jigsaw puzzle

[ jig-saw puhz-uhl ]

noun

1. Also called picture puzzle. a set of irregularly cut pieces of pasteboard, wood, or the like that form a picture or design when fitted together.
2. any complex, confusing situation, condition, or item, as one composed of seemingly diverse or unrelated elements.

jigsaw puzzle

noun

1. a puzzle in which the player has to reassemble a picture that has been mounted on a wooden or cardboard base and cut into a large number of irregularly shaped interlocking pieces

Word History and Origins

Origin of jigsaw puzzle¹

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

The OSA is just one part of a global jigsaw puzzle of laws and legal action.

From BBC

He says he can now see the strength in the way he approaches tasks and describes intelligence work as like solving a complex jigsaw puzzle, where neurodivergent people may be able to offer alternative perspectives, and help plug knowledge gaps.

From BBC

An abandoned jigsaw puzzle was unfinished at the dining room table, and children’s drawings and a note in red crayon wishing for a “wonderful life” clung to the refrigerator.

From Los Angeles Times

Matthew Knight, senior curator of prehistory at National Museums Scotland, said the project had been "essentially a jigsaw puzzle."

From BBC

“It’s like putting together a jigsaw puzzle where there’s no picture on the box. For me, it was a little easier because I know the picture is Albert. It’s all going to be about Albert. And I know Albert as well as anybody. They always say, ‘How do you make a sculpture of an elephant?’

From Los Angeles Times