It refers to an unexpected, artificial or improbable character, device or event introduced suddenly in a work of fiction to resolve a situation or untangle a plot.

For a long time, it was thought that the grape had been brought to California by Agoston Haraszthy, an improbable character who became America's first great wine entrepreneur.

As in those books, improbable characters and melodramatic events proliferate to underscore the absurdities of recent history.

Sometimes he even directly addresses the film's improbable main character, Leopold Kessler (Jean-Marc Barr).

However improbable his character, he never winks at the audience.

In 15-minute and half-hour broadcasts they produced, wrote and delivered on the air, the team created a stable of improbable yet totally recognizable characters, all played by the two men.

A dozen wildly improbable characters spring to life through his zipped lips, not counting voices rising from the basement, floating from the wings or muttering startlingly right next to our ears.

Not that her slipshod accent exactly gives it a local, authentic flavor, but she does at least bring to her improbable character a twitch of mischievous energy.

Mr. Quirk is saddled with a tedious opening monologue and improbable character.

But this is not true of her improbable characters: reading about them is like watching amateur acting.