set piece

[set pees]

noun

1. 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.

2. a work of art, literature, music, etc., having a prescribed thematic and formal structure.

   the set pieces of Restoration comedy.

3. a scene, action, or the like, having a conventional form and functioning as part of the structure of a work of art, literature, etc.

4. a military operation carried out according to a rigid plan.

5. 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.

6. (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.

7. an arrangement of slow-burning fireworks forming a design or composition when lighted.

set piece

noun

1. a work of literature, music, etc, often having a conventional or prescribed theme, intended to create an impressive effect

2. a piece of scenery built to stand independently as part of a stage set

3. a display of fireworks

4. 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of set piece¹

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

The “Hamlet” production is a fantastic set piece, with man-made sets and Shakespeare’s theatre-in-the-round filmed as accurately and affectionately as the nature that consumes so much of the film’s first two acts.

Read more on Salon

Many firms and economists would say this year they have done exactly that, not least in Rachel Reeves' set piece speech and media interviews.

Read more on BBC

It contains much subtle humor, but the concluding set piece, with longhorns roaming the streets of Los Angeles and comedically terrifying its denizens, remains the movie’s high point.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The equivalent mode in Battlefield 6 was considered underwhelming by reviewers, and Call of Duty teams are renowned for their skill in crafting explosive set pieces in their narrative modes.

Read more on BBC

Dan Burn scores a brilliant curling header from a set piece to give Newcastle United an early lead against Athletic Club.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• scenery 
• tableau