pick up the pieces

Idioms

Redeem a bad situation, restore matters to normal, as in Once fighting ended, the task force picked up the pieces and restored democracy. [Late 1800s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

India's ultra-aggressive left-handed opening pair have failed to fire, leaving a shaky middle order to pick up the pieces.

From Barron's

His fear is that support services are being left to "pick up the pieces".

From BBC

It is a recognition of veterans’ lives that will never be the same and a resource to help them pick up the pieces.

From Slate

While Google would also be at risk from an OpenAI fallout, Windsor said it would have the advantage of cutting back on its spending since “it will no longer be in a race, and it will survive to pick up the pieces and dominate the industry.”

From MarketWatch

Many have been hospitalized and are still trying to pick up the pieces.

From Slate

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023