So basically, speaking magicians are making a mistake.

Time to study mime!

By the sound of it, the most underused phrase used by magicians is "The End".

"Have you never heard of black cherries?" -- Maybe this one has stuck because it's a utility gag?

Must say this thread has been a wake up call* and I'll be studying my language very closely from now on. CdnAndrews post rang bells* and I am at my most guilty of "tired" phrases when handling the cards. Mentalism draws on a particular jargon too I find.

I think some of the one liners have become like pantomime jokes** and are expected and enjoyed by an audience even if they pre-date Moses.


*Apologies for cliches.
**Oh no they haven't.

"..even if they pre-date Moses"

Oops - the jokes that is

I tried to do some magic for people who could have passed as pre-dating Moses.

They weren't very "Into it" also one lady kept trying to get me to stop stealing from her room. Another guy just thought I was his son.

However, old folk are what keep the junk mail guys in business. Thank goodness Social Security pays so well.....

I dislike the same phrases in magic that I do in speech or writing. Anything verbose bothers me. When it comes to magic specifically, I dislike the word "fair".

Jeff

"Who would like to be my next victim, er.. Volunteer?"

"For my next trick..."

"Basically, .." - unnecessary

"Err" - disgusting

The Amazing Jonathan has a funny twist on the line "Just a normal deck of cards, right?" as he thumbs throught the deck. When the spectator agrees he swings the cards in a circle (it's an Electric Deck) and says, "Well then how do you explain this?"

How about, "Good evening, I am the house magician and I am here to do magic for you" or something to that effect.

A line is only old if you've heard it before. Sometimes a direct, however old, line is important. I want you to choose a card. Don't mince words. Get to the point without wasting five minutes to say what can be said in two seconds (Like this post for one thing). Pick a card. How more direct can you get. Not, May I have select this paste board that I am fanning before you. Just, Pick a card. Easy.

Never heard that in my life.

Mrbilldentertainer, the black cherry line is funny. This is a good way of using an out when doing tricks like John Kennedy's Mind Power Deck. "Is your card a color of a cherry?" Pause. Let their face register that you've goofed. "Have you ever heard of a black cherry?" It may get a laugh, it may not. But, at least you now know what color it is and can continue.

Somebody mentioned this one some time back: "Here we have..."

Who's we, the poster asked, do you have a mouse in your pocket?

Why yes George, I do. Let me show you ( great way to get into the magic mouse trick? )

Here are a couple that make me cringe:

"you should"

and

"i know how you feel"

No one's mentioned the use of, "...like so".

As in, for e.g., "I put this in here... like so."

"...like so" is a magicians' favourite. It is used to explain an action that doesn't need to be explained. It's a substitute for an actual meaningful script which is, as far as I can make out, always tagged on to a bare bones description of whatever proceedure is being undertaken.

If you say this phrase during your performance you'll find that forcing yourself to not say it will be an instant improvement as you'll be forced to say something interesting and relevent to what you're doing rather than just blandly describing what you're doing.

Neal.

Actually I kind of like the line: Pick a card any card...No not that one.

I am bothered by some of the things magicians say at Magic Circle performances:

"Here is something I am working on, hope I don't screw it up."

"You've probably seen this done better than me."

"My wife hates this so I'll do it for you."

"At least with you guys I don't have to practice much."

Kind of along the lines of changing the mind line is, "Are you sure?"

In the magic retail realm..the word "killer" anywhere in the ad copy of a trick has come to mean "mediocre" to me.

The most overused phrase is:

What can I buy next?