︎fan service
n.— «Fan service is anything in media that is there because the creators think it will please the fans, not because it advances plot, theme, character, or any other overall value of the work.» —“Re: What’s a Fan Service?” by Slithy Tove (slithy@pobox.com) Usenet: rec.arts.anime.misc Dec. 1, 2000. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Rod in Alexandria, Louisiana, says that in his real estate business, cut to the chase means to “get to the bottom line.” In the early days of the movie industry, when a sagging plot could be livened up by cutting directly to an exciting...
We’ve talked before about dog rescue groups’ convention of naming litters of puppies according to a theme. Any idea why a recent litter of pups included Ramp, Slingshot, Kicker, and Flipper? They were all named for terms involved in pinball...