MAGIC WORDS Algol, Almach, Elnath, Alpheratz, Hamal, Mirfak, Antares, Caph (see also Betelgeuse) Origin: This incantation names stars in the night sky. In Literature: • From Alan Watts, "Incantation of the Stars" (1971), Cloud-hidden, Whereabouts Unknown (1974): O Algol, Almach, Elnath, and Alpheratz, Hamal, Mirfak, Antares, and Caph -- with the music of your far-out names the magician casts a spell upon the sky. Alia Meaning: • Elephant "We had just finished a pint bottle of cherry brandy when I felt a gentle touch upon my shoulder, and our look-out man whispered in my ear the magic word 'alia' (elephant), at the same time pointing in the direction of the tank." -- Sir Samuel White Baker, The Rifle and The Hound in Ceylon (185 ) Origin: Alia is a Latin word meaning "other." Ali-Baba-Cadabra (see abracadabra, ala, cadabra, open sesame) Meanings: Ali is an Arabic word meaning "by the most high." Ali'i is a Hawaiian word meaning "chief." Facts: Ali Baba is the title character in the story "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" from the Arabian Nights by Antoine Galland (18th century). Ali-Baba-Cadabra, echoing abracadabra, is an alternative to open sesame, as it can be read to mean "Ali Baba's magic word" or "Ali Baba's abraca dabra." "Ali-Baba-Cadabra" is the name of a musical composition by Paul Amrod.