A

• Angles - the lines of vision of people sitting at certain position in the audience which enable a secret to be spotted* usually extreme left or right or behind. If a trick is "angly" it can only be done with limited audience viewpoints.

B

• Back Palm
  Back Palm
  Back palm is a card sleight, in which the card is retained backwards in the hand between the little finger and the index finger. This can be used to effect a vanish....
  
  - to palm in the back of the hand.
• Bevel - to slide the top portion of a deck of cards back so that the back of the deck is at an angle
  Bevel
  A beveled edge refers to an edge of a structure that is not perpendicular to the faces of the piece. The words bevel and chamfer overlap in usage; in general usage they are often interchanged, while in technical usage they may sometimes be differentiated as shown in the image at right.-Cutting...
  
  , used in some card tricks
  Card manipulation
  Card magic is the branch of conjuring that deals with creating magical effects using a deck of playing cards. Card magic is commonplace in magical performances, especially in close up magic or parlor magic and street magic. Some of the most recognized names in this field include John Scarne, Juan...
  
  .
• Bicycle Deck - Bicycle Playing Cards.
• Black art - the use of a stage fitted with a black velvet curtain background, using assistants and other props that are hidden by black shrouds. Careful lighting helps keep the secret a mystery to the audience.
• Blind Shuffle/Blind Cut - A cut or apparent shuffle in which the cards appear mixed but all of the cards are left completely undisturbed after the shuffle or cut.
• Burn - a subject staring at the magician's hands without averting the gaze, no matter what Misdirection is thrown at a subject.

C

• Copper and Silver (C/S) - Effect using two coins of contrasting metals which change place.
• Centre tear - a special way of tearing up paper billets used in mentalism
  Mentalism
  Mentalism is a performing art in which its practitioners, known as mentalists, appear to demonstrate highly developed mental or intuitive abilities. Performances may appear to include telepathy, clairvoyance, divination, precognition, psychokinesis, mediumship, mind control, memory feats and rapid...
  
  .
• Change - changing one card (or object) for another.
• Charlier Cut
  Charlier Cut
  The Charlier Cut or One Hand Cut is a method for cutting a deck of cards with only one hand. It is used by some card magicians as part of their act. In spite of this, it is considered a "flourish" rather than a card trick because there is no particular secret to doing it: all movements made are...
  
  - One handed flourish cut or pass.
• Classic force - a force performed by fanning the cards and timing the force card to land under their fingers.
• Classic palm - to palm with the centre of the hand.
• Clean - a hand which is empty or the condition achieved at the end of an effect where the magician has no supposedly vanished objects or gimmicked items in her hands. See Dirty.
• Cold - A deck secretly switched in during play. "Cold" because it hasn't been warmed up by handling.
• Color Change - Changing one card into another right in front of the spectator's eyes, as opposed to switching two cards secretly.
• Confederate - an audience member planted to act in a cooperative manner.
• Crimp - a gambler's move which can be used in magic, there are many different types* used for card location.
• Cut and Restored - see Torn and Restored.

D

• Deal - to take cards off the top of the deck. Dealing "seconds", "middles", or "bottoms", refers to a sleight in which the second, middle, or bottom card is secretly dealt in lieu of the top card.
• Dirty - a hand which contains an object the audience should not know about, or the condition at some point where the magician has "vanished" objects or gimmicked items hidden in her hands. See Clean.
• Ditch - to secretly get rid of an object or gimmick.
• Dove pan
  Dove pan
  The dove pan is a classic magic effect in which a magician produces a dove from an empty pan. The illusion continues to be performed by professional and amateur magicians....
  
  - a classic effect in which a performer produces a dove from a seemingly empty pan.
• Dovetail shuffle - see Riffle shuffle.
• Equivoque - a method of forcing a specific object on a spectator through a seemingly randomized selection process. See Force.

E

• Effect - how a magic trick is perceived by a spectator.
• Egg bag - a utility bag often made of black velvet which can be turned inside out to vanish an object (egg) or change one object for another.
• Elmsley count - a false count (often done with four cards) where the surface of a card is hidden while the cards are passed from one hand to another. Named for Alex Elmsley
  Alex Elmsley
  Alex Elmsley was a British Magician and Computer programmer. He was notable for his invention of the Ghost Count or Elmsley Count, creating mathematical card tricks, and for publishing the mathematics of playing card shuffling.He began practicing magic in 1946, as a teenager...
  
  , its inventor.

F

• Fairy dust - see Magic dust.
• False transfer - a technique in which an object appears to be taken into one hand while actually being retained in the other.
• False shuffle/False cut - a shuffle or cut in which the deck is apparently mixed but, in reality, the portions of the original order is retained such as a top or bottom stock kept in order - also see Blind Shuffle.
• Faro - a shuffle similar to the riffle where the cards mesh perfectly. An in or out faro is performed depending on the position of the top card.
• Finger palm - to palm in the fingers.
• Flash - to accidentally expose an object or part of an object momentarily during a secret move.
• Flourish
  Flourish
  Card flourishes is the term for visual displays of skill performed with playing cards designed to show the skill or manual dexterity of a 'Flourisher'. Card flourishes are primarily intended to be visually fascinating and to appear difficult to do....
  
