W 44 slight change in pronunciation, wow becomes another popular expression of wonderment: whoa. When a magician says "wow" as a magic word, he serves a double purpose: to express proper respect for a marvel taking place (the sense of wow as a noun), and to subtly command his spectators to be amazed (the sense of wow as a verb). When a magician appears to be personally moved by a magical effect, he communicates a dignified modesty while retaining the respect of the audience for having manifested the illusion. In Literature: • "One participant summed it up in three magic words: 'I was wowed!'" -- T. Scott Gross, Why Service Stinks (200 )