Dictionary

jigsaw puzzle en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈdʒɪɡsɔː ˌpʌzəl/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

jigsaw + puzzle

Meanings

1. A type of puzzle in which the aim is to reconstruct a picture that has been cut (originally, with a jigsaw) into many small interlocking pieces.
2. (qualifier:crosswording) An alphabetical jigsaw; a crossword in which the clues are not numbered and the solver must work out where each solution fits in the grid.
   • There is also the restriction with alphabeticals that the online interactive program for solving puzzles cannot cope with them, because the software is written on the basis that every numbered clue corresponds to the matching numbered slot in the grid. As this cannot be the case with a jigsaw puzzle, when it is faced by one the system has a nervous breakdown. 2015 March 13, Hugh Stephenson, “A to Z”, in The Guardian:
   • The grid is designed so as to make this a genuine challenge: there are six words each of four to nine letters, and nothing longer – normally it’s the long lights that are the key to a jigsaw puzzle. 2002 February 3, Watson, “Azed No 1550: ‘Jigsaw’”, in &lit:

Forms

Deriveds

jigsaw puzzler

Descendants

ジグソーパズル

Synonyms

jigsaw · zigsaw · zigsaw puzzle

Translations (78)

ca puzle (type of puzzle) · th จิ๊กซอว์ (type of puzzle) · el παζλ (type of puzzle) · ru пазл (type of puzzle) · pt quebra-cabeça (type of puzzle) · ro puzzle (type of puzzle) · kk пазл (type of puzzle) · ar أُحْجِيَة (type of puzzle) · sh pazl (type of puzzle) · sh слагалица (type of puzzle) · ja ジグソーパズル (type of puzzle) · mn угсруулах зураг (type of puzzle) · ru головоло́мка (type of puzzle) · de Puzzle (type of puzzle) · es puzle (type of puzzle) · eu buruhausgarri (type of puzzle) · ms susun suai (type of puzzle) · hu kirakós (type of puzzle) · lt dėlionė (type of puzzle) · eo puzlo (type of puzzle) · cs puzzle (type of puzzle) · sh slagarica (type of puzzle) · ja ジグソー (type of puzzle) · ca trencaclosques (type of puzzle) · it puzzle (type of puzzle) · de Puzzlespiel (type of puzzle) · tr puzzle (type of puzzle) · sh слагалица (type of puzzle) · nl legpuzzel (type of puzzle) · tr pazıl (type of puzzle) · he פאזל (type of puzzle) · cmn 拼圖 /拼图 (type of puzzle) · nn puslespel (type of puzzle) · hu kirakó (type of puzzle) · sh слагарица (type of puzzle) · sh пазл (type of puzzle) · vo koboyümükarät (type of puzzle) · mn ᠤᠭᠰᠠᠷᠠᠭᠤᠯᠬᠤ ᠵᠢᠷᠤᠭ (type of puzzle) · mi panga hono (type of puzzle) · yue 砌圖 /砌图 (type of puzzle) · nb puslespill (type of puzzle) · ar بَازْل (type of puzzle) · fi palapeli (type of puzzle) · kw gwari mildam (type of puzzle) · ka თავსატეხი (type of puzzle) · fa پازل (type of puzzle) · fr casse-tête (type of puzzle) · gd mìrean-measgaichte (type of puzzle) · mk сложувалка (type of puzzle) · pl puzzle (type of puzzle) · hu puzzle (type of puzzle) · eo kunmetenigmo (type of puzzle) · da puslespil (type of puzzle) · et pusle (type of puzzle) · ka პაზლი (type of puzzle) · mn ᠡᠪᠯᠡᠭᠦᠯᠳᠡᠭ ᠵᠢᠷᠤᠭ (type of puzzle) · dsb puzzle (type of puzzle) · ko 직소 퍼즐 (type of puzzle) · nl puzzel (type of puzzle) · hsb puzzle (type of puzzle) · cy jig-so (type of puzzle) · ru складна́я карти́нка (type of puzzle) · it mosaico (type of puzzle) · fr puzzle (type of puzzle) · is púsluspil (type of puzzle) · it gioco ad incastro (type of puzzle) · tr yapboz (type of puzzle) · th ตัวต่อ (type of puzzle) · es rompecabezas (type of puzzle) · sv pussel (type of puzzle) · hy փազլ (type of puzzle) · mi tāpaepae (type of puzzle) · ru моза́ика (type of puzzle) · mn эвлүүлдэг зураг (type of puzzle) · he תצרף (type of puzzle) · pt puzzle (type of puzzle) · af legkaart (type of puzzle) · pt quebra-cabeças (type of puzzle)