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villain of the piece, the

Idioms  

  1. The person to blame for what is bad or wrong, as in I'm afraid the caterer is the villain of the piece—the food wasn't ready for hours. The piece in this term alludes to a play in which the villain is the character whose evildoing is important to the plot. [Mid-1800s]

Example Sentences

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With the exception of Sempronius, the villain of the piece, the lovers are one and all somewhat silly.

From Lectures on Dramatic Art and Literature by Black, John

In the centre of the manège stands the villain of the piece, the Riding-Master.

From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 153, August 1, 1917. by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.