key to the midway
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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Etymology
Carny slang, from the custom of sending a rube on a quest for the (non-existent) “key to the midway”.
Noun
key to the midway (plural keys to the midway)
- A fictional item, the subject of a fool's errand.
- A Ferris wheel or carousel, due to their central location.
- 1985, Rob Karwath, “The Gritty Side Of Life Along The Midway”, Chicago Tribune, August 14, 1985:
- “I’m a wheel man,” he says. “I’ve been crazy about Ferris wheels since I was a kid. The Ferris wheel is the key to the midway. When it’s up and running and the lights are on, everybody knows the show is open.”
- 1985, Rob Karwath, “The Gritty Side Of Life Along The Midway”, Chicago Tribune, August 14, 1985:
Synonyms
- (fictional item): left-handed monkey wrench, left-handed smoke shifter, pigeon's milk, skyhook
See also
References
- “Dictionary of Carny, Circus, Sideshow & Vaudeville Lingo” (excerpted from “Ultimate Carny Lingo Compendium” in On the Midway, Wayne N. Keyser, 2008, Blue Ridge Entertainment), Carny Lingo: J–P
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