villain of the piece, the

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]

Words Nearby villain of the piece, the

theurgy
Vatican Swindle, The
very thing, the
Vicar of Wakefield, The
“The Village Blacksmith”
villain of the piece, the
The voice of one crying in the wilderness
thew
wages of sin, the
walls have ears, the
The Wash

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