In fiction, a MacGuffin (sometimes McGuffin) is an object, device, or event that is necessary to the plot and the motivation of the characters, but insignificant, unimportant, or irrelevant in itself. [1][2][3][4][5] …

MacGuffin, element in a work of fiction that drives the plot and motivates the characters despite being relatively insignificant to the story. A story’s MacGuffin can take the form of an object, event, or …

Feb 8, 2025 · A MacGuffin is a plot device that either serves as a catalyst for the action in a story. It can be a goal, person, object, or idea the characters are in pursuit of, and it generally needs to be …

" MacGuffin " (a.k.a. McGuffin or maguffin) is a term for an object or element in a story that drives the plot, but serves no further purpose. It won't pop up again later, it won't explain the ending, and it …

The meaning of MACGUFFIN is 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.

Jun 9, 2021 · What is a MacGuffin in film? Learn the definition, how it works, and why some MacGuffins are strong while others fall flat.

Here you see the MacGuffin has been boiled down to its purest expression: nothing at all! The term was coined by Angus MacPhail, a Scottish writer who worked writing dialogue for silent films before …

Jun 14, 2025 · The MacGuffin is one of the most important plot devices in film history, and Hitchcock perfected its use 90 years ago in an excellent little 1935 movie about stolen British secrets.

May 31, 2024 · A MacGuffin is a type of plot device, narrative techniques that help advance the plot of a story. These mechanisms often have bad reputations as lazy writing, but plot devices can elevate a …

Perhaps MacGuffin is the personification of a bad smell that motivates the characters into action. The term is believed to have been influenced by Angus MacPhail, the British screenwriter who worked …