piece of work
Troublesome human being
A piece of work is something made or accomplished—a painting, a report, a construction project.
The phrase often appears in assessments: That essay was a fine piece of work.
When applied to a person, it usually signals someone difficult, eccentric, or objectionable: Your brother is a real piece of work.
This ironic use echoes Hamlet's "What a piece of work is a man"—though Shakespeare meant it admiringly.
Making something exist
- opusNumbered artistic creation
- sculptureShaped three-dimensional art
- paintingPigment on canvas
- compositionArranged elements forming whole
tapestry · mosaic · fresco · carving · manuscript · installation · mural · pottery
Amount a palm holds
- characterNature, symbol, or role
- troublemakerOne who creates discord
- nightmareFrightening dream causing wakefulness
- headacheCranial pain
diva · prima donna · high-maintenance · loose cannon · wild card · eccentric · hothead · drama queen
Task one commits to
- projectPlanned, effortful task
- taskWork to be done
- endeavorPurposeful sustained attempt
- assignmentAllocated work or duty
enterprise · job · labor · toil · ordeal · challenge · feat · accomplishment
Elaborately detailed, many parts
- elaborateComplex and detailed
- sophisticatedWorldly and cultured
- nuancedHaving fine distinctions
- multifacetedHaving many dimensions
layered · demanding · involved · challenging · ambitious · meticulous · painstaking · detailed
creation
Making something exist
composition · tapestry · mosaic · fresco · carving · manuscript · installation · mural · pottery · textile
handful
Amount a palm holds
- characterNature, symbol, or role
- troublemakerOne who creates discord
- nightmareFrightening dream causing wakefulness
headache · diva · prima donna · high-maintenance · loose cannon · wild card · eccentric · hothead · drama queen · pain
undertaking
Task one commits to
assignment · enterprise · job · labor · toil · ordeal · challenge · feat · accomplishment · achievement
intricate
Elaborately detailed, many parts
- elaborateComplex and detailed
- sophisticatedWorldly and cultured
- nuancedHaving fine distinctions
multifaceted · layered · demanding · involved · challenging · ambitious · meticulous · painstaking · detailed · laborious
handcrafted
Made manually, not machined
- artisanalMade by skilled craftspeople
- workmanshipSkill in creating objects
- precisionAccuracy of measurement
skill · technique · execution · finish · detail · quality · carpentry · woodworking · metalwork · embroidery
piece of workwreckage
Destroyed remains of something
rubble · ruins · destruction · debris · shambles
work, piece, pieces, masterpiece, mouthpiece, centerpiece, piecing, apiece, pieced