Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
In the
Arabian Nights
story of Ali Baba and the forty thieves, the fabulous treasure
cave could be entered only by uttering two magic words: “Open sesame!” When Ali
Baba spoke these words in a clear, firm voice, the cave opened and he was able to enter
and gather untold riches. When as a child I read this story, I didn't attach any signific-
ance to the ritual; “sesame” had a good ring to it, and we used it in games and jokes.
It's still an expression for a magic formula for anything literally or figuratively hard to
open. Only later did I learn the author had simply used a common charm that he knew
would be familiar to his readers.
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