plot coupon
nounEtymology Coined by critic Nick Lowe.
1
Lifestyle Slang An object sought by a character in a story in order to achieve some objective, having little purpose beyond advancing the plot.
- […] pain to see Clute single-handedly tackle multi-volume fantasy extrusion-product, with its flimsy plot coupons and its stale eucatastrophes.2004, Foundation, volume 33, numbers 90-92, page 126:
- Related terms
- Chekhov's gun, deus ex machina, MacGuffin