McGuffin
/məˈgʌfɪn/noun
- an object or device in a film or a book which serves merely as a trigger for the plot(电影或小说中触发故事情节的)麦加芬母题。
词源
late 20th cent.: a Scottish surname, said to have been borrowed by the English film director, Alfred Hitchcock, from a humorous story involving such a pivotal factor.