [noun]
colea1307
jugglingc1380
tregetryc1380
jugglerya1400
tregettingc1440
legerdemaina1450
jocularya1500
conveyance1531
prestigiation?c1550
conjuring1577
figgum1631
prestigion1635
sleight of handa1640
hocus-pocus1647
sleight1664
jugglementa1708
thaumaturgy1727
conjurationa1734
ventriloquism1797
magic1831
prestidigitation1841
hocus1854
conjury1855
1831 D. Brewster (title) Natural Magic.
1886 ‘H. Garenne’ (title) The art of modern conjuring, magic and illusions.
1922 W. Blyth Handkerchief Magic 13 Magic is the art practised by conjurers.
1975 R. Davies World of Wonders (1977) i. vii. 79 He..persuaded Willard to teach me magic..a few things with cards and coins.
1989 Times 11 May 16/6 Francis White was president of the Magic Circle and a prominent personality in the world of magic.
Compounds
C1. General attributive.
a.
magic-monger n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > the occult > sorcery, witchcraft, or magic > [noun] > one who promotes
witchmonger1584
magic-monger1656
1656 A. Cowley Davideis i. 37 in Poems Which Texts are ill produced by the Magick-mongers for a proof of the power of Charms.
1852 J. H. Newman Callista (1856) 168 Mere atheists and magic-mongers.
b. † magic-planted adj. Obsolete rare† magic-tempered adj. Obsolete rare
magic-gifted adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > ability > [adjective] > gifted or talented
able1520
ingenuous1598
parted1600
gifted1644
magic-gifted1811
talented1827
1811 W. R. Spencer Poems 49 [Painting's] magic-gifted hand.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > placing or fact of being placed in (a) position > [adjective]
placed1565
installeda1592
magic-planted1759
planted1806
1759 W. Mason Caractacus 2 These mighty piles of magic-planted rock.
ΚΠ
1777 T. Warton Poems 71 The monarch's massy blade Of magick temper'd metal made.
C2.
magic-man n. a magician or sorcerer; also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > the occult > sorcery, witchcraft, or magic > sorcerer or magician > [noun]
wielerOE
jugglera1100
wielea1350
magicianc1375
sorcerc1400
warlockc1400
mage?a1425
sorcerer1526
witch-mana1538
wizarda1557
wise man1562
cunning man1594
man-witch1601
wonder-master1603
sorcerist1624
talisman1646
ob1659
fascinator1677
varlet1701
Magian1716
brujo1758
mediciner1845
bomoh1851
pellar1865
trollman1865
baloi1871
magic-man1905
Wiccan1971
1905 Westm. Gaz. 6 Apr. 3/2 Disease was thought to be a visitation of supernatural wrath, to be appeased by offerings to the priests and magic-men of the time.
1923 R. Graves Whipperginny 51 Time and Space, folly's wonder, Three-card shufflers, magic-men!
1959 J. Halas & R. Manvell Technique Film Animation v. 62 Magic-men, mummers and actors wore masks in earlier times to typify..the farcical, the comic, the eccentric, the pathetic, the tragic and the insane in human portraiture.
1992 Sunday Observer (Sri Lanka) 6 Sept. (New Delhi ed.) (Colour Mag.) (People) p. iv/4 My friend Ravi Jasra, who is the magic man of colour scanning.
magic shop n. (a) a shop selling items, such as charms and potions, claimed to have magical properties (rare); (b) a shop selling conjuring tricks, practical jokes, etc. (cf. joke shop n. at joke n. Compounds 1b).
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > trading place > place where retail transactions made > [noun] > shop > other types of shop
show shop1787
lock-up shop1795
cash-store1811
boat shop1813
slaughter shop1841
slaughterhouse1851
ticket-shop1851
charity shop1853
magic shop1853
company store1872
Army and Navy1878
five-and-ten1880
farthing-shop1889
funeral home1895
goodwill1916
shop-within-(a)-shop1916
cash and carry1917
Piggly Wiggly1917
poverty shop1948
discount house1949
anchor1960
box store1976
mom-and-pop1976
op shop1978
duty-free1980
pound shop1983
pop-up2000
1853 R. B. Brough & W. Brough Second Calender ii. ii. 38 Could you lay aside your witch'ry's power, And shut your magic shop up for an hour.
1973 R. L. Simon Big Fix xi. 79 A large magic shop..catering to..kids buying itching powder and invisible ink.
1990 ‘M. Caine’ Coward's Chrons. ii. 17 From there we had to shuffle down the underground to Davenports Magic Shop, where Paul had been lured in order to buy an ancient Chinese trick.
magic-user n. (in role-playing games, spec. Dungeons and Dragons) a character empowered to use magical spells (see magical adj. 1d).
ΚΠ
1979 G. Gygax Official Adv. Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master Guide 38/2 Clerics, unlike magic-users, have their spells bestowed upon them.
1985 W. Dear Dungeon Master iv. 46 The magic-user possesses extremely high intelligence—his forte... The magic-user can cast spells, such as bringing down lightning bolts on his enemies.
1996 White Dwarf Sept. 104/1 With Tuomas taking a second magic user (his Bull Centaur Champion with the Crown of Sorcery) I would be hard-pressed to counter the magical onslaught.
Derivatives
ˈmagic-like adj. (in quot. 1810 used as adv.).
ΚΠ
1810 F. Reynolds Free Knights ii. iv. 48 [They] approach, and oft by such mysterious paths, that, magic-like, they flash on the pursued.
1862 E. Bulwer-Lytton Strange Story II. xxxi. 223 That wand, of which I have described to you the magic-like effects.
1975 Islander (Victoria, Brit. Columbia) 9 Nov. 2/1 The magic-like ability to detect underground water supplies.
2002 Social Stud. Sci. 32 687 It is..the allure of magic-like profits that attracts them to the table.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2000; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
magicadj.int.
/ˈmadʒɪk/, U.S. /ˈmædʒɪk/ 1. † c. Addicted to magic. Obsolete. rare.
a. Of or relating to magic (originally in †art magic, magic arts, etc.). Also: using magic; working or produced by magic.Not used predicatively.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > the occult > sorcery, witchcraft, or magic > [adjective]
witchOE
wielfulc1275
magica1393
superstitiousc1425
diabolic1485
magicala1492
prestigious?1534
sorcerous1546
witching1567
wizardly1588
wizard1638
stoicheiotical1646
witchcraftical1676
maleficious1684
Arabian-night1808
Magian1818
wizard-like1859
the world > the supernatural > the occult > sorcery, witchcraft, or magic > [noun] > involving demons or black magic
devilshineOE
artemagea1393
art magica1393
devilry1487
goety1569
black art1572
black magic1590
diabolism1614
demonomancy1652
goetic1727
diablerie1751
demonomagy1765
demonurgy1797
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) v. 3947 Jason..upon Medea made him bold, Of art magique, which sche couthe.
a1492 W. Caxton tr. Vitas Patrum (1495) i. xxviii. f. xxivv/2 A yonge damoysell, the whiche bi arte magyk was conuerted in to a Iument or a mare.
a1547 Earl of Surrey tr. Virgil Fourth Bk. Aeneas (1554) iv. sig. Div To Magike artes agaynst my wyl I bende.
1584 A. Fleming tr. Ovid in R. Scot Discouerie Witchcraft vi. vi. 122 Medeas herbs will not procure that loue shall lasting liue, Nor steeped poison mixt with magicke charmes the same can giue.
a1592 R. Greene Frier Bacon (1594) sig. C2 Set him but Non-plus in his magicke spels.
1611 Bible (King James) Wisd. xvii. 7 The illusions of arte Magicke . View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 1 (1623) i. i. 27 Sorcerers..By Magick Verses haue contriu'd his end. View more context for this quotation
1637 J. Milton Comus 27 Till all thy magick structures rear'd so high Were shatter'd into heaps ore thy false head.
1658 E. Waller Æneis iv, in Poems (1664) 189 With loose hair The Magick Prophetess begins her prayr.
1679 J. Dryden Troilus & Cressida ii. iii. 23 He may know his man, without Art Magick.
1695 Ld. Preston tr. Boethius Of Consol. Philos. iv. 175 Whilst into various Forms her Magick Hand Doth turn those Men.
1736 T. Gray Let. 8 May in Corr. T. Gray & W. Mason (1853) 4 The sun's pale sister, drawn by magic strain.
1772 W. Jones Poems 49 A..joyless place, A scene of bloody deeds, and magick spells.
1830 E. B. Pusey Hist. Enq. ii. 289 By some magic process [to] form the dissevered members into a frame of more youthful vigour.
1855 F. Douglass My Bondage & my Freedom xvii. 239 I at first rejected the idea that the simple carrying a root on my right side..could possess any such magic power as he ascribed to it.
1882 Encycl. Brit. XIV. 228/1 Their practical belief..busied itself almost wholly with obtaining magic powers.
1933 Mod. Psychologist Nov. 266/2 For centuries the superstitious have used love philters and other magic medicines and charms to bring about the gratification of some emotional desire.
1968 Brit. Jrnl. Psychiatry 114 964/2 Magic incantations, recipes and actions,..are openly used today in Lucania against fascinazione, malocchio, fattura and similar spells.
1990 E. Harth Dawn of Millennium (1991) vii. 103 The secret knowledge included alchemy, astrology, necromancy, and other magic practices.
1992 Prediction May 60 (advt.) Nicolas Darkwood, Master Adept of the Magick Arts, discovered a collection of Ancient Roman manuscripts.
b. Of a material object: used or usable in magic rites, having (or apparently having) supernatural powers, under the influence of magic. Also (frequently in magic glass, magic mirror) applied to objects in which future events or distant places may be seen; often figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > the occult > sorcery, witchcraft, or magic > [adjective] > used in magic rites (of object)
magical1607
magic1621
1621 G. Sandys tr. Ovid First Five Bks. Metamorphosis i. 25 Then, silent, with his Magick rod he strokes Their languisht lights, which sounder sleep prouokes.
?1625 T. Middleton Game at Chess (new ed.) iv. sig. G4 v If there proue no check in the Magick-glasse.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 109 This..With noxious Weeds..Dire Stepdames in the Magick Bowl infuse. View more context for this quotation
1712 R. Steele Spectator No. 332. ¶1 They describe a sort of Magick Circle.
1733 Gentleman's Mag. June 289/1 Upon putting that magick Wand into his Hand again, all Things have been right again?
1775 E. Carter in Poems by Eminent Ladies (new ed.) I. 54 Your transient forms like shadows pass. Frail offspring of the magick glass.
1786 R. Burns Poems 72 Where Pleasure is the Magic-wand, That, wielded right, Maks Hours like Minutes [etc.].
1792 S. Rogers Pleasures Mem. i. 91 Memory—What softened views thy magic glass reveals.
1816 W. Scott Antiquary II. viii. 226 You have used neither..chrystal, pentacle, magic mirror, nor geomantic figure.
1870 A. G. L'Estrange Life M. R. Mitford I. vi. 185 The possessor of a magic crystal ball.
1877 W. Jones Finger-ring Lore 107 A portrait of Hadrian, engraved with Mercury in a magic ring.
1903 F. W. H. Myers Human Personality I. 158 Just as the magic mill of the fable continues magical.
1974 W. Foley Child in Forest 28 Dad said that upon his soul, if it weren't a magic glass!
1992 Times Higher Educ. Suppl. 27 Mar. 34/5 As Thomas concludes, everyone who looks in the Newmanian magic mirror finds there a reflection of himself.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > the occult > sorcery, witchcraft, or magic > [adjective] > addicted to magic
magic1634
magical1634
1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 24 (margin) A Magique Nation.
d. In many role-playing games: designating weapons and other objects or constructs accorded supernatural transformative powers within the created world of the game. Cf. magical adj. 1d.
