jigsaw

[jig-saw]

See more synonyms for jigsaw on Thesaurus.com

noun

Also jig saw. an electric machine saw with a narrow blade mounted vertically in a frame, for cutting curves or other difficult lines or patterns.

verb (used with object), jig·sawed, jig·sawed or jig·sawn, jig·saw·ing.

to cut or form with a jigsaw.

adjective

formed by or as if by a jigsaw: jigsaw ornamentation.

Origin of jigsaw

First recorded in 1870–75; jig² + saw¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for jigsaw

Contemporary Examples

Every scene fits together like a jigsaw puzzle piece by the end of the book, when the reader finally knows everything.
Real Thrills And High Art In A Poignant Page-Turner Of A Novel
Susan Cheever
May 16, 2014
All of which connect together like a jigsaw as the story progresses.
Sebastian Barry’s Quarrel With Irish History
J.P. O’Malley
May 7, 2014
For Cusk, it is “a jigsaw dismantled into a heap of broken-edged pieces.”
If You Read This Book, You Will Not Get Married
Melissa Holbrook Pierson
August 11, 2012
And when things go wrong there is a great problem of putting together the jigsaw of who said what, and what was agreed.
Oligarch v. Oligarch: London's Courts Attract Litigious Tycoons
Mike Giglio
July 23, 2012
To be fair, Prince Charles is also brazenly cashing in, selling a jigsaw puzzle of William and Kate at his official store.
Meet Kate Middleton's Parents, Carole and Michael
Harry Cole
March 24, 2011

Historical Examples

Their bodies fitted like two parts of a jigsaw puzzle that have discovered each other.
The Pretty Lady
Arnold E. Bennett
Traglio was running a lot of games, jigsaw puzzles and things of that kind.
Dawson Black: Retail Merchant
Harold Whitehead
It's like I'm looking at a jigsaw puzzle that looks like it's all completed and lying out on the table.
Bear Trap
Alan Edward Nourse
Through a cloud of pipe smoke, Drake was placing more pieces into the jigsaw of Sylvia Fanton's life.
Queen of the Flaming Diamond
Leroy Yerxa
He looked at the great jagged opening in the wall—like a jigsaw picture with a piece missing.
It Could Be Anything
John Keith Laumer

British Dictionary definitions for jigsaw

jigsaw

noun

a mechanical saw with a fine steel blade for cutting intricate curves in sheets of material
See jigsaw puzzle

Word Origin

C19: from jig (to jerk up and down rapidly) + saw 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for jigsaw

n.

also jig-saw, "vertical reciprocating saw," 1855, American English, from jig with its notion of "rapid up-and-down motion" + saw (n.1). Jigsaw puzzle first recorded 1906; originally one with pieces cut by a jigsaw.

jigsaw

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}jigsaw

Related Words

Examples from the Web for jigsaw

Contemporary Examples

Every scene fits together like a jigsaw puzzle piece by the end of the book, when the reader finally knows everything.

All of which connect together like a jigsaw as the story progresses.

For Cusk, it is “a jigsaw dismantled into a heap of broken-edged pieces.”

And when things go wrong there is a great problem of putting together the jigsaw of who said what, and what was agreed.

To be fair, Prince Charles is also brazenly cashing in, selling a jigsaw puzzle of William and Kate at his official store.

Historical Examples

Their bodies fitted like two parts of a jigsaw puzzle that have discovered each other.

Traglio was running a lot of games, jigsaw puzzles and things of that kind.

It's like I'm looking at a jigsaw puzzle that looks like it's all completed and lying out on the table.

Through a cloud of pipe smoke, Drake was placing more pieces into the jigsaw of Sylvia Fanton's life.

He looked at the great jagged opening in the wall—like a jigsaw picture with a piece missing.

jigsaw

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for jigsaw

n.

Origin of jigsaw