missing link

English

Noun

missing link (plural missing links)

1. (colloquial) A hypothetical primate once thought necessary to explain a perceived evolutionary gap between apes and humans.
   • 1912, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC:

     "In the latter case, he may well approximate to what the vulgar have called the 'missing link'."

2. (figuratively) Any sought-after or valuable intermediary figure or position.
   • 2010 February 4, Jonathan Jones, “Art v science – at last, the missing link”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     What we need is an artist who is also a scientist; or a scientist who thinks like an artist. And at last I can unveil that missing link of art and science!

   • 2020 August 3, Simon Hill, “Football looks to digital revolution to find missing link between base and elite”, in The Guardian‎^[2]:

     It is hoped this can finally solve the conundrum of how to connect the base to the elite, for so long the game’s missing link.

   • 2022 February 23, “Network News: MP urges link between Midlands cities to be 'reforged'”, in RAIL, number 951, page 24:

     "For too long, there has been a missing link between the East and West Midlands, and this is our opportunity to reforge it," said Webbe.

Translations

hypothetical primate

• Bulgarian: липсващото звено n (lipsvaštoto zveno)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 缺少的環節 / 缺少的环节 (quēshǎo de huánjié), 缺環 / 缺环 (quēhuán)

• Finnish: puuttuva lenkki, puuttuva rengas
• French: chaînon manquant (fr) m
• German: fehlendes Glied n, fehlendes Bindeglied n, Missing Link m or n, fehlende Verbindung f
• Hungarian: hiányzó láncszem
• Japanese: ミッシングリンク (misshingu rinku)
• Portuguese: elo perdido m
• Russian: недостаю́щее звено́ n (nedostajúščeje zvenó), перехо́дная фо́рма f (perexódnaja fórma)
• Serbo-Croatian: karika koja nedostaje
• Spanish: eslabón perdido (es) m
• Swedish: felande länk (sv) c

figuratively: sought-after intermediary figure

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 缺少的環節 / 缺少的环节 (quēshǎo de huánjié), 缺環 / 缺环 (quēhuán)

• Finnish: puuttuva lenkki, puuttuva rengas
• French: chaînon manquant (fr) m
• German: fehlendes Glied n, fehlendes Bindeglied n, fehlende Verbindung f
• Hungarian: hiányzó láncszem
• Russian: недостаю́щее звено́ n (nedostajúščeje zvenó)
• Spanish: eslabón perdido (es) m
• Swedish: felande länk (sv) c