ΚΠ
1981 B. Galloway Fantasy Wargaming vii. 145 A magic sword will..carry up to +4 when used in combat... A thief, or warrior using a magic sword, will not feel any ‘touch’.
1990 Dragon Mag. Mar. 75/2 The magic spheres in the title are a natural for a long-term plotline in AD&D games.
1996 White Dwarf Sept. 57/1 Venerable Runesmiths have laboured long and hard to bring you magnificent weapons of destruction and all manner of magic panoply.
2.
a. Producing surprising or remarkable results, like those attributed to magic (frequently in magic touch); effecting or permitting change, success, etc., as if by magic. Also: enchanting, delightful. See also magic lantern n.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [adjective] > of high or great importance
worthlyeOE
mickleeOE
greatc1225
right hand?c1225
solemna1387
materialc1475
superior1526
grand1542
weighty1558
main1581
pregnant1591
pregnate1598
materious1611
moliminous1642
momentous1656
magic1696
all-important1748
big1748
eventful1756
colossal1775
bread and butter1822
bada1825
key1832
all-absorbing1834
earth-moving?1834
earth-shaking1835
earth-shatteringa1859
high-ranking1874
beaucoup1917
major league1951
earth-stopping1956
crucial1957
the world > the supernatural > the occult > sorcery, witchcraft, or magic > [adjective] > resembling magic in effect
magicala1616
magic1696
1696 E. Phillips New World of Words (new ed.) at Lanthorn A Magic Lanthorn, a certain small Optical Macheen, that shews by a gloomy Light upon a white Wall, Spectres and Monsters so hideous, that he who knows not the Secret, believes it to be perform'd by Magick Art.
1702 N. Rowe Tamerlane i. i. sig. C3v When some skilful Artist strikes the Strings, The magick numbers rouse our sleeping Passions.
1718 N. Rowe tr. Lucan Pharsalia vi. 936 Pleas'd that her magic Fame diffusely flies.
1744 M. Akenside Pleasures Imagination i. 16 The glances of her magic eye, She blends and shifts at will.
1749 J. Cleland Mem. Woman of Pleasure II. 160 Presently, as it were with a magic touch, it started up into a noble size, and distinction indeed!
1826 W. Scott Rev. Life Kemble in J. G. Lockhart Mem. Life Sir W. Scott (1839) ii. 22/1 The vain longings which we felt that..the magic curtain [would] once more arise.
1842 Ld. Tennyson Day-dream in Poems (new ed.) II. 155 The magic music in his heart Beats quick and quicker.
1850 N. Hawthorne Scarlet Let. xiii. 198 She who has once been woman, and ceased to be so, might at any moment become a woman again, if there were only the magic touch to effect the transfiguration.
1861 C. Dickens Great Expectations II. xiv. 224 I requested a waiter..to show us to a private sitting-room. Upon that, he pulled out a napkin, as if it were a magic clue without which he couldn't find the way up-stairs, and led us to the black hole of the establishment.
1916 J. Joyce Portrait of Artist ii. 71 Weakness and timidity and inexperience would fall from him in that magic moment.
1938 I. Kuhn Assigned to Adventure iii. 26 The thing I wanted most was a by-line—that magic inch of print above a story I had written which would identify me as the author of the gem.
1961 Amer. Heritage Bk. Indians 85/2 The magic touch of so much gold so tamely taken.
1986 Observer 17 Aug. 29/1 The gold price has refused—as yet—to break through the ‘magic’ $400-an-ounce barrier that chartists (and gold-bugs) cherish.
1993 Sci. News 30 Oct. 280/2 The magic ingredient? Polyacrylamide (PAM), a long-chain molecule commonly used to clean waste water.
b. colloquial. In weakened use: superlatively good, excellent, fantastic. Frequently as int.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > excellence > [adjective]
faireOE
bremea1000
goodlyOE
goodfulc1275
noblec1300
pricec1300
specialc1325
gentlec1330
fine?c1335
singulara1340
thrivena1350
thriven and throa1350
gaya1375
properc1380
before-passinga1382
daintiful1393
principala1398
gradelya1400
burlyc1400
daintyc1400
thrivingc1400
voundec1400
virtuousc1425
hathelc1440
curiousc1475
singlerc1500
beautiful1502
rare?a1534
gallant1539
eximious1547
jolly1548
egregious?c1550
jellyc1560
goodlike1562
brawc1565
of worth1576
brave?1577
surprising1580
finger-licking1584
admirablea1586
excellinga1586
ambrosial1598
sublimated1603
excellent1604
valiant1604
fabulous1609
pure1609
starryc1610
topgallant1613
lovely1614
soaringa1616
twanging1616
preclarent1623
primea1637
prestantious1638
splendid1644
sterling1647
licking1648
spankinga1666
rattling1690
tearing1693
famous1695
capital1713
yrare1737
pure and —1742
daisy1757
immense1762
elegant1764
super-extra1774
trimming1778
grand1781
gallows1789
budgeree1793
crack1793
dandy1794
first rate1799
smick-smack1802
severe1805
neat1806
swell1810
stamming1814
divine1818
great1818
slap-up1823
slapping1825
high-grade1826
supernacular1828
heavenly1831
jam-up1832
slick1833
rip-roaring1834
boss1836
lummy1838
flash1840
slap1840
tall1840
high-graded1841
awful1843
way up1843
exalting1844
hot1845
ripsnorting1846
clipping1848
stupendous1848
stunning1849
raving1850
shrewd1851
jammy1853
slashing1854
rip-staving1856
ripping1858
screaming1859
up to dick1863
