To what does the title “the magic barrel” refer? it is an allusion to the saying “more fun than a barrel of monkeys.” it is a reference to salzman’s lie about having so many cards for eligible women that he had to put them in a barrel in his office. the soon-to-be married person expects an answer to his or her questions about marriage to come from a seer or a magician. “magic barrel” is an english translation of a yiddish term for “mysterious: