- Bally: Carnival term for a free show given outside a sideshow to attract a 'tip'
- Blade Glommer: Carny term for 'Sword Swallower'
- Bouncers: Carnival term for exhibits of large glass bottles containing babies preserved in formaldehyde, called "bouncers" because they floated or "bounced" whenever the bottle was moved
- Burr: Snag or sharp nick in a sword blade which needs to be filed and sanded before blade can be safely swallowed
- Drop: Ability to hold a sword in the throat using only the muscles of the esophagus, and then letting the sword drop further down the throat by relaxing these muscles
- Gaff: Gimmicked or rigged prop often used by magicians or illusionists to imitate sword swallowers. A "gaff" can also be a created "creature" such as a "Fiji mermaid" to pull people into the sideshow. The term "gaff" comes the "gaff" fishing tool used to pull fish in; in sideshow terms, a "gaff" can be used at sideshows to "hook" or pull people into the sideshow
- Hot Sandwich: Multiple swords "sandwiched" together at the same time with a lit cigarette wedged between them and withdrawn with the cigarette still lit
- Mark: Carnival term for towners or townspeople who become sideshow audience/customers
- Midway: Carnival term for the row of attractions located "midway" to the circus big top
- Multiples: Multiple swords swallowed at the same time (also known as "Sandwich" or "Sword Sandwich")
- Neon: Neon tube swallowed by some sword swallowers to illuminate the throat
- Pickled Punks: Carnival term for exhibits of large glass bottles containing babies preserved in formaldehyde
- Rube: Carnival term for towners or townspeople who become sideshow audience/customers
- Sandwich: Multiple swords swallowed "sandwiched" together at the same time (see "Multiples")
- Steel Slurper: Carny term for 'Sword Swallower'
- Sword Sandwich: Multiple swords swallowed at the same time (see "Multiples")
- Talker: Carnival term for the person who makes the "outside openings" and "talks" in front of an attraction in order to attract "marks" and "turn a tip". When done outside on the "bally", he is known as an "outside talker" (never "barker"); When done inside the tent, he is known as an "inside talker" or "lecturer"
- Ten-in-One: A carnival midway show with ten attractions inside one show (sideshows could have more or less than ten attractions, but they were still called "Ten-in-ones")
- Tip: Sideshow term for audience
- Towner: Carnival term for local townspeople who become sideshow audience/customers
- Turn a Tip: Sideshow term for the talker's act of convincing the audience to enter the sideshow
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