  - a showy move which displays handling skills.
• French drop
  French drop
  The French drop is a well-known vanish involving sleight of hand. The magician takes a coin or small object between the fingers and the thumb with fingers facing the audience and thumb behind. The palm is face up. We'll assume the object is in the right hand though it could be either...
  
  - A false transfer with a coin or small object.
• Force
  Equivocation (magic)
  Equivocation is a technique by which a magician appears to have intended a particular outcome, when in actuality the outcome is one of several alternative outcomes.-Card force:...
  
  - where a card or other object is made to be selected by the spectator, despite the appearance of a free choice.

G

• Gaff - A gimmick designed to look like something real while accomplishing some secret task.
• Ghost count - A false count of cards.
• Glimpse - a secret view of a card or object.
• Gimmick - a secret part or object used to make the trick work.

I

• Invisible Deck - Classic effect by magician Don Alan in which a card merely named by the spectator is the only one face down in the face-up deck. Many magicians use the Invisible Deck as a backup plan if something goes wrong in the middle of a routine. Similar to a Brainwave Deck, in which a thought-of card is revealed face-up in a face-down deck--and has a different colored back.
• Impromptu - a trick that can be performed at a moment's notice, usually with everyday objects and little or no preparation.

L

• Lapping - dropping an object into one's lap to vanish it* performed while seated.
• Load - Verb--to secretly put an object into a location. Noun--An object in a secret location ready to be produced.
• Loaded - a die
  Dice
  A die is a small throwable object with multiple resting positions, used for generating random numbers...
  
   which comes up the same number, or an object which secretly contains another object ready for production.
• Locator - similar to a key card* a card which can be found in some way. It may be long, short, thick, rough, smooth, crimped, daubed, marked, reversed, or simply known.

M

• M5 - Neodymium magnet
  Neodymium magnet
  A neodymium magnet , the most widely-used type of rare-earth magnet, is a permanent magnet made from an alloy of neodymium, iron, and boron to form the Nd2Fe14B tetragonal crystalline structure. Developed in 1982 by General Motors and Sumitomo Special Metals, neodymium magnets are the strongest...
  
  , used for PK effects, balances, stopping watches, and vanishes.
• Magic dust - invisible substance stored in magician's pocket that supposedly makes tricks work. Excuse for going to a pocket to get rid of a vanished item. Also called "Woofle Dust." See Misdirection.
• Magician's choice - see Force.
• Magician's rope - soft, usually white rope used for rope tricks.
• Magician's wax - wax used to temporarily attach objects. The earliest known magician's wax is beeswax.
• Manipulator - a magician with a showy sleight of hand act, often set to music.
• Mark - a subject for a con game.
• Mechanic - an operator who is very skilled at sleight of hand, usually with cards.
• Mechanic's grip - a way of holding the pack in the left hand ready for dealing. The forefinger is on the front of the deck to help square the pack and control the cards. A lay person will hold the deck with the fingers all underneath or down the side.
• Misdirection - psychological techniques for controlling attention.
• Monte
  Three-card Monte
  Three-card Monte, also known as the Three-card marney, Three-card trick, Three-Way, Three-card shuffle, Menage-a-card, Triplets, Follow the lady, Les Trois Perdants , le Bonneteau, Find the lady, or Follow the Bee is a confidence game in which the victim, or mark, is tricked into betting a...
  
  - a famous con game where three cards are thrown down and the mark has to follow a chosen card* due to a sleight of hand, the mark never wins.

O

• One Ahead
  Billet reading
  Billet reading is a mentalist effect in which a performer pretends to read messages sealed inside envelopes by clairvoyance. Although billet reading is accomplished by a simple trick, the effect can give the impression of mind reading. Billet reading is usually performed as an entertaining parlor...
  
  - principle often used in mentalism where the magician uses previously obtained information to stay one step ahead of the audience and supposedly make accurate predictions/guesses.
• Out - an alternative ending to an effect.
• Overhand shuffle - a shuffle where the cards are dropped from one hand into the other in small random groups.

P

• Packet trick - a card magic effect involving a small quantity of cards.
• Palm
  Palming
  Palming is a technique for holding or concealing an object in the palm of the hand. It is used frequently by magicians to conceal the presence of a card, coin, or other object. When done skillfully, the hand containing the palmed object appears to be completely empty.-Methods:Methods for palming...
  
  - to secretly hold an object in the hand in a manner which is unnoticeable.
• Pass - a secret move to transpose the halves of a pack* a way to secretly cut a deck of cards.
• Patter
  Patter
  Patter is a prepared and practiced speech, that is designed to produce a desired response from its audience. Examples of occupations with a patter might include the: auctioneer, salesperson, dance caller, or comedian....
  
