pick up the pieces
Redeem a bad situation, restore matters to normal, as in Once fighting ended, the task force picked up the pieces and restored democracy. [Late 1800s]
QUIZZES
Can You Ace This Quiz About “Compliment” vs. “Complement”?
Take this quiz to see if you really know the difference between “compliment” and “complement"!
Question 1 of 11
“Compliment” and “complement” had a shared meaning a long time ago, but today they are no longer interchangeable.
Words nearby pick up the pieces
pick over, pick someone's brain, pick to pieces, pick up, pick up on, pick up the pieces, pick's atrophy, pick-and-roll, pick-and-shovel, pick-me-up, pick-off
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.