nifty1865
premier cru1866
slap-bang1866
clinking1868
marvellous1868
rorty1868
terrific1871
spiffing1872
all wool and a yard wide1882
gorgeous1883
nailing1883
stellar1883
gaudy1884
fizzing1885
réussi1885
ding-dong1887
jim-dandy1888
extra-special1889
yum-yum1890
out of sight1891
outasight1893
smooth1893
corking1895
large1895
super1895
hot dog1896
to die for1898
yummy1899
deevy1900
peachy1900
hi1901
v.g.1901
v.h.c.1901
divvy1903
doozy1903
game ball1905
goodo1905
bosker1906
crackerjack1910
smashinga1911
jake1914
keen1914
posh1914
bobby-dazzling1915
juicy1916
pie on1916
jakeloo1919
snodger1919
whizz-bang1920
wicked1920
four-star1921
wow1921
Rolls-Royce1922
whizz-bang1922
wizard1922
barry1923
nummy1923
ripe1923
shrieking1926
crazy1927
righteous1930
marvy1932
cool1933
plenty1933
brahmaa1935
smoking1934
solid1935
mellow1936
groovy1937
tough1937
bottler1938
fantastic1938
readyc1938
ridge1938
super-duper1938
extraordinaire1940
rumpty1940
sharp1940
dodger1941
grouse1941
perfecto1941
pipperoo1945
real gone1946
bosting1947
supersonic1947
whizzo1948
neato1951
peachy-keen1951
ridgey-dite1953
ridgy-didge1953
top1953
whizzing1953
badass1955
wild1955
belting1956
magic1956
bitching1957
swinging1958
ridiculous1959
a treat1959
fab1961
bad-assed1962
uptight1962
diggish1963
cracker1964
marv1964
radical1964
bakgat1965
unreal1965
pearly1966
together1968
safe1970
bad1971
brilliant1971
fabby1971
schmick1972
butt-kicking1973
ripper1973
Tiffany1973
bodacious1976
rad1976
kif1978
awesome1979
death1979
killer1979
fly1980
shiok1980
stonking1980
brill1981
dope1981
to die1982
mint1982
epic1983
kicking1983
fabbo1984
mega1985
ill1986
posho1989
pukka1991
lovely jubbly1992
awesomesauce2001
nang2002
bess2006
amazeballs2009
boasty2009
daebak2009
beaut2013
1956 R. Barr Long Arm (unpubl. film-script) 100 Ward: Good with locks too, eh? Thomas: Magic!
1975 Guardian 26 May 11/3 Finally we ate in a pizza parlour. ‘What's this pisser?’ asked Jimmy. ‘It's magic,’ Gordon told him.
1976 Scotsman 24 Dec. (Weekend Suppl.) 5/1 ‘Oh, aye,’ said Jock graciously, ‘he's magic with that mashie.’
1989 Football Picture Story Monthly No. 81. 8 Magic header from young Grant!
1991 D. Lodge Paradise News iv. 69 Paradise News! Magic! Where did you get it?
3. Nuclear Physics. (Of each of a set of numbers) corresponding to the number of protons or neutrons in nuclei of exceptional stability (the set now taken to be 2, 8, 20, 28, 50, 82, 126, and perhaps 184); (of a nucleus) containing such a number of protons or neutrons or ( doubly magic) both.
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1949 O. Haxel et al. in Physical Rev. 75 1766/1 A simple explanation of the ‘magic numbers’ 14, 28, 50, 82, 126 follows at once from the oscillator model of the nucleus.
1956 Nature 28 Jan. 159/1 The current work on fast-neutron capture..refines the earlier studies by D. J. Hughes of the variation of cross-section with atomic weight which..throws more light on the magic-number nuclei.
1969 Physics Lett. 28 b. 544/2 Since the nucleon shells at Z = 114, N = 184 are not as ‘magic’ as those at Z = 82, N = 126, we would not expect an unusually small capture cross section for 294110.
1969 Nature 27 Dec. 1253/2 In calcium-40 which, like lead-208, is doubly magic and so a suitable isotope for nuclear structure calculations, the protons have been found to bunch together towards the centre of the nucleus.
1971 Nature 12 Feb. 451/2 One complication is that for heavier nuclei, the magic numbers probably differ for neutrons and protons.
1971 Physics Bull. Dec. 711/2 Much interest has been aroused by the prediction that the nucleus (A = 298, Z = 114) may be a doubly magic nucleus.., which could involve an island of stability in the mass region around 300.
1986 Sci. Amer. July 77/1 Would the spherical magic numbers that yield closed-shell nuclear structures lose their magic character in regions of the periodic table far from stability?
1997 Science 24 Oct. 571/3 Lead-208 is the largest known isotope that is ‘doubly magic’, also possessing a magic number of neutrons (126).
Compounds
magic acid n. (also Magic Acid) Chemistry a superacid, F6HO3SSb, formed by dissolving antimony pentafluoride (Sbf5) in fluorosulphonic acid, (FSO3H), esp. in equimolar proportions.
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1968 G. A. Olah & R. H. Schlosberg in Jrnl. Amer. Chem. Soc. 90 2726/1 In previous studies we reported that the extremely strong acid FSO3H–SbF5 (‘magic acid’) is capable of forming alkylcarbonium ions from alkanes via hydride (alkide) ion abstraction.
1979 Science 5 Oct. 16/3 The astonishing acidity of Magic Acid and related superacids allows protonation of exceedingly weak bases.
1987 A. Nickon & E. F. Silversmith Org. Chem.: Name Game xiii. 167 Buy Magic Acid under that trade name and you too can make molecules do super things.
magic angle n. Physics and Chemistry (in NMR spectroscopy) the angle (measured relative to the direction of the magnetic field) of an axis around which a solid sample can be spun such that interactions of its nuclei average to zero, namely 54° 44′, or tan−1√2.
