A double lift is a sleight of hand used by magicians in card magic. It is a method by which the magician can keep the identity of the top card secret by lifting the top two cards at once while making it seem as if only the top card is displayed. Hence, the audience is tricked into believing that they are shown the top card in the deck where in fact they are shown the second card. There are different ways to perform this sleight, many of which allow variations such as a triple lift or even a quadruple lift (turning over three or four cards over as one respectively).
Some versions of the Ambitious card routine rely almost entirely upon this sleight. In combination with a few other mechanics and good showmanship, entire acts can and have been made out of this single move.
Famous quotes containing the words double and/or lift:
“Art has a double face, of expression and illusion, just like science has a double face: the reality of error and the phantom of truth.”
—René Daumal (1908–1944)
“Too many photographers try too hard. They try to lift photography into the realm of Art, because they have an inferiority complex about their Craft. You and I would see more interesting photography if they would stop worrying, and instead, apply horse-sense to the problem of recording the look and feel of their own era.”
—Jessie Tarbox Beals (1870–1942)