second-sight trick

The "second-sight trick" is a conjuring illusion where a magician's assistant appears to know what the magician is thinking or seeing. This is a form of apparent thought transference, not genuine psychic ability. Magicians like Pinetti popularized this trick in the 1780s as part of elaborate stage performances. Conjuring itself involves creating illusions of impossible feats, such as apparent creation, destruction, or transformation of objects, often relying on optical illusions and mechanical devices. While "second sight" can also refer to a supernatural ability to perceive things beyond the normal senses, in the context of magic, it is a carefully crafted illusion.123