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riddle

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The definition of a riddle is a problem that is difficult to solve or that has no clear answer.

(noun)

An example of a riddle is an unexplained situation.
An example of a riddle is the question: "What is the shortest sentence in English." The answer is "I am."

See riddle in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

a problem or puzzle in the form of a question, statement, etc. so formulated that some ingenuity is required to solve or answer it; conundrum
any puzzling, perplexing, or apparently inexplicable person or thing, as a difficult problem or enigmatic saying; enigma

Origin: ME ridil < OE rædels, akin to rædan, to guess, read

transitive verb riddled, riddling

to solve or explain (a riddle)

intransitive verb

to propound riddles; speak enigmatically

noun

a coarse sieve for grading gravel, separating chaff from grain, etc.

Origin: ME ridil < OE hriddel, earlier hridder < base of hridrian, to sift, winnow, akin to Ger reiter < IE base *(s)ker-, to cut, separate > harvest

transitive verb riddled, riddling

to sift through such a sieve
1. to make many holes in, as by a burst of buckshot; puncture throughout
2. to find and show flaws in; criticize and disprove
3. to affect every part of; spread throughout: riddled with errors

See riddle in American Heritage Dictionary 4

transitive verb rid·dled, rid·dling, rid·dles

To pierce with numerous holes; perforate: riddle a target with bullets.
To spread throughout: “Election campaigns have always been riddled with demagogy and worse” (New Republic).
To put (gravel, for example) through a coarse sieve.

noun

A coarse sieve, as for gravel.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English ridelen, to sift

Origin: , from riddil, sieve

Origin: , from Old English hriddel; see krei- in Indo-European roots

Related Forms: