An expression used to describe an ending or resolution to a fictional mystery that is stereotypical, predictable, or contrived. Based on the murder mystery cliché of revealing that the butler was the one who committed the murder. The rest of the book was so interesting and well written, which makes the silly the-butler-did-it ending all the more disappointing. The film cops out when it reveals the mastermind behind the whole scheme, boiling down to little more than "the butler did it."