set piece
noun
an arrangement of slow-burning fireworks forming a design or composition when lighted.
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.
a work of art, literature, music, etc., having a prescribed thematic and formal structure: the set pieces of Restoration comedy.
a scene, action, or the like, having a conventional form and functioning as part of the structure of a work of art, literature, etc.
a military operation carried out according to a rigid plan.
(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.
Origin of set piece
First recorded in 1840–50
Words nearby set piece
Example sentences from the Web for set piece
British Dictionary definitions for set piece
set piece
noun
a work of literature, music, etc, often having a conventional or prescribed theme, intended to create an impressive effect
a piece of scenery built to stand independently as part of a stage set
a display of fireworks
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