crystal ball

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crystal ball (plural crystal balls)

1. A globe of glass or crystal used to foretell the future.

   The psychic looked into the crystal ball and saw into the future.

   • 1957, Sydney J. Bounds, The Robot Brains, London: Digit Books, page 31:

     "Well, Victor agreed and Madame Rosita sat down with her crystal ball on a black cloth in front of her."

   • 1970, Richard Carpenter, Catweazle, Harmondsworth: Puffin Books, page 85:

     The object that he found most interesting was a large crystal ball standing in the middle of the table. “Ah!” he said. “’Tis a giant scrying glass! Like a full moon! I feel its power!”

2. (by extension) A way of seeing into the future.

   If her past is a crystal ball to her future, she will perhaps never be rich, even though she is a kind, hard-working person.

3. One of the magickal tools of Wicca, used for divination and altar purposes.

• crystal sphere, orbuculum, shew stone, showstone, seeing stone, scrying stone

• scry