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1965 Physical Rev. A. 140 1261/2 Equation (3) shows that at the ‘magic angle’ θ = cos−1(1/√3), (5) the second moment in the rotating frame vanishes.
1992 Jrnl. Physical Chem. 96 389/1 Samples were spun at the magic angle at rates of up to 3kHz.
magic-angle spinning n. Physics and Chemistry a technique used to obtain sharp resonance lines when measuring the spectra of solid samples (cf. magic angle n.) (usually attributive).
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1976 Jrnl. Amer. Chem. Soc. 98 1032/2 Magic angle spinning produces a dramatic improvement in the resolution of the CP spectrum of the solid.
1989 Nature 18 May 200/2 Sealed sample capsules, designed to be spun inside the magic-angle-spinning (MAS) rotor up to 3 kHz, were treated at precisely controlled temperatures in the range 20–370°C.
1996 New Scientist 22 June 23/2 The team also wants to look at the interaction between chloride ions and binders such as power station fly ash... To do this they use a form of NMR called Magic Angle Spinning Spectroscopy.
magic box n. colloquial any of various (usually mechanical or electronic) devices which operate in a supposedly magical manner.
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1861 Amer. Agriculturist Jan. 23/2 I have just received from Germany a toy invented there, which I shall name the ‘magic box’, by which very remarkable and beautiful things are shown... I will put some money into it, and shake it up, and you will find the box will arrange it all in the most complete order.
1935 A. J. Pollock Underworld Speaks 74/2 Magic box, crooked farobank box in which 53 instead of 52 cards are manipulated by dealer.
1935 J. Hargan Gloss. Prison Lang. 5 Magic-box, coil arrangement which starts any car—without the aid of key.
1945 Daily Mirror 15 Aug. 4/2 Most sensational development was the ‘Magic Box’, which gave our pilots a picture of the ground beneath them even though it was hidden by darkness and cloud.
1960 Guardian 22 Mar. 10/4 The job of the ‘magic boxes’ in the wheelhouse is to take some of the chance out of trawling.
1990 Today 12 Mar. 26 With this magic box, research engineer Tim James revealed how I could operate the lighting, heating..and security system.
magic carpet n. a mythical carpet able to transport a person on it to any desired place; frequently figurative.
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society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > other means of conveyance > [noun] > magic carpet
magic carpet1833
1833 Fraser's Mag. June 695 An ornamental or poetical reporter..whose cotes of speeches might not be inaptly compared to the magic carpet of Solomon or Mahommed.
1871 W. Elder Questions of Day 54 The magic carpet and Aladdin's lamp seem now but a prophesy of the wonders which science and art are accomplishing for us.
1897 R. Kipling Captains Courageous ix. 189 From San Diego to Sixteenth Street, Chicago, let the magic carpet be laid down. Hurry! oh, hurry!
1909 H. G. Wells Tono-Bungay (U.K. ed.) iv. i. 434 I had to come off my magic carpet and walk once more in the world.
1931 Times Lit. Suppl. 20 Aug. 625/2 His Magic Carpet is a book of travels, by means of which he is transported into lands that he is fated never to see.
1960 L. Meynell Bandaberry viii. 127 I had suddenly an immense desire to get on a magic carpet and float away..to some carefree place.
1974 D. MacKenzie Zaleski's Percentage iv. 94 That restaurant's his magic carpet. If they take it away from him, he'll never stop falling.
magic chain stitch n. a chain stitch worked with two threads of different colours in one needle.
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the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > sewn or ornamented textile fabric > [noun] > embroidery or ornamental sewing > stitch > other
chain-stitch1598
French knot1623
picot1623
petty-point1632
tent-stitch1639
brede-stitch1640
herringbone stitch1659
satin stitch1664
feather-stitch1835
Gobelin stitch1838
crowfoot1839
seedingc1840
German stitch1842
petit point1842
long stitch1849
looped stitch1851
hem-stitch1853
loop-stitch1853
faggot stitch1854
spider-wheel1868
dot stitch1869
picot stitch1869
slip-stitch1872
coral-stitch1873
stem stitch1873
rope stitch1875
Vienna cross stitch1876
witch stitch1876
pin stitch1878
seed stitch1879
cushion-stitch1880
Japanese stitch1880
darning-stitch1881
Kensington stitch1881
knot-stitch1881
bullion knot1882
cable pattern1882
Italian stitch1882
lattice-stitch1882
queen stitch1882
rice stitch1882
shadow-stitch1882
ship-ladder1882
spider-stitch1882
stem1882
Vandyke stitch1882
warp-stitch1882
wheel-stitch1882
basket-stitch1883
outline stitch1885
pointing1888
bullion stitchc1890
cable-stitchc1890
oriental stitchc1890
Turkish stitchc1890
Romanian stitch1894
shell-stitch1895
saddle stitch1899
magic stitch1900
plumage-stitch1900
saddle stitching1902
German knot stitch1903
trellis1912
padding stitch1913
straight stitch1918
Hungarian stitch1921
trellis stitch1921
lazy daisy1923
diamond stitchc1926
darning1930
faggot filling stitch1934
fly stitch1934
magic chain stitch1934
glove stitch1964
pad stitch1964
1934 M. Thomas Dict. Embroidery Stitches 34 Chain stitch—chequered, also known as magic stitch and magic chain stitch.
1957 M. B. Picken Fashion Dict. 329/2 Magic Chain-stitch... Chain-stitch worked with two threads of different colors in one needle.
1973 E. Wilson Embroidery Bk. (1975) i. 62 (heading) Magic chain stitch.
magic cookie n. Computing = cookie n. 4. [The semantic motivation for the name is unclear.]
