58 MAGIC WORDS • Pif, paf, poof Pif paf poof is the catchphrase of professional magician Geoffrey Durham's character "The Great Soprendo." • Pif, paf, poof, tarapapa poom - Jacques Offenbach, The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein (1867) • Poof, begone! "A disappearing act: 'Poof, begone!'" -- Avery Hart, Knights & Castles (1998) • Poof! Whammo! -- Peter Straub, In the Night Room (2004) • Poof! Woof! Soof! Soof! Woof! Poof! "When I count to three, vanish. Poof! Woof! Soof! Soof! Woof! Poof!" -- I. Rivers, Black Magic Woman (2004) In Literature: • "Will she go poof in a puff of smoke?" -- Roald Dahl, "George's Marvellous Medicine," The Roald Dahl Treasury (1961) • "'Just gone. Disappeared. Poof.' He paused. 'He's a magician. Poof. Get it?'" -- Lyn Hamilton, The Moche Warrior (1999) • "Even now, I remember watching the strange apparition suddenly turn to stone. I walked over to where it stood among the rubble and dust of the fallen building, and saw that it had that hideous grin upon its lips. A thought occurred to me to say the magic word: 'Poof!' The Shadow Man turned to dust, vanishing before my eyes . . . but, before the last particle fell away I heard in the distance the deep and abiding laughter of the Wizard of Lei Chen singing on the wind." -- Craig Harris, "The Wizard of Lei Chen" (2004) • "'Sometimes I can work magic better than Licleng. Watch me. Poof!' She raised her hands in a theatrical manner." -- Patricia Briggs, Dragon Bones (2002) • "The drumroll continues, the clown staggers back and forth a bit, but James never wobbles, and then, the clown sticks his arms up straight in the air, the drumroll flourishes, and then -- And then, James is gone. Just gone. Poof! The audience is stunned for a moment, silent, and then they get on their feet and begin to yell and cheer." -- Anne Ursu, Spilling Clarence (2002) • "[A] bit of waving, a bit of mumbling, and poof! -- whatever one's heart desires. But each conjuration, each illusory spectacle, requires agonizing hours of study and concentration." -- Paul A. Thomsen, Realms of Magic (1995) • "In my book, you're a goddamn wizard. A magician. Poof -- the elephant vanishes from the stage. Poof -- the magician's gone, cape and wand and everything." -- Robert Ludlum, The Ambler Warning (2005)