Get the FREE one-click dictionary software for Windows
or the iPhone/iPad and Android apps
Noun: deus ex machina
  1. Any active agent who appears unexpectedly to solve an insoluble difficulty
    "The surprise inheritance acted as a deus ex machina, resolving the family's financial troubles"

Derived forms: deus ex machinas

Type of: causal agency, causal agent, cause

Encyclopedia: Deus ex machina