As you study magic, you will quickly come across a term of common industry slang that magicians use, but you most likely won’t hear outside the magic community. Knowing the terminology will help stop you appearing like a magic newbie.
Magic Tricks = Effects
At the Merchant of Magic we don’t tend to use the term ‘effects’ to describe magic tricks for one main reason. The blog is aimed at total beginners as well as established magicians. The public simply don’t use the term ‘effect’ to describe what magicians do. As a result, the search engines don’t use it either. We want to be as accessible to beginners as possible, so in our posts, we use the term ‘magic tricks’ instead.
Why do magicians use ‘effects’ rather than ‘magic tricks’?
Is it habit, a social norm, or simply ego? Perhaps there is a good reason behind it? We asked magicians to share their reasons for using the term:
Richard Gibson Dogs do Tricks, magicians perform magic effects. As far as the spectator is concerned I just performed a miracle for them. The word “trick” devalues the effect.
Mark Waddington It makes them feel smart. The only thing I hate more than this, is when they perform to a lay audience and offer to show them an ‘effect’.
Rob Newson I always say ‘would you like me to entertain you for the next 10 minutes?‘ I don’t like saying tricks or effects.
Derek Lee Magic trick + Showmanship = Magic effect
Ben Cook When you are performing to a spectator, you are affecting that person and hopefully they will remember you.
Harvey Kennett The word ‘trick’ has negative connotations.
Andy Russell A great trick can affect whomever your showing.
Col Balddaniels Daper Doesn’t matter to me what their called to be honest, each to there own! Myself, I call them nothing. I ask if they mind me showing them something or a little something.
Paul Cocker The word ‘tricks’ sometimes has bad connotations: tricky, trickster etc, and doesn’t sound as entertaining as an effect. I avoid both and just use the word magic, or more usually just perform an attention grabber, and let them choose which word to use.
Filip Ilinca Negative connotations aside, ‘trick’ implies deception which is usually hidden from the person experiencing it (the spectator), it is the modus operandi of the perceived impossibility created by the performer, as opposed to ‘effect’ that the deception has.
Steven Holt Snobbery I think. I’ve always called them tricks. Effects, sounds too geeky for me.
Cathy Russell Magicians bend reality. Nothing changes, but the way we perceive their art and how they apply it!
Damen William Lewis Nobody likes to be tricked….. It takes away the meaning of the art.
Matt Thefishbrainking Tavanah I don’t say that to spectators, I say ‘amaze’. I call them ‘effects’ to other magicians.
Dan Hollingshurst What matters is the ‘effect’ it has on the audience – and their resulting reaction.
It seems that magicians do prefer using the term effects rather than magic tricks, when talking with each other, but in performance, they don’t tend to use the term. If you do start calling magic tricks: effects, it’s important to stay aware of it. It’s not advisable to use professional slang, in your act: ‘let me show you this effect with a deck of playing cards’. Equally, when discussing magic with other magicians, the reasoning behind the two terms is already apparent, so is it even necessary?
NEXT: The danger of a magic trick difficulty level set to ‘easy’
At the risk of repeating some of the things said already, I find using the word “trick” can automatically put the spectator into a negative frame of mind. Leading them to feel that they are about to get duped, and thereby making them “feel small”.
The opposite is true when working with children though. The words “Magic trick” immediately brings an element of excitement to the child’s day.
I personally just say “a bit of magic” when dealing with adults, and “Magic trick” with children.
Good distinction Derek. Thanks for sharing
The question for me is always “If you could really do magic, I mean the REAL stuff, what word would you use?” The answer is almost certainly not the word [effect] as that instantly indicates that this is not real magic. You might say [trick] because there must be a trick to working real magic, otherwise everyone would be doing. However, I believe both indicate a level of duplicity and so avoid both. I offer to show them something “cool” or “odd” or “amazing” if I can’t join in the conversation naturally. By the same token “tricks” are something you do with cards, which is why I don’t use cards so much any more.
Just to be clear I don’t think for a second that my spectators truly believe that they’ve witnessed real magic, I just find I have to have that level of belief myself to get the best reactions.
I would also agree with Derek Gibbin, kids don’t find the idea of a trick to be in the slightest demeaning and I’ll happily show them a trick, including cards.
Thanks for sharing that Saul. Very good point. Seems using ‘something cool’or something amazing’ is very popular.
I never use the term “trick” because, as well as having the negative connotations of deception, it also makes your masterfully rehearsed effects that you’ve spent ages practising and perfecting sound a bit like one of those “magic tricks” that you’d pick up for £1.99 at a joke shop…
I agree with what the previous poster said about kids, as they LOVE the notion of trickery. I don’t show them card tricks though. In my experience (and this might just be my poor skills!) effects with cards never have the same impact on kids as they do on adults.
Thanks Iain. Question: What about a fully mastered, rehearesed, and well presented performance of a £1.99 magic trick that you can pick up from a joke shop?
Is practice, mastery and a developed performance a process that turns a magic trick into an ‘effect’?
Do magicians learn magic tricks, then turn them into effects through their practice?
Heh – great point and well made!
As someone said in the main body of the article, it is indeed the showmanship, performance and fluid practice that makes the difference between a trick and an effect.
I’m now minded to buy a cheap and cheerful trick and turn it into a thing of wonder, mystery and beauty 🙂