Meaning of connect the dots | Babel Free

Definitions

1. To attempt to complete a puzzle in which dots on a paper must be connected in a specific order so that the joining lines form a picture.
   literally
2. To make connections in one's mind, in order to arrive at a more holistic understanding of a situation.
   broadly, idiomatic

Equivalents

Examples

“To connect⟳ the dots, use⟳ a pen or pencil and draw⟳ a line from dot 1 to dot 2, from dot 2 to dot 3 and so on until all the dots are connected. You can try⟳ to guess⟳ what kind of animal is shown in the picture before you connect⟳ the dots.”

“If only the Bush team connected the dots, it would see⟳ what a nutty war on terrorism it is fighting, explains Mr. Prestowitz.”

““I started just connecting the dots between extreme weather and climate change⟳, and then the volume of pushback started to increase⟳ quite dramatically,” he said in an interview with the Associated Press⟳.”

CEFR level