Meanings
plural ass-pulls · alternative ass pull · alternative asspull
- CanadaUSslangvulgarA hastily fabricated explanation or contrived plot twist.
Near-synonym: deus ex machina
3 more examples
Ah, you "believe". You do not know. So you admit that it's just wishful thinking, an ass pull not based on any facts.
2009 July 9, charlesgriffman, “Re: e360 vs Spamhaus decision ?”, in news.admin.net-abuse.email (Usenet)And there's no reason I see to believe either of these numbers is anything but an ass-pull.
2011 January 2, Matthew Russotto, “Re: OT: going green”, in comp.sys.mac.system (Usenet)Even if we ignore the total ass-pull of super powers for Madoka, we still get a resolution that is no better than "it was all a dream".
2011 April 22, Dave Baranyi, “Re: Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica - 11 & 12 - final comments - no real spoilers”, in rec.arts.anime.misc (Usenet)Synonyms: deus ex machina
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA hastily fabricated explanation or contrived plot twist.
Origin
From ass + pull, from the phrase pull out of one's ass.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
ass-pull. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ass-pull
“ass-pull.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ass-pull. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ass-pull,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ass-pull.
Source: ass-pull on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.