  - The dialogue used in the performance of an effect. Patter styles may differ from magicians to magicians - some prefer a serious patter, while others opt for a light hearted humorous patter to relax the audience and try to catch them off guard.
• Peek - see Glimpse.
• Profonde/Pochettes - large pockets in tail coats which can be used for vanishes or productions, although not popular method today due to fashion trends.
• Pinch - holding something between the fingers.
• Plant - see Confederate.
• Psychokinesis - moving things using supposed supernatural powers.
• Pull - a device of elastic which pulls object up sleeve or under jacket as in the vanishing cigarette.
• Pull through shuffle - the concluding move to a riffle where the two halves are pulled through each other and not mixed.

R

• Retention of vision
  Retention of vision
  Retention of vision is a conjuring term referring to the perceived image of an object during a vanish...
  
  - the after-image on the retina
  Retina
  The vertebrate retina is a light-sensitive tissue lining the inner surface of the eye. The optics of the eye create an image of the visual world on the retina, which serves much the same function as the film in a camera. Light striking the retina initiates a cascade of chemical and electrical...
  
  * applied to certain visually convincing vanishes.
• Raven - a pull consisting of a padded magnet on elastic.
• Riffle - to let cards come out of the hand, creating a noise.
• Riffle shuffle - the most common shuffling technique in which half of the deck is held in each hand with the thumbs inward, then cards are released by the thumbs so that they fall to the table intertwined.
• Rough - cards which have been treated with substance to increase surface friction, making it easier to keep cards aligned to each other.
• Routine - a sequence of effects (typically related).
• Run - taking the cards off singly during an overhand shuffle which can be used to stack the deck.

S

• Secret - core principle of conjuring; something which should not be shared, usually a method, sleight, or other means of accomplishing an effect.
• Servante - a secret shelf or compartment behind the magician's table.
• Silk - a silk handkerchief
  Handkerchief
  A handkerchief , also called a handkercher or hanky, is a form of a kerchief, typically a hemmed square of thin fabric that can be carried in the pocket or purse, and which is intended for personal hygiene purposes such as wiping one's hands or face, or blowing one's nose...
  
  .
• Shell - a hollowed out coin or ball which fits over the real object allowing vanish and reproductions.
• Shell game - A confidence trick involving three half walnut shells and a pea. The mark bets on which shell contains the pea, but he loses every time because the operator is cheating with sleight of hand.
• Shill - see Confederate.
• Shuffle
  Shuffle
  Shuffling is a procedure used to randomize a deck of playing cards to provide an element of chance in card games. Shuffling is often followed by a cut, to help ensure that the shuffler has not manipulated the outcome.-Shuffling techniques:...
  
  - to randomize a deck of playing cards.
• Sleeving - dropping an object up a sleeve to vanish it.
• Sleight
  Sleight of hand
  Sleight of hand, also known as prestidigitation or legerdemain, is the set of techniques used by a magician to manipulate objects such as cards and coins secretly....
  
  - a secret move or technique.
• Slicks - highly polished cards or coins which are more slippery* useful for flourishes. See Rough.
• Slide - a tube used to get an object to an otherwise impossible to reach location.
• Slip - to retain the top or bottom cards, or both, during an overhand shuffle.
• Slip-on corner - a corner of a card that can be placed over the actual corner of a card. These corners show a rank and suit different from the card's actual.
• Sphinx Principle - the concept that two mirrors at 90 degrees and with their apex facing the audience can be used to reflect the side curtains or walls, which are the same pattern as those at the back, enabling an object to be hidden behind the mirrors* first used in the Sphinx illusion.
• Sponge - a sponge ball.
• Spread - flourishing a deck of cards onto a tabletop.
• Stack - a prearranged deck or part of the deck of cards, or to rearrange while overhand shuffling.
• Steal - a sleight used to obtain an object secretly.
• Stodare egg - a hollow egg used in vanish or production of a silk.
• Stooge - see Confederate.
• Sucker effect - a trick where the spectator is led to believe he has worked it out, only to be proven wrong.
• Switch - to exchange one object for another.

T

• Table shuffle - a variation of the riffle shuffle, often used by dealers in casino
  Casino
  In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
  
  s, in which the deck's halves are placed flat on the table with their rear corners touching. The back edges are then lifted with the thumbs while the halves are pushed together.
• Talking - inadvertent noises made by the props which can give away the trick.
• Torn and Restored - a trick in which the magician rips something up into many pieces and then "restores" it.
• Thumb palm - to palm in the crotch of the thumb.
• Tourniquet - see French drop.

W

• Woofle dust - see Magic dust.
• wand - a stick commonly used by children's magicians to apparently make the trick work.It is usually black with white tips.

Z

• Zarrow shuffle
  Zarrow shuffle
  Zarrow shuffle is a sleight of hand technique that gives the appearance of being a normal riffle shuffle, but in fact leaves the cards in exactly the same order. This is an example of a false shuffle. It was invented by magician Herb Zarrow circa 1940....
  
  - A blind shuffle, that appears to be an honest riffle shuffle to spectators and leaves the deck entirely in its original order.
• Zombie Ball
  Zombie ball
  The zombie ball is a magic illusion in which a metal sphere on a small pedestal is covered with a silk cloth, and appears to levitate upwards carrying the cloth with it. The magician continues to hold two corners of the cloth...
  
  - A ball that floats around, usually under the cover of a cloth.