Friday, July 20, 2007

Handy Latin phrase of the day: deus ex machina

From wikipedia:

Deus ex machina (pl. deī ex māchinīs "gods out of machines" or deī ex māchinā "gods out of a machine") describes an unexpected, artificial, or improbable character, device, or event introduced suddenly in a work of fiction or drama to resolve a situation or untangle a plot (e.g. the rope that binds the hero's hands is luckily chewed off by a rat, or an angel suddenly appearing to solve problems).

Example useage in today's terms: What George Bush is secretly hoping for to rescue him from the debacle that is Iraq.

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