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1979 B. W. Kernighan & M. D. McIlroy UNIX Time-sharing Syst.: UNIX Programmer's Man. (Bell Telephone Lab.) (ed. 7) I. iii FSEEK (3S)... Ftell returns the current value of the offset relative to the beginning of the file associated with the named stream. It is measured in bytes on UNIX; on some other systems it is a magic cookie, and the only foolproof way to obtain an offset for fseek.
1984 PC Tech Jrnl. Sept. 51/3 To control the video attributes on its screens, TeleVideo uses what have been dubbed ‘magic cookies’ in display memory. No, these are not brownies laced with a controlled substance, — they are bytes of display memory that hold special codes to set video attributes. These attributes have effect from the time they are first set until they are cleared.
1992 UNIX Rev. (Nexis) Apr. 67 Type a magic cookie (such as ‘g=dcOO/6’) to get into the PROM setup code for the disk controller card.
1997 Internet Mag. Jan. 115/3 The much-loved X window System from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) had a security mechanism based around magic cookies—tokens exchanged between X clients and servers.
magic e n. (also with capital initials) (chiefly in primary school literacy teaching) a silent e at the end of a word or morpheme following a consonant, which lengthens the preceding vowel and consequently appears to transform its sound; as the e in hope, lute, casework, etc.Cf. silent adj. 3c.
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1918 Primary Educ. Mar. 183/2 Let us see how the a will sound after magic e is fastened on mat. (Write mate on board. Pronounce.) You see what trick he did. He changed short a into long a.
2005 L. Wendon & L. Holt Letterland: Adv. Teacher's Guide (2009) ii. 58 It was recommended that children play-act the Magic e's function in tap and tape.
magic hour n. Photography and Cinematography a period of time just before sunrise or after sunset, or just after sunrise or before sunset, when the light takes on a soft diffuse glow which is optimal for creating atmospheric images.Sometimes used with particular reference to either the blue hour or (more usually) the golden hour (see blue hour n., golden hour n. (b) at golden adj. and n. Compounds 2a), but generally considered to be a less precise term than these.
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1956 Amer. Cinematographer Dec. 742/2 In studio parlance, we call it the ‘magic hour’—that period when there is enough overall light for a basic exposure, yet not enough to minimize the effect of the lights in the windows, street lamps, etc.
1980 N.Y. Times 17 June c2/5 The softening of the afternoon shadows into what filmmakers call the magic hour.
1990 S. Lee Mo' Better Blues 93 We made a company move..to the Brooklyn Bridge to get a shot of Indigo and Bleek walking across at sunset, known as ‘magic hour’ in film terminology because it doesn't last long.
2013 N.Y. Mag. (Nexis) 15 Apr. 1/1 Marina gives the camera..a come-hither look and half-dances, arms in the air, toward the sunset (or sunrise—what cinematographers call the ‘magic hour’).
Magic Marker n. (a proprietary name for) an indelible marker pen.
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society > communication > writing > writing materials > writing instrument > [noun] > pen > felt-tip pen > proprietary names
Magic Marker1951
Pentel1964
texta1966
1951 Sears, Roebuck Catal. Fall–Winter 10002 B/2 ‘Magic Marker’ waterproof, instant drying black ink Marker, write on any surface, ideal for packages or cartons. Has built-in felt brush.
1973 ‘J. Patrick’ Glasgow Gang Observed xiii. 120 With chalk, magic markers, but most often with..aerosol spray paint, the pitch was marked out with slogans.
1988 Creative Rev. Jan. 75/1 (advt.) Imagination, and the ability to produce slick Magic Marker visuals both essential.
Magic Million n. (also Magic Millions) (a proprietary name in Australia for) an annual horse race instituted in 1986 in Queensland, with a total prize money of A$1 million; (also) a yearling sale preceding the race, horses bought at which are eligible for race-entry; (in later use) any of a series of associated thoroughbred sales and races held annually in Australasia and the Pacific; frequently attributive.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > selling > a public sale > [noun] > auction > auction of specific things
lyth-coop1681
survey1725
book auction1769
Negro auction1833
Magic Million1986
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > horse racing > [noun] > race-meeting > specific
Ascot1814
Goodwood1842
Magic Million1986
1986 Daily Sun (Brisbane) 29 Dec. 29/4 The Gold Coast Turf Club's Magic Million meeting on January 10 will bring Surfers' Paradise a step closer to being the country's major racing centre.
1992 Oxf. Compan. Austral. Sport 187/1 Economic extravagance in the 1980s saw the creation of lavish incentive schemes for yearling buyers such as the Magic Million races inaugurated at Southport on Queensland's Gold Coast in 1987.
1999 Racing Post (Electronic ed.) 11 Jan. Melbourne colt Testa Rossa kept his unbeaten record intact by taking the A$739,000 Honda Two-Years-Old Magic Millions at the Gold Coast, Queensland, on Saturday... Testa Rossa, an A$45,000 purchase at the Magic Millions Sale 12 months ago, is unbeaten in four starts and has collected nearly A$634,000.
magic mushroom n. colloquial (originally U.S.) any of several types of mushroom with hallucinogenic properties, esp. one containing psilocybin; frequently in plural.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > yielding drug or narcotic > [noun] > other plants yielding drugs
oenothera1601
teonanacatl1875
ololiuqui1894
miraa1945
mushroom1955
magic mushroom1957
the world > physical sensation > use of drugs and poison > an intoxicating drug > [noun] > hallucinogenic drug > magic mushroom
magic mushroom1957
shroom1979
fairy mushroom2003
1957 Life 13 May 101 (title) Seeking the Magic Mushroom.
1966 N.Y. Times 21 Mar. 1/3 It damn near turned into a recipe-swapping session for peyote and the magic mushrooms.
1982 Sunday Times 28 Nov. 14/7 The magic mushroom, psilocybin [sic] semilanceata, produces hallucinogenic effects comparable to LSD. It grows widely in Britain, but is particularly plentiful in west Wales.
1991 J. Phillips You'll never eat Lunch in this Town Again (1992) 569 The next day we have the last of some magic mushrooms and Stuart gets so loose he takes off all his clothes.
magic number n. (a) a figure regarded, in a particular context, as significant or momentous; (b) Sport (esp. Baseball) the number which, at a given stage in the season, signifies the combination of wins for the first-placed team and defeats for the second-placed team which will assure the former of championship victory.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > atomic nucleus > [noun] > decomposition of nucleus > capacity to resist > exceptional
magic number1781
1781 London Mag. Oct. 487/1 Were there a magic number..that like a talisman would protect from danger [etc.].
1880 Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Weekly Times 11 Nov. In another window was the magic number ‘219’ in a similar triangle.
1947 Gettysburg (Pa.) Times 1 Sept. 4/3 So now the ‘magic number’ is 19, which means that any combination of Brooklyn wins and St. Louis losses totalling that number would see the Cards eliminated.
1961 House & Home Oct. 216 Wherever you can use two teams on a job, five men, not four, is the magic number.
1989 P. Dickson Baseball Dict. 254/2 To determine the magic number, you combine the second place team's wins and number of games remaining. From this total subtract the leading team's number of wins. The difference plus one equals the magic number.
2001 New Scientist 18 Aug. 16/3 Ten per cent wasn't a magic number, but whatever the connectance within a given ecosystem, it remained curiously constant no matter how many new species were added to the food web.
magic pane n. rare a sheet of glass on which pieces of tinfoil arranged in a pattern are made luminous by an electrical discharge through the foil.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > glass and glass-like materials > [noun] > glass > pane
glass1439
quarrel1458
pane1466
shive1527
quarry1537
square1688
lozena1722
yolk1802
magic pane1904
1904 N.E.D. at Pane sb.1 Magic pane.
magic pudding n. originally and chiefly Australian an inexhaustible supply of something, esp. money; an endlessly renewable resource. [With allusion to the title of the children's book The Magic Pudding (1918) by Norman Lindsay (1879–1969), in which a pudding (pudding n. 4) instantly renews itself as it is sliced or eaten into.]
ΚΠ
1985 Courier-Mail (Brisbane) 5 July 10/1 Mr Keating had warned..that there was no ‘magic pudding’ to provide tax cuts for all.
1998 Sunday Tel. 25 Jan. (Business section) 17/3 Pension funds are not a ‘magic pudding’ from which slices can be taken forever.
2013 Herald-Sun (Melbourne) 8 Mar. 65/6 Infrastructure projects holding out the prospect of being a magic pudding that can create jobs..[and] increase productivity.
magic sponge n. Association Football and Rugby (humorous) a sponge soaked in cold water and used to treat injured players on the field, so called because of its apparently universal efficacy.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > wiping > [noun] > sponging
sponging1575
sponge1720
magic sponge1921
1921 Halifax Courier 7 Nov. 5/5 Stocks, Greaves and Greenwood all required the services of the magic sponge during the game.
1961 J. Hill Striking for Soccer viii. 114 Consider what is said of players and ‘the magic sponge’. Of how they are supposed to go down on the slightest pretence and, with scarcely a squeeze from the sponge, continue playing vigorously within a matter of seconds.
1997 Daily Star 26 Feb. 37/1 The old warhorse just loves a battle and he was head and shoulders above the rest in a tie that certainly wasn't for the faint-hearted with trainers, stretchers and magic sponges in great demand.
magic square n. a square array of numbers with the property that the sum of the numbers in each vertical, horizontal, or diagonal row is the same.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > number > graph or diagram > [noun] > diagram > magic square or circle
magical square1693
magical circle1698
magic square1704
magic circle1797
Nasik1866
the world > relative properties > number > mathematical number or quantity > numerical arrangement > [noun] > array > other
magic square1704
Pascal's triangle1886
tensor1916
payoff matrix1950
payoff table1960
1704 J. Harris Lexicon Technicum I Magick Square.
c1750 B. Franklin Exper. & Observ. Electr. (1769) 353 You will readily allow this square of 16 to be the most magically magical of any magic square ever made by magician.
1983 Amer. Notes & Queries 21 149/1 It is in fact a magic square, a three-by-three grid with the numbers 1–9 arranged in such a way that every row, whether read vertically, horizontally, or diagonally, adds up to 15.
magic stitch n. see magic chain stitch n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > sewn or ornamented textile fabric > [noun] > embroidery or ornamental sewing > stitch > other
chain-stitch1598
French knot1623
picot1623
petty-point1632
tent-stitch1639
brede-stitch1640
herringbone stitch1659
satin stitch1664
feather-stitch1835
Gobelin stitch1838
crowfoot1839
seedingc1840
German stitch1842
petit point1842
long stitch1849
looped stitch1851
hem-stitch1853
loop-stitch1853
faggot stitch1854
spider-wheel1868
dot stitch1869
picot stitch1869
slip-stitch1872
coral-stitch1873
stem stitch1873
rope stitch1875
Vienna cross stitch1876
witch stitch1876
pin stitch1878
seed stitch1879
cushion-stitch1880
Japanese stitch1880
darning-stitch1881
Kensington stitch1881
knot-stitch1881
bullion knot1882
cable pattern1882
Italian stitch1882
lattice-stitch1882
queen stitch1882
rice stitch1882
shadow-stitch1882
ship-ladder1882
spider-stitch1882
stem1882
Vandyke stitch1882
warp-stitch1882
wheel-stitch1882
basket-stitch1883
outline stitch1885
pointing1888
bullion stitchc1890
cable-stitchc1890
oriental stitchc1890
Turkish stitchc1890
Romanian stitch1894
shell-stitch1895
saddle stitch1899
magic stitch1900
plumage-stitch1900
saddle stitching1902
German knot stitch1903
trellis1912
padding stitch1913
straight stitch1918
Hungarian stitch1921
trellis stitch1921
lazy daisy1923
diamond stitchc1926
darning1930
faggot filling stitch1934
fly stitch1934
magic chain stitch1934
glove stitch1964
pad stitch1964
1900 L. F. Day & M. Buckle Art in Needlewk. 41 A playful variation upon chain-stitch..is effected by the use of two threads of different colour... The light thread disappears, and comes out again to the left of the dark one...This ‘magic stitch’..is to be found in Persian, Indian, and Italian Renaissance work.
1934 M. Thomas Dict. Embroidery Stitches 34 Chain stitch—chequered, also known as magic stitch and magic chain stitch.
magic T n. (also magic tee) a junction of a rectangular waveguide consisting of an E-plane and an H-plane junction combined at the same point, giving four ports such that an electromagnetic wave entering one port divides between the two adjacent ports without appearing at the opposite one.
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1947 F. E. Terman Radio Engin. (ed. 3) iv. 142 Equal reflections from C and D, upon reaching the junction of the magic T, will divide between A and B.
1950 T. Moreno in K. Henney Radio Engin. Handbk. (ed. 4) xv. 712 (caption) Cutaway view of magic tee showing diaphram and post for impedance-matching purposes.
1997 Microwave Engin. Europe (Nexis) Oct. 55 The topology of the circulator under consideration consists of a cascade arrangement of a magic-tee (180 degrees hybrid), a dual waveguide section..and a 3dB sidewall coupler (90 degrees hybrid).
magic thinking n. Psychology and Psychoanalysis = magical thinking n. at magical adj. Compounds.
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1956 M.-L. Schoelly & M. J. Sherfey tr. C. Odier Anxiety & Magic Thinking i. 49 Anxiety plus an acute feeling of helplessness plus magic thinking are characteristic of the infantile state we find reproduced at all ages.
1966 Philos. Q. 16 272 There may be a case to be made out for Plato's being influenced more than he realized by magic-thinking, but it is not made out by stating that ‘like-to-like’ is a principle of magic, and is also a principle of Plato's thought.
1989 Daily Tel. 27 Sept. 11/1 Others suffer from magic thinking. They feel that if they are very good they can bring their parents back together.
magic word n. (a) a word supposed to produce effects by magic; (in plural) the words comprising an incantation or spell; (b) any word or (in plural) phrase regarded as imbued with some special significance, or as having a pronounced or remarkable effect like that of magic (esp. ‘please’); (frequently) one which permits or otherwise influences a specific action or event.
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1581 J. Studley tr. Seneca Medea (new ed.) iv, in T. Newton et al. tr. Seneca 10 Trag. f. 133v Help wakefull Dragon Argos, whom first magicke wordes of myne Made Morpheus locke thy sleepy liddes, and shut thy slugring eyne.
1697 C. Gildon Rom. Brides Revenge iv. i. 42 Haste, and fetch it, that with the Magic Words, Which I must use, I may drink it to him.
1754 R. Cumberland Banishment of Cicero (1761) iv. v. 62 The name of Cicero, That magic word, shall raise all Rome about you.
1877 J. C. Geikie Life & Words Christ II. xlix. 293 Water at all times is a magic word in a sultry climate like Palestine.
1902 B. Lubbock Round Horn x. 374 ‘That'll do, men!’ were the magic words, and we quietly walked off to our various bunks.
1940 Whiz Comics No. 2 5 ‘Speak my name!’ ‘Shazam!’.. As Billy speaks the magic word he becomes Captain Marvel.
1981 Boys' Life June 74/1 Jack: Give me a cookie. Mother: What's the magic word, Jack?
1988 M. Warner Lost Father xviii. 203 The king says the magic word, and the water turns to glass.
2006 S. Thornbury & D. Slade Conversation vi. 203 Some polite forms, such as the use of please and thank you are taught explicitly, as in ‘Say “please”!’ or ‘What's the magic word?’
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2000; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
magicv.
/ˈmadʒɪk/, U.S. /ˈmædʒɪk/ transitive. To transform, produce, etc., (as if) by magic. Frequently with adv. (esp. up) or adverbial phrase. Also with away: to cause to disappear (as if) by magic.
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the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > invisibility > make invisible [verb (transitive)] > cause to vanish or disappear
formeltc893
consumea1398
vanishc1450
vapoura1475
obliterate1607
snuff1688
efface1843
melt1865
disappear1897
magic1906
the mind > mental capacity > memory > faulty recollection > recollect wrongly [verb (transitive)] > cause to forget
to put (also drive) out of a person's head1550
magic1906
the mind > mental capacity > expectation > feeling of wonder, astonishment > quality of inspiring wonder > cause wonder, astonish [verb (transitive)] > bring about as if by magic
conjure1601
magic1906
1906 R. Kipling Puck of Pook's Hill 304 There was Oak and Ash and Thorn enough in that year-end shower to magic away a thousand memories.
1909 L. M. Montgomery Anne of Avonlea xxiv. 282 I actually have a half guilty feeling, as if I really had ‘magicked’ it [sc. a storm] up.
1925 W. de la Mare Miss Jemima 31 I discovered, as if the Fairy Creature herself had magicked it there..a large hay-wain.
1952 A. Grimble Pattern of Islands v. 104 A steel hook bought from a trade-store could only be magicked once, as a finished article.
1966 New Statesman 25 Nov. 792/2 Children, who are still capable of being magicked, will, I hope, get it for Christmas. Though it's not a children's book.
1992 Independent 18 Nov. 16/4 There is only one, I'm afraid. I can't magic another one up for you.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2000; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.c1387adj.int.a1393
v.1906