as in spells
a spoken word or set of words believed to have magic power
originally, an abracadabra was a cryptogram of the word "abracadabra" that was repeated in diminishing form until it disappeared entirely—supposedly just like the targeted evil or misfortune
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spells
Noun
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Roberto Di Matteo’s time at Chelsea has a case to be one of the weirdest managerial spells of all time.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
25 Jan. 2026 -
Directed by Joel Thompson, the centuries-old tale of demons, magic spells and a deal with the devil is brought to life with special effects and theatrical stage haze.—
Philip Potempa,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Jan. 2026
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“Abracadabras.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abracadabras. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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