conundrum Hear it!

conundrum Definition

co·nun·drum (kə nun′drəm)

noun

  1. a riddle whose answer contains a pun (Ex.: “What's the difference between a jeweler and a jailer?”“One sells watches and the other watches cells.”)
  2. any puzzling question or problem

Etymology: 16th-c. Oxford University L slang for pedant, whim, etc.; early sp. quonundrum

conundrum Synonyms

conundrum

n.

enigma, riddle, problem; see puzzle 2. See syn. study at puzzle.

conundrum Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • solve: Carol does however solve a conundrum: what does Walkwise actually mean?
  • pose: There's an advert on TV in which a child is posed the conundrum, ' Do you love Daddy more, or chips?
  • resolve: How much simpler to debate those than to analyze and resolve the conundrum of our world's present state.
  • face: In reality, Mr Darling faces an almost impossible economic conundrum.
  • answer: Labor's opponents will answer this conundrum with: " Let us take over.
  • present: The use of protective clothing for farmers in Brazil presents a conundrum.

Preposition: at

heart: Read on The Lone Parent Trap There is a conundrum at the heart of welfare policy in Britain.

Adjective modifier

  • tricky: For people on low earnings who can ill afford to make the wrong decision this is the trickiest pension conundrum of all.
  • philosophical: And so the Pope's eternal philosophical conundrum: Perfect, eternal values come from a perfect, divine voice.
  • moral: For Bardem, it is the moral conundrum which follows that really attracted him to the role.
  • apparent: But for the NHS the answer to an apparent conundrum is more obvious - cash or quality?
  • ethical: Many people begin to appreciate moral and ethical conundrums when they first see them in the cinema.
  • interesting: Also, an interesting conundrum here at work today.

Noun used with modifier

  • pension: For people on low earnings who can ill afford to make the wrong decision this is the trickiest pension conundrum of all.
  • outsourcing: Outsource, which will retain editorial independence, will address all areas of the outsourcing conundrum.
  • egg: Nor is it clear how he escapes the familiar chicken and egg conundrum involved in assuming that language is learned from others.
  • number: Show that you're mathematically inclined with number conundrums.

Possessives

abnorm: Abnorm's Conundrums - Conundrums, puzzles, riddles.

Preposition: for

dweller: It's the classic conundrum for urban dwellers seeking the rural idyll without sacrificing their metropolitan lifestyles.