WordNet
by the piece
adv. one piece at a time; "she sold the plates by the piece" [syn: one by one]
Usage examples of "by the piece".
If you pay him by the piece, by the quantity of grain which he produces, he will thresh only while the grain comes freely, and, though he leaves a good deal in the ear, it is not worth while to thresh the straw over again.
It indicates that the stretch of time covered by the piece is seventy years or more.
Pay by the piece must be set high enough that a worker can earn enough to live on.