Meaning & use
piece of work
Last updated
Meanings
phrasecountableinformaldisapproving
A difficult, unpleasant, or complicated person.
Grammar: Countable phrase: 'He's a piece of work.' Often used after 'a' or 'quite a'.
Patterns
- a piece of work
- quite a piece of work
Her new boss is a real piece of work.
He can be a piece of work when he doesn't get his way.
That customer was quite a piece of work.
phrasecountableformal
A task or something produced by work, especially in formal or literary use.
Grammar: Countable phrase: 'a piece of work', 'pieces of work'. This sense is neutral and less common in speech.
Patterns
- a piece of work
- a fine piece of work
The bridge is a remarkable piece of work.
Each student must submit one piece of work by Friday.
Word forms
| plural | pieces of work |
|---|
Common combinations
- a real piece of work
- Her new boss is a real piece of work.
- quite a piece of work
- That customer was quite a piece of work.
- a fine piece of work
- The carved wooden box is a fine piece of work.
Synonyms and how they differ
Commonly confused: piece of work or work of art?
piece of work vs work of art
A work of art is a painting, sculpture, etc.; a piece of work can mean a task or, informally, a difficult person.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'piece of work' in the most common informal way?
Choose one answer.
The informal disapproving sense describes a difficult person, as in option 0. The other options use 'piece of work' to mean a task or object, which is possible but not the usual informal meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “piece of work”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.