MacGuffin

or Mc·Guf·fin

[ muh-guhf-in ]

noun

1. a plot device in a work of fiction, often a physical object, that drives the plot forward without factoring into the story’s resolution:

   The statue in The Maltese Falcon is the most well-known example of a MacGuffin in cinema.

Word History and Origins

Origin of MacGuffin¹

First recorded in 1935–40; probably from the surname MacGuffin and popularized by Alfred Hitchcock

Example Sentences

The plot of Red Notice, such as it is, involves a deeply earnest search for “Cleopatra’s third egg,” a deeply ridiculous jeweled MacGuffin.

From Vox