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

In a sense, Trump himself is almost like the MacGuffin, the plot device that gives these characters an excuse to get together.

From Salon

“Night Country” serves a wide array of MacGuffins to turn over, cutting all kinds of Season 1 Easter Eggs into the Christmas hash.

From Salon

Though one might think it not hard to find — just sail until you hit it — a map to the place is the season’s major MacGuffin.

From Los Angeles Times

This sequence is ostensibly there to introduce the film’s MacGuffin, Archimedes Antikythera, a real celestial calculation machine with extraordinary predictive capabilities that in the film is bestowed with some otherworldly powers.

From Washington Times

The resistance says no: “Algorithms love cliches,” declares JQ, “and there’s no cliche bigger than the quest for the Holy Grail — most overused MacGuffin ever.”

From Los Angeles Times