MAGIC WORDS Origins: These magic words were featured in the Rivest-Shamir-Adelman (RSA) public key algorithm challenge of 1977. In 1994, over 600 volunteer cryptographers from around the word, using 1500 computers over a period of eight months, managed to break the code of RSA's 129-digit number. The decrypted message read: "The magic words are squeamish ossifrage." Thus began a tradition of using squeamish ossifrage in key-breaking challenges. Facts: Ossifrage refers to a "bone-crushing" predatory vulture. Squeeza-Ma-Jintiun In Literature: • "[There was] an expert fisherman who while his companions caught little would pull up one trout after the other. Of course they were astonished and questioned him about his accomplishment. 'Oh,' he vaguely replied, 'I just put the old squeeza-ma-jintiun (his word for magic) on them.' When asked what he meant he replied, 'I just sit in the boat and mentally picture the fish swimming up to my bait. I picture the fish taking the line, and I just pull 'em in.'" -- Robert Collier, Prayer Works (1950) Sucop Sucoh Sucop, Sucoh! Hold on tight! Soon my magic will work right. -- Kemal Kurt, Mixed-Up Journey to Magic Mountain (2002) Facts: This magic phrase is hocus pocus spelled backwards. In Literature: • From Mixed-Up Journey to Magic Mountain by Kemal Kurt (2002): Rabbit's paw, garden snail, Cat's eye, mouse hair, dragon tail, Cross your fingers if you dare, From my hat will hop a hare! Sucop, Sucoh! You will see, My spells are working perfectly! • "The crowd circles around the old soothsayer with his long white beard and gray tunic. He was casting his wicked incantations upon Anazasi. 'sucop . . . sucoh,' he chanted loudly." -- Joseph DeMarco, 4 Hundred and 20 Assassins of Emir Abdullah-Harazins (2004)