missing link

Noun

missing link (plural missing links)

1. (colloquial) A hypothetical primate once thought necessary to explain a perceived evolutionary gap between apes and humans.
   • "In the latter case, he may well approximate to what the vulgar have called the 'missing link'."1912, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC

   Synonyms:

   proanthropos

2. (figuratively) Any sought-after or valuable intermediary figure or position.
   • 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!2010 February 4, Jonathan Jones, “Art v science – at last, the missing link”, in The Guardian
   • 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.2020 August 3, Simon Hill, “Football looks to digital revolution to find missing link between base and elite”, in The Guardian