LA Speak / Magicians

beat v. fool a fellow magician. “Patrick beat me bad with his four-ace trick.”

burn v. focus intently on a magician’s hands to detect the secret.

finger-flinger n. magician given to flashy sleight of hand. syn. move- monkey.

flash v. inadvertently show palmed object or secret action. “That ball-vanish would have beat me, except it flashed.”

hand-washing n. magician’s choreographed and usually unnatural hand gesture that “proves” his hands are empty. “The guy stinks--one second of magic and 10 seconds of hand-washing.”

load n. hidden item that is produced during a trick. “In his cups and balls routine, the final load is a live chick!”

move n. sleight of hand technique.

real work n. advanced technique for performing a trick, often guarded by an inner circle of magicians. “Let me show you the real work on that deck switch.”

shade v. obscure a secret move. “He maneuvered a spectator to shade that move.”

spring flowers n. compressible paper flowers containing wire springs that cause them to expand when they are produced.

zig zag n. standard illusion in which the magician’s assistant stands in a vertical cabinet with three sections. The center section is pulled out of line and the assistant appears to be separated into thirds.