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key to the midway

noun

Etymology

Carny slang, from the custom of sending a rube on a quest for the (non-existent) “key to the midway”.

Definitions

  1. A fictional item, the subject of a fool's errand.

    • Near-synonyms: skyhook, left-handed monkey wrench, left-handed smoke shifter, blinker fluid, muffler bearing, relative bearing grease, pigeon's milk

  2. A Ferris wheel or carousel, due to their central location.

    • “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.”

The neighborhood

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sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA