M Mesopotamia Facts: Also known as "the blessed word" (ca. 1870), Mesopotamia is "a magic word" owing "much of its charm and potency to its sonority."21 Mesopotamia refers to the ancient cradle of civilization between the Tigres and Euphrates rivers, site of the Sumerian, Babylonian, and Assyrian cultures. Miggle Maggle Muggle Mi In Literature: • "Orko waved his arms and the orbiting objects began to spin faster and faster. 'Annnnd now for the magic words! Miggle, Maggle, Muggle, Mi!" -- Stephen R. Sobotka Jr., "Gargoyles: Power & Honor" (1998) Mijoter Meanings: "The magic word . . . mijoter . . . describes that condition of near suspension in which there is, nonetheless, a whispering movement, a tiny bubble rising here and there to break a . . . still surface -- and it means, at the same time, a slow ripening." -- Richard Olney, Simple French Food (1974) Origins: Mijoter is of French origin. It means "to simmer." In Literature: •"Mijoter was the word she used, waving her hands like a conductor quieting an unruly orchestra." -- Elisabeth Luard, Sacred Food (2001) Mikkel Myyra Origins: This is a magic phrase from Finnish folklore, for transformation into an ant. Common Magician's Applications: Transformation. In Literature: • "[T]he shoemaker spoke the magic words 'Mikkel myyra,' and became an ant. At once the princess repeated, 'Mikkel myyra,' and she too became an 21 Eric Partridge, A Dictionary of Clichés (1978)