conundrum
[ kuh-nuhn-druh m ]
/ kəˈnʌn drəm /
noun
a riddle, the answer to which involves a pun or play on words, as What is black and white and read all over? A newspaper.
anything that puzzles.
RELATED CONTENT
The Hardest Words To Spell Just Got A Whole Lot EasierTexts to mom. Emails to your boss. Resumes. Cover letters. Job applications. Orthography is everywhere, and, even if you're a master speller, most folks have that one word that has proven to be their spelling kryptonite. Now for a little good news. There's a secret to skirting those spelling speed bumps without revealing your fatal flaw: substitute a synonym.
What Does “Wag the Dog” Mean?If you aren't immersed in politics on the daily, through social media, the news, or just casual conversation, you might not be aware that the phrase wag the dog has become pretty poignant political jargon. But, how did it end up in the political lexicon and where did this seemingly innocent-sounding idiom come from?
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
- contuse,
- contused wound,
- contusion,
- contusive,
- conté,
- conurbation,
- conure,
- conus,
- conus arteriosus,
- conv.
Origin of conundrum
First recorded in 1590–1600; pseudo-L word of obscure origin
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for conundrum
conundrum
/ (kəˈnʌndrəm) /
noun
a riddle, esp one whose answer makes a play on words
a puzzling question or problem
Word Origin for conundrum
C16: of unknown origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
conundrum
1590s, Oxford University slang for "pedant," also "whim," etc., later (1790) "riddle, puzzle." Also spelled quonundrum. The sort of ponderous pseudo-Latin word that was once the height of humor in learned circles.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper