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Alex
My daughter recently learned a very powerful magic word: “please” – we’ve been trying to get her to say please, but now she thinks that her request *can’t* be denied if she attaches pleez to the end of it! 
Miss Cellania
Groucho Marx had a different magic word every day on TV, but in the movies it was “swordfish”.
Cab Calloway would say “Hidey-hidey-hidey-ho” and women would magically appear at the backstage door.
Art W
According to Clarke’s Law, we can include “Klaatu Barada Nikto”, as being part of a science so far advanced so as to be indistinguishable from magic.
lisapeet
Re Bart’s Zombie Spell: Zabar’s isn’t a discount chain — it’s a high-end gourmet food store. But it certainly is too good a name to resist as far as magic spells go.
Scooter
Klaatu barada…. Neck tie? Nickle?
You have to say the magic words right in order to pick up the book of the dead. Everyone knows that.
molli
wth – I must be brain dead or caught in time somewhere. But what the hell is this guy’s motivation and what is he saying? The only magic words I know of: “open sesame” “abracadabra” and “please”.
MadMolecule
I’ve always liked the buried mysticism of exclaiming “holy sh*t” when surprised or amazed. Combining the sacred and the profane in one tidy little phrase, one thing composed of two irreconcilable ideas.
Craig Conley
Yes, MadMolecule, the sacred and profane go together like light and shadow. “As above, so below,” as it’s been said.
Craig Conley
Molli, you’ve named three of the most famous magic words, to be sure. As to my motivation, this reviewer summed it up pretty well:
Craig Conley
Good point, Scooter — how you order and pronounce the magic word is crucial! Imagine saying the words “I love you” in the classic monotone of Ben Stein. That probably wouldn’t manifest any wedding bells. Comedian Russell Brand related proposing to a woman who spoke only Spanish, and he clumsily told her he loved himself.
Craig Conley
Miss Cellania, Groucho Marx’s show technically featured a “secret word,” but it had magical consequences.
Dave
Don’t know if it qualifies as a magic word or not, but I’ve been told by several choir directors that if you forget the words to a song, just sing “watermelon” over & over, and nobody will be the wiser.
And Alex: if your daughter is anything like my kids, her recently acquired magic word will become more and more drawn out (puhleeeeeeeeeese?) with the extra emphasis of puppy eyes and maybe even a little tear in the eye, just for good measure. Make sure you know who’s training who.
Jeff @ Omegaword
Holy Moly is an interesting revelation. I didn’t know it came from 1940, not to mention the irony of its original use to protect against incantations.
Holy guacamole, this Craig . . . can’t anyone STOP HIM??
dalycitymike
what about “Traguna, macoides, tracorum sadis dee” — the spell for substitutiary locomotion from Bedknobs and Broomsticks….
Shprocket
Ali Baba didn’t say “open sesame”, that’s a corruption. He said “open, says me”.
Craig Conley
Shprocket, “open sesame” is widely thought to have been “inspired by the fact that the pods of the sesame plant burst open when the enclosed seeds reach maturity.” The name of the seed is over 4,000 years old and is “one of the few to have entered modern languages from the ancient Egyptian (sesemt).” (From MAGIC WORDS: A DICTIONARY)
arfies
(geek alert!)
You’ve crossed your Darrins! Darrin #1 was convinced by Uncle Arthur (doing a practical joke) that he had magic powers, and the words were “Yagazuzy, yagazuzy, yagazuzy zim!” etc.
Darrin #2 was given real magic powers by Samantha’s father, Maurice, and that’s where the words were “Zolda, pranken, kopeck, lum.” Aunt Clara also used those words to try to levitate a teacup. It broke.
(geek off…)
KeeBlitz
How does a classic like “Sim Sim Sala Bim” get left out?
You’ve gotta give Hadji props…he had his magic words perfected!
Ian(boy)
i want to learn some real magic in life please teach me how to learn magic words or latin to have my own magic please teach
