What the F*** Does Dues Ex Machina Mean Anyway?

Question:

What Does "Dues Ex Machina" Mean?

Background:

Every once in a great while, someone says "Dues Ex Machina" right in the middle of an otherwise very enjoyable conversation. It's been happening for centuries. Some group, say a bunch of writers, will be sitting around talking about projects when some wag in a shirt with a laughing Buddha on it that says, "rub my tummy for luck," will pipe up and announce that he doesn't like the climax of some other author's story.

"Why not?" The slighted author will ask.

"That's way to Dues Ex Machina for me," Boy Buddha shirt responds.

"Ahh yes." Nods everyone else in the room. Not wanting to appear stupid, the slighted author nods too, "Dues Ex Machina," he thinks, "Whatever the F*** that is."

We here at Small Details R Us (SDRU) hear that this sort of thing happens all the time. But what does Dues Ex Machina Mean?

So What's the Answer:

"God brought in by crane." We're not even joking. Dues Ex Machina means, God brought in by crane. Apparently, if they got hung up and couldn't find any better way out of a story device, Greek playwrights would have an actor, dressed up as a Greek God, flown in by crane to rescue the heroes. I imagine it would be like all those monkeys in The Wizard of Oz only with tridents and white beards.

What it means it that the solution to the problem seems to have appeared out of nowhere like when Han Solo reappeared at the end of the original Star Wars, blasted the Tie-Fighters and yelled, "You're all clear kid."