Dates from ancient Greek times, where "deus ex machina" ("god from the machine") in a play referred to the act of lowering a god on stage using a cable device (therefore, a god from a machine) to decide in a dilemma and give fate a nudge, so to say.

These days, deus ex machina has the negative connotation of an utterly improbable, illogical or baseless plot twist that drastically alters the situation, as if the "deus ex machina" came down to give fate that little push.

I liked the movie, but the ending was total crap...they could've come up with a better way to beat the villain than the deus ex machina ending of that guy miraculously coming back to life.

Deus Ex Machina by Fluid October 10, 2003

Deus Ex Machina

1. An unexpected power or event saving a seemingly hopeless situation, especially as a contrived plot device in a play or novel.

2. A bullshit way of saving a character in a movie, novel, or play.

1. Man- The bet Peter made in the end of Dodgeball: An Underdog Story is such bullshit Deus Ex Machina!

2. The whole "love" thing from Harry Potter.

Deus Ex Machina by I Like Llamas September 26, 2015

everto ex machina

The opposite of Deus Ex Machina. Translates to "the demon machine." Occurs in movies when a good guy is killed for no reason.

"Damn, Sam Jackson totally got the Everto Ex Machina in Deep Blue Sea."

everto ex machina by His_Name_Is_Zabo December 22, 2007

Penis Ex Machina

From Deus Ex Machina, A Penis Ex Machina is when a sex scene is unnecessarily dropped into the plot of an otherwise decent film or story in order to boost the ratings.

Some sex scenes are vital to plot, but this describes only when they blatantly serve no relevant purpose to the story-telling.

Alternatively, it can be used to describe a twist in the plot of a pornographic film in order to bring about the vital sex scene. When a girl in the plot is constantly refusing sex, and then something triggers her suddenly to lust after the male protagonist, this is a Penis Ex Machina.

Person 1: "I heard the movie we're going to has a spicy sex scene!"

Person 2: "Is it part of the plot, or does it come about through Penis Ex Machina?"

Penis Ex Machina by OzzyOswalt July 13, 2009

deuce ex machina

For all those times you were stuck on the john hoping against hell for that number 2 to just slide out nice and easy and end your misery, this would be the expression used.

Inspired by deus ex machina or basically the idea of a god coming down from the sky to end the story.

"Where is a deuce ex machina when you need one? My meeting starts in five minutes!"

"OMG. It must have been by the sweet atoning grace of a deuce ex machina that I passed that shit."

Ex-Lax is the pill form of the deuce ex machina.

deuce ex machina by shizzinator March 31, 2010

Ex Machina

A movie where the characters (especially the protagonist) repeatedly does things that are either impossible or highly improbable, usually in an action movie.

(Sees Tomb Raider 2018 trailer where Laura Croft does some stupidly impossible stunt)

Friend: Wow, I guess they're making Tomb Raider Ex Machina

Ex Machina by cowthe2000 March 10, 2018

Galantir

A group of people, typically women, searching through someone’s digital footprint in order to find more information about that person.

Susie wasn’t sure if her new Hinge match was a creep, so she assembled Galantir and they found out he used to post slurs on gaming forums.

Galantir by Ge-sus September 22, 2026

Word of the Day on September 23, 2026

murderhobo

In a tabletop game, a murderhobo is a player who murders NPCs indiscriminately. This is normally derogatory, referring to a player who totally ignores quests, dialog, backstory, trade, world building etc.

The term is most common with Dungeons and Dragons, but it can be applied to most RPGs where the player is allowed to kill most quest-giving NPCs and NPC traders. E.g. Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Divinity original sin.

DM: The sad little orphan girl tugs at Steve's trenchcoat to get his attention, and ask for help saving her pet dog from...
Steve: I'd like to roll a strength check against strangling the orphan.
Dave: I call dibs on the dog.
DM: You murderhobos disgust me.

murderhobo by Loup&S September 9, 2021

Word of the Day on September 22, 2026

Whale

In sales terms, a whale is a prospect that is significantly larger than an organization’s average customer.

Whales are large and extremely difficult to close. Due to their immense size, they are highly sought-after.

A whale is typically identified at first by a whale hunter on the sales team, but often requires cross-discipline participation in order to close; this includes assistance from operations, engineering, creative, client success, and business development teams.

"Shit...the sales director chewed me out on the sales call this morning. He's totally pissed that I have nothing in my pipeline. I've been focused on this one whale for so long that I haven't had time to prospect for normal-sized deals."

Whale by FQ_GFY February 3, 2020

Word of the Day on September 21, 2026

Concrete cowboy

A guy who thinks he's a country kinda guy, but in reality lives a comfortable city / suburban life.

Eugene: Look at that dude in the cowboy hat!
Todd: He's just a concrete cowboy.

Concrete cowboy by EugeneJohnson42000 March 16, 2024

Word of the Day on September 20, 2026

hobo loko

any hard liquor that is cheap & potent.. eg. relska, popov, potters, evan williams, kamchatka, fireball, rumpleminze, southern comfort, everclear

hey let's get a drink of that?

go ahead
*takes drink* ugh wtf is that?

everclear & bepsi
fucking hobo loko eeessshh

hobo loko by d i z k o 2 0 8 September 14, 2026

Word of the Day on September 19, 2026

God Shot

A chance happening with profound meaning, an unexpected blessing, a "sign".

Dr. Drew on Celebrity Rehab said "All of a sudden what had been just another Hollywood proposal became for him an unexpected blessing, an opportunity for growth. In drug recovery language, that's called a "God shot."

God Shot by Imogen1564 February 25, 2011

Word of the Day on September 18, 2026