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Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
puzzle
I.noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a puzzled/baffled/bewildered expression (=one that shows you are confused or cannot understand something)
▪ I can still recall Dan’s baffled expression when I asked him for an answer.
puzzled
▪ He looked at his son’s puzzled face.
solve a puzzle
▪ You progress through the game by solving puzzles.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ NOUN
crossword
▪ And probably a book or a crossword puzzle or something you could do when you were down there, you know.
▪ Using quantum theory to understand gravity makes as much sense as trying solve a crossword puzzle with the key to your door.
▪ It has taken 28 more years to add a crossword puzzle.
▪ She was highly educated and was good at crossword puzzles and so unlikely to make such an elementary error.
▪ All around the room, trainees put down their New York Times crossword puzzles.
▪ It's like a crossword puzzle.
▪ She left her book of crossword puzzles folded open on the kitchen counter.
jigsaw
▪ Instead, the candidates have to put together a jigsaw puzzle of states, bagging their votes in the electoral college.
▪ It is like putting together a three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle with missing pieces.
▪ She was wound up, jumbled inside like a spilled jigsaw puzzle.
▪ And the majority of changes relate to content, more time-consuming and frustrating than an all-red jigsaw puzzle.
▪ Dress children up in paper which has wavy lines drawn on it to seem like a jigsaw puzzle.
▪ She thought the contents of a Cornflakes box were a jigsaw puzzle of a hen.
▪ The pieces of evidence fell into place with the unequivocal precision of a well-made jigsaw puzzle.
▪ We have a jigsaw puzzle with the pieces jumbled up.
■ VERB
solve
▪ As I walked around that charming town, I undertook the task of solving the puzzle she had set for me.
▪ Using quantum theory to understand gravity makes as much sense as trying solve a crossword puzzle with the key to your door.
▪ He needed to solve the puzzle that was Harold Piper.
▪ Results of tests on two more carcasses may solve the puzzle, she added.
▪ Create electricity under your own power! Solve puzzles and break illusions!
▪ It solves some of the puzzles mentioned for proper names.
▪ There were two ways of solving a scientific puzzle, they said.
▪ He thought that the way to solve archaeological puzzles was to weigh the opposing authorities.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ In 1953 the intricate puzzle of DNA's structure was solved in a Cambridge laboratory.
▪ The police have almost solved the case but one important piece of the puzzle is still missing: the murder weapon.
▪ Women have always been a puzzle to Brad.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ Another casket presents the adventurers with an intriguing puzzle.
▪ How television has changed is one piece of the puzzle.
▪ In these terms, the original puzzle becomes that of why natural selection does not produce a population consisting entirely of hawks.
▪ So he created a temporary scaffolding to get one piece of the puzzle going.
▪ This was the puzzle that preoccupied scientists concerned with complexity.
▪ Top scientists around the country are pounding away at different parts of the puzzle.
II.verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
out
▪ The client would puzzle out an explanation later, if he got informed by letter of his right to exercise the warrants.
▪ No sign and he couldn't puzzle out where it could have gone.
▪ He tried to puzzle out, from what Blondel had told him, how time worked.
over
▪ As she walked, her mind was still puzzling over the mystery of Moloch's peculiar ecology.
▪ He puzzled over these for the few seconds of his silent approach, then realized what they were.
▪ Detectives puzzling over a motive say the girls were not sexually assaulted.
▪ Others, too, puzzle over what to call the person who used to be a manager.
▪ Her mind was taken up with puzzling over a fact which had become increasingly clear the longer she stayed in the apartment.
▪ Meanwhile, residents and officials puzzled over exactly how to dispose of thousands of tons of debris.
▪ She was still puzzling over the problem when she saw Joanna's car coming towards her.
▪ This was a result of his puzzling over how they made moral decisions.
■ NOUN
jigsaw
▪ The process is similar to doing a jigsaw puzzle, but without a clear pattern on each piece.
▪ The pieces in the hangar are fitting together like a jigsaw puzzle.
▪ In putting a jigsaw puzzle together he may move the pieces around to improve his chances of finding a fit.
▪ Some one who could put the circumstantial jigsaw puzzle together.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ Astronomers continue to be puzzled by the existence of black holes.
▪ Her unwillingness to answer any of his questions puzzled him.
▪ There are things that still puzzle me about this new computer system.
▪ What puzzles me about the robbery, is how they managed to enter the building unseen.
▪ What puzzles me is why she doesn't just leave him.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ As she walked, her mind was still puzzling over the mystery of Moloch's peculiar ecology.
▪ Carroll was puzzled over the way Protestants who had always feared