MacGuffin

noun Mac·Guf·fin \mə-ˈgə-fən\

Definition of MACGUFFIN

: 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

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Mac·Guf·fin or Mc·Guf·fin \mə-ˈgə-fən\

coined by Alfred Hitchcock

First Known Use: circa 1939

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