name
Meaning 1
A surname.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
MacGuffin
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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Received-Pronunciation, US: /məˈɡʌf.ɪn/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
noun
Meaning 2
A plot element or other device used to catch the audience's attention and maintain suspense, but whose exact nature has fairly little influence over the storyline.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, narratology, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
(film) a plot element that catches the viewers' attention or drives the plot
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- the McGuffin was a key element of Alfred Hitchcock's films
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: McGuffin
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: plot element
History
Etymology
Used by Alfred Hitchcock, as an arbitrary Scottish surname. The actual name comes from Ulster: Mc- (“son of”) + Irish dubh (“black”) + Irish Fionn (literally “fairheaded”). See also Wikipedia's MacGuffin § History and use.