MacGuffin

noun

Mac·​Guf·​fin mə-ˈgə-fən 

variants or McGuffin

: an object, event, or character in a film or story that serves to set and keep the plot in motion despite usually lacking intrinsic importance

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Alfred Hitchcock and MacGuffin

The first person to use MacGuffin as a word for a plot device was Alfred Hitchcock. He borrowed it from an old shaggy-dog story in which some passengers on a train interrogate a fellow passenger carrying a large, strange-looking package. The fellow says the package contains a "MacGuffin," which, he explains, is used to catch tigers in the Scottish Highlands. When the group protests that there are no tigers in the Highlands, the passenger replies, "Well, then, this must not be a MacGuffin." Hitchcock apparently appreciated the way the mysterious package holds the audience's attention and builds suspense. He recognized that an audience anticipating a solution to a mystery will continue to follow the story even if the initial interest-grabber turns out to be irrelevant.

Examples of MacGuffin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The book of evil spells then becomes the MacGuffin in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. —Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 18 Sep. 2024

The Property Masters Guild (PMG) announced the winners of the inaugural PMG MacGuffin Awards, which is the only awards show to date celebrating the significant artistic achievements of Property Masters. —Andrés Buenahora, Variety, 15 Sep. 2024

The Property Masters Guild handed out its inaugural MacGuffin Awards tonight in Los Angeles, celebrating significant artistic achievements of property masters in film and TV. —Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 14 Sep. 2024

Property Masters Guild Presents the MacGuffin Awards Belasco Theater, 1050 S. Hill St., Los Angeles, 6 p.m. Awards show to honor artistic achievements of property masters and their teams in 11 categories. —Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

coined by Alfred Hitchcock

First Known Use

1939, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

MacGuffin

noun

Mac·​Guf·​fin

variants or McGuffin

mə-ˈgəf-ən

: something (as an object) in a film or story that serves to set and keep the plot in motion despite usually lacking intrinsic importance

Etymology

coined by Alfred Hitchcock, died 1980, British film director