McGuffin

/ məˈɡʌfɪn /

noun

1. an object or event in a book or a film that serves as the impetus for the plot

Word History and Origins

Origin of McGuffin¹

C20: coined (c. 1935) by Sir Alfred _Hitchcock

Example Sentences

Mr Hess, for his part, compared the department to a "McGuffin" - a plot device famously used by Alfred Hitchcock to develop a character's plot arc, while at the same time being largely irrelevant.

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“The belt’s kind of a McGuffin,” added Roth.

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Nichols called for his mother and told officers he wished to go home, McGuffin said.

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This is not to say these plot lines are McGuffins, though they nod toward that convention of the form.

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In fact, the judge limited her ruling only to the possibility of a change in policy, according to Jennifer McGuffin, a spokeswoman for Romanucci’s firm.

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