15 PHRASE If you go to pieces , you are so upset or nervous that you lose control of yourself and cannot do what you should do. [INFORMAL ] □ She's a strong woman, but she nearly went to pieces when Arnie died.
16 a piece of the action → see action
17 bits and pieces → see bit
18 a piece of cake → see cake
19 pick up the pieces → see pick
▸ piece together
1 PHRASAL VERB If you piece together the truth about something, you gradually discover it. □ [V P n] They've pieced together his movements for the last few days before his death. □ [V P wh] In the following days, Francis was able to piece together what had happened. □ [V n P ] Frank was beginning to piece things together.
2 PHRASAL VERB If you piece something together , you gradually make it by joining several things or parts together. □ [V P n] This process is akin to piecing together a jigsaw puzzle. [Also V n P ]
-piece /-piːs/ COMB [ADJ n] -piece combines with numbers to form adjectives indicating that something consists of a particular number of items. □ …his well-cut three-piece suit. □ …a hundred-piece dinner service.
pièce de ré|sis|tance /pie s də re I z I stɒns, [AM ] -z I stɑː ns/ N‑SING The pièce de résistance of a collection or series of things is the most impressive thing in it. [FORMAL ] □ The pièce de résistance, however, was a gold evening gown.
piece|meal /piː smiːl/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you describe a change or process as piecemeal , you disapprove of it because it happens gradually, usually at irregular intervals, and is probably not satisfactory. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ …piecemeal changes to the constitution. ● ADV [ADV after v] Piecemeal is also an adverb. □ The government plans to sell the railways piecemeal to the private sector.
piece|work /piː swɜː r k/ also piece-work N‑UNCOUNT If you do piecework , you are paid according to the amount of work that you do rather than the length of time that you work. □ All my men are on piece-work. □ The tobacco workers were paid on a piecework basis.
pie chart (pie charts ) N‑COUNT A pie chart is a circle divided into sections to show the relative proportions of a set of things.
pied-à-terre /pie I d ɑː teə r / (pieds-à-terre ) N‑COUNT A pied-à-terre is a small house or flat, especially in a town, which you own or rent but only use occasionally.
pier /p I ə r / (piers ) N‑COUNT [oft in names] A pier is a platform sticking out into water, usually the sea, which people walk along or use when getting onto or off boats. □ …Brighton Pier.
pierce /p I ə r s/ (pierces , piercing , pierced )
1 VERB If a sharp object pierces something, or if you pierce something with a sharp object, the object goes into it and makes a hole in it. □ [V n] One bullet pierced the left side of his chest. □ [V n] Pierce the skin of the potato with a fork.
2 VERB If you have your ears or some other part of your body pierced , you have a small hole made through them so that you can wear a piece of jewellery in them. □ [have n V -ed] I'm having my ears pierced on Saturday. □ [V -ed] …her pierced ears with their tiny gold studs. [Also V n]
pierc|ing /p I ə r s I ŋ/
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A piercing sound or voice is high-pitched and very sharp and clear in an unpleasant way. □ A piercing scream split the air. □ …a piercing whistle. ● pierc|ing|ly ADV □ She screamed again, piercingly.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] If someone has piercing eyes or a piercing stare, they seem to look at you very intensely. [WRITTEN ] □ …his sandy blond hair and piercing blue eyes. ● pierc|ing|ly ADV □ Ben looked at him piercingly.
3 ADJ A piercing wind makes you feel very cold.
pi|eties /pa I I tiz/ N‑PLURAL You refer to statements about what is morally right as pieties when you think they are insincere or unrealistic. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ [+ about ] …politicians who constantly intone pieties about respect for the rule of law.
pi|ety /pa I I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT Piety is strong religious belief, or behaviour that is religious or morally correct.
pif|fle /p I f ə l/ N‑UNCOUNT If you describe what someone says as piffle , you think that it is nonsense. [INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ He talks such a load of piffle.
pif|fling /p I fəl I ŋ/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you describe something as piffling , you are critical of it because it is very small or unimportant. [INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ …some piffling dispute regarding visiting rights.
pig /p I g/ (pigs , pigging , pigged )
1 N‑COUNT A pig is a pink or black animal with short legs and not much hair on its skin. Pigs are often kept on farms for their meat, which is called pork, ham, bacon, or gammon. □ …the grunting of the pigs. □ …a pig farmer.
2 → see also guinea pig
3 N‑COUNT If you call someone a pig , you think that they are unpleasant in some way, especially that they are greedy or unkind. [INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ]
4 VERB If you say that people are pigging themselves , you are criticizing them for eating a very large amount at one meal. [BRIT , INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ [V pron-refl] After pigging herself on ice cream she went upstairs.