View synonyms for set piece

set piece

[ set pees ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

Theater. a piece of scenery used as part of a stage set, as a profile or three-dimensional construction built to stand independently on the stage floor:
A few set pieces simulating rocks and a fence constituted the scenery for the first act.
a work of art, literature, music, etc., having a prescribed thematic and formal structure:
the set pieces of Restoration comedy.
a scene, action, or the like, having a conventional form and functioning as part of the structure of a work of art, literature, etc.
a military operation carried out according to a rigid plan.
Also called set play. Sports. a coordinated maneuver with team players in a preplanned formation when the ball re-enters active play, as a corner kick in soccer:
The team’s dedicated practice time for set pieces paid off in their penalty kick results this year.
(in a novel, narrative poem, or the like) a passage more or less extraneous to the sequence of events, introduced to supply background, color, or the like.
an arrangement of slow-burning fireworks forming a design or composition when lighted.

set piece

a work of literature, music, etc, often having a conventional or prescribed theme, intended to create an impressive effect
a piece of scenery built to stand independently as part of a stage set
a display of fireworks
sport a rehearsed team manoeuvre, usually attempted in continuous games at a restart of play, esp when the other side has been penalized for improper play

First recorded in 1840–50

It opens with a bombastic set piece, but it was far less compelling than many of the little, dialogue-driven conflicts that arose.

These big, set-piece events shove the royalty in their face.

This is going to be another high-testosterone showdown set piece.

Those were the set-piece questions of what used to be called classical education.

And the immigration set piece seems potentially quite staggering.

In the meantime, the trees line the avenues in skeleton rows, like a pyrotechnic set-piece before it is ignited.

There is contrast enough, but he contrasts set-piece with set-piece, scene with scene, not act with act.

The on-set piece and facing may be cut from one piece, but the fitting is more troublesome.

At the last set piece there was a tremendous shout of "Long live the King!"

There was an impression that a set piece had been prepared, and that this was its beginning.

April 19, 2024tortuous

[tawr-choo-uhs ]

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