noun
A folk-magic charm or simple spell, often used for good luck, healing, or warding off bad things. The honorific prefix お gives it a gentle, everyday feel. Can also refer to a curse in context.
My grandmother chanted a charm to cure my cold.
テストに合格するおまじないを友達に教えてもらった。
A friend taught me a good-luck spell for passing the test.
noun
boilerplate code; magic incantation (computing)
Jocular computing term for code that seems to work like a magic spell, especially boilerplate or code whose purpose is not immediately clear. Often used in programmer slang.
このおまじないを書かないとプログラムが動かないんだ。
If you don't write this incantation, the program won't run.
初心者にはただのおまじないに見えるコードも、意味がわかると納得できる。
Code that looks like a magic spell to beginners makes sense once you understand it.