A jigsaw is a puzzle made of cardboard or wood that has been cut into many interlocking pieces. To solve a jigsaw puzzle, you fit the pieces together until they form a complete picture. Some jigsaws have just a few dozen pieces for young children, while others have thousands of pieces that can take weeks to complete.

The pieces connect in only one specific way, with tabs and slots that fit together perfectly. Most people start by finding the edge pieces to build the frame, then work on sections with distinctive colors or patterns. A clear blue sky might be one of the hardest parts to solve because all the pieces look similar, while a section showing a red barn would be easier because the color stands out.

Jigsaw puzzles were invented in the 1760s by a mapmaker who glued maps onto wood and cut them into pieces to help students learn geography.

When something fits together perfectly, people sometimes say it came together like a jigsaw puzzle, meaning everything connected in just the right way.