macguffin
1 synonym for macguffin, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — An object or goal in a story that drives the action but barely matters in itself.
Synonyms
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
McGuffin
Etymology
Used by Alfred Hitchcock as an arbitrary Scottish surname. The name itself comes from Ulster, formed from Mc- (“son of”), Irish dubh (“black”), and Irish Fionn (literally “fairheaded”). See also Wikipedia's MacGuffin § History and use.
Full origin of macguffin →