piece by piece

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piece by piece

Incrementally; slowly; one piece at a time. You don't have to overhaul your diet overnight—just start making healthier choices piece by piece. It took years, but piece by piece we turned this ramshackle old house into a real home.

See also: by, piece

piece by piece

In stages, gradually, as in He took the clock apart piece by piece, or Let's go over your exam paper, piece by piece. Also see bit by bit.

See also: by, piece

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ˌpiece by ˈpiece

one part at a time: He took his motorcycle apart piece by piece, cleaned it, and put it back together.

See also: by, piece

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

piece by piece

In stages: took the clock apart piece by piece.

See also: by, piece

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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References in periodicals archive ?

"Piece By Piece is an album that I am very proud of and I think I appreciate it more this time.

Citizen Katie quick to scale new heights; WHAT'S ON: Rock

To promote the release of Piece by Piece, Katie Melua is set to sign copies of the new album at HMV Grafton Street on Friday, October 7 at 5.30pm.

WIN THE CHANCE TO MEET KATIE MELUA

They have to build the athletes' skills patiently and solidly piece by piece, in practice.

Becoming a Better Coach

But Katie, daughter of a Georgian heart specialist who grew up in Ireland, also found time to re-jig Piece by Piece, which is being re-released as a bonus CD and DVD, just in time to make a perfect Valentine's Day gift.

the LIST: Win Katie Melua CDs

Wellness: Piece By Piece by Pat Sullivan is a highly informative study of what constitutes a chronic illness and a quite helpful guide to the healing process for such a condition.

Wellness: Piece by Piece

While years ago a wrecking ball would have done the job, today's contractor often employs a hydraulic attachment affixed to an excavator to demolish part of a structure piece by piece.

Pickup artists: grapples, grabs and buckets perform a variety of material handling tasks in the C&D industry

"How many private sector proposals would still be viable if you were building it piece by piece over an 11-year period?

Washow plays waiting game: tourism development aims to teach the Moose Cree way of life before and after European contact, but it needs INAC cash to be completed

John Birch founder Robert Welch noted at the founding of the John Birch Society in December 1958 that globalists intend "to induce the gradual surrender of American sovereignty, piece by piece and step by step, to various international organizations--of which the United Nations is the outstanding but far from the only example."

Noticing the UN's dark side

Firefighters, the police and paramedics devised a plan to dismantle the car piece by piece rather than cut it up.

INJURED DRIVER FREED IN COP CAR DRAMA; Vehicle has to be dismantled

Contracted by the LMDC, Gilbane Construction will dismantle the building piece by piece once a plan is in place.

Bank building demolition set

"Piece by piece, we're putting it together," Quake says.

Tiny plumbing networks concoct and compute. (Liquid logic)

Mitchell reads: "Hey JJ / Somepoem / Hey Joan / Blow a pic / Sure / Wanna bet / Yeah / No hands / Tears / Cocksure / Piece by piece." Who could ever doubt it?

Joan Mitchell. (Reviews)

WEMBLEY Stadium is to be auctioned off piece by piece via the Internet, it was announced yesterday.

Football: Wembley in Net auction

In short, piece by piece of the North Country will begin to resemble what natives call the "flatlands" - a suburbanized wilderness where absentee owners post their land against sportsmen and locals and other such riffraff.

Saving a yankee forest

While Katie Melua is riding high in Amazon's CD sales chart with her new album Piece by Piece, the online retailer warned yesterday of a sales slowdown in the run-up to Christmas.