piece of the puzzle
34
3.0
- noun
:
pieza del rompecabezas
- After months of investigation, we finally discovered the crucial piece of the puzzle that explained the data discrepancies.
- an important piece of the puzzle
- one piece of the puzzle
- only one piece of the puzzle
The reason is every piece of the puzzle is not there yet.
- The reason is every piece of the puzzle is not there yet.
- But healing is a huge piece of the puzzle if you want to avoid getting played.
- A designer needs so many pieces of the puzzle.
- And I just remember like it was like the final piece of the puzzle had fallen in place.
- And then they could potentially like start trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
- Talent is only one piece of the puzzle.
- And that's another sort of piece of the puzzle that completely fits with having ADD.
- So it is a necessary but not sufficient piece of the puzzle.
- And building the model, you know, fills in the rest of the pieces of the puzzle.
- Like how do we end up finding the resources to get the next piece of the puzzle in place?
- An executive literally does every piece of the puzzle or has their hand in every part of the process.
Examples
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We think this is one piece of the puzzle.
Academic text (1996) -
There was just one piece of the puzzle missing, a director, a Canadian director.
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This was all I needed to see to place the last piece of the puzzle together.
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And then I found the final piece of the puzzle, and it's changed the way I see my country.
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We just need one final piece of the puzzle.
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Now all we need is the missing piece of the puzzle.
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Ah, that explains the missing piece of the puzzle.
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Perhaps these photographs are the last piece of the puzzle.
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Diana knew it did make sense, but only if you had all the other pieces of the puzzle.
Fiction book (2000) -
You are beginning to put the pieces of the puzzle together in much more understandable ways.
Blog text (12)
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A piece of something that, with others, makes a whole
966
1.0
A piece of information that helps you solve a problem or mystery
447
3.4
A part of something larger, like a machine or system
Antonyms
How Important
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a necessary element that helps understand or solve a larger situation' is directly derivable from combining 'piece' (a portion of a whole) with 'puzzle' (a problem to be solved); the metaphor of a puzzle composed of pieces is literal and compositional. This construction and metaphor are common across languages and discourse, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would readily infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Piece of the puzzle comes from a jigsaw puzzle: each piece shows part of the picture, and only when many pieces fit together can you see the whole puzzle. So a 'piece of the puzzle' means one important fact that helps 'understand' or 'solve' a bigger situation.