| Abracadabra: |
| Magic charm first used by the GNOSTICS in the second century to ward off evil spirits. Like an acrostic, it was said to be made up of the Hebrew words Ab (father), Ben (son) and Ruach Acadascha (Holy Spirit) . Engraved on parchment, it used to be worn around the neck as a good luck amulet. "Abracadabra" is a word now generally used by magicians as a kind of dramatic introductory salvo before the production of a rabbit from a hat and other tricks. It is also used as a magic incantation for any kind of inexplicable or illogical evocation, or hocus-pocus, or sleight- of- hand. ~ Facts on File Dictionary of Cultural and Historical Allusions |
| Alladin, or the wonderful lamp: |
| A tale from the Arabian Nights. Alladin, a poor boy in China, is locked in a cave by a magician. There the boy finds a lamp, which, when rubbed, calls aupon a Jinn (Genie) who is ready to fulfill everyone of Alladin's dreams. The boy acquires instant transportation home, great wealth and treasures and also a princess's hand in marriage. What has survived of this tale in modern parlance is the notion that, like Alladin, one can rub a metaphorical lamp and immediately a genie will materialize to do one's bidding. ~Facts on File Dictionary of Cultural and Historical Allusions. |
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| open sesame: Magic words that must be spoken to open the door of a cave in "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves", a tale from the Arabian Nights. In the story, Ali Baba, a poor wood-cutter observes a band of 40 thieves entering and leaving a cave full of treasure using the magic code "open sesame". He enters the cave, steals some of the gold and becomes a rich man. He goes back often ,but one day, he forgets the magic words and remains locked inside the cave. "Open Sesame" in modern usuage is still a phrase that means opening doors in a figurative sense. |