Meanings
- A polite refusal by someone who has just done a magic trick to reveal how it works.
- broadlyA refusal to explain how one accomplished something impressive.
Combs took a sip of his coffee and recoiled, forgetting how hot it was. He ignored the burning of his tongue, though, and asked Williams: "How did you know it was me?" “A magician never reveals his secrets.”
2015, Anthony Tyler, A Cold Dead Place, →ISBN2 more examples
"So how did you do it? Who were the bodies I saw? You didn't kill someone did you?” “No,” Nathan said, almost insulted by her questions, but a smile came over him. “A magician never reveals his secrets, Damarus. Now turn around and enjoy the silence.”
2003, Michelle Woody, Figment of the Heart, →ISBN, page 291"How did you get your hands on it?" The kidnapper shrugged, coyly. "I have my ways." "Which are what, exactly?" The kidnapper tsked, shaking a finger at him. “A magician never reveals his secrets, and a reporter never gives up his source.” Blare groaned, struggling to lift his head.
2016, K. Lache, Valor, →ISBN
Translations
Portuguese um mágico nunca revela seus segredos, um mágico nunca revela seus segredos
- um mágico nunca revela seus segredospolite refusal by someone who has just done a magic trick
- um mágico nunca revela seus segredosrefusal to explain how one accomplished something impressive
Cite this entry
a magician never reveals his secrets. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/a%20magician%20never%20reveals%20his%20secrets
“a magician never reveals his secrets.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/a%20magician%20never%20reveals%20his%20secrets. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “a magician never reveals his secrets,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/a%20magician%20never%20reveals%20his%20secrets.
Source: a magician never reveals his secrets on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.