The Genii Forum

My wife sprang this question on me the other night, and damned if I know. Anyone?

Well, the French name for the sleight is "Le Tourniquet." Perhaps it was first recorded in a book by Robert Houdin?

JMT

Interesting question.

I notice that in Hoffmann's Modern Magic (1876), three of the passes with coins have French names: "Le Tourniquet", "La Pincette", and "La Coulee". It seems likely (as Joe Turner suggests) they came from an earlier French source.

I thought I was supposed to do it with my tongue... No wonder I always get caught! Vive La France! :p

A man named Alfred P. French invented it

Hence the name

Ain't that right?

Dave

Joe/Bob -- thanks. But I'm sure lots of age-old sleights have French names in French texts. Was the sleight called le Tourniquet in that 16th century (yes?) Scottish magic book that Bobo and others liked to plunder for epigraphs?

Ralph,

Yes, lots of age-old sleights will have French names in French texts. So assuming the sleight was first described or popularized in French texts, then it would be plausible that early English-speaking magicians and magic writers would have learned it directly or indirectly from these texts and adopted the French term.

And assuming they adopted the French term (in this case "le tourniquet") it would make sense to simplify it to "the French Drop".
Of course this is just a guess. If the sleight was described in English beforehand, then this theory becomes less plausible.

Bob, sorry, in my initial reading of your post I somehow forgot that Hoffmann was a (pseudonymous) Brit, not a Frenchman. So le tourniquet and other two French sleights maintained their Frenchness through at least one trip across the Channel. I do wonder what the earlier French sources were, and why we now call the sleight the French Drop (maybe someone had trouble pronouncing le tourniquet ).

So...the French Drop also goes by a French name, le tourniquet, but I'm still wondering whether it actually has French origins. (If this attempt to resuscitate the thread fails, I promise not to continue the CPR.)

No, no, no... you see the early French magicians were clumsy, and when trying to vanish a coin or ball they would DROP the object... hence the name "French Drop."
<GR&D> :D :D :D :D :D

I understand that in the beginning, French magicians would swirl coins in Au Jus before vanishing them, hence it became the French Dip... --Asrah

Ugh. I ask a coin question and get "answers" from a couple of cards. ;)

hi folks
the french guy is coming... to help you
Most of the principals magical techniques came from the Old Europe..."Le Tourniquet" was invented by a french guy when it was translated into english they called it the french drop.
As it was said on this thread most of the magic coins came from France (at the begining)....
hope that help you
Arthur Tivoli

Correct ! Le tourniquet was too hard to say and to remember, and as this move was a drop, it was translated by :" the french drop ".

And, it was invented by "a french guy." Well that pretty much wraps it up. Merci, Monsieur Arthur!

I give up <---- Subtle humour

Dave

Excuse me -- we're calling it the Freedom Drop for now.

i thought it was called a french drop, because you stick out your toungue when you do it. ( gota misidirect them somehow!) :^)

You vanish the coin and SURRENDER? :confused: :eek: :p

I thought it was because you are waving an empty fist while quietly holding out and going south with the money in the other hand. Or is that a different move? :rolleyes: -Jon

It was invented by Jerry Lewis.

It gets its name because during the action of the false transfer the object used descends in the manner of a Parisian dandy slipping and falling into a puddle. No...wait...that's the Drenched Fop.

Thank you -- Drenched Fop was worth the wait.

Pete McCabe you made me laugh out loud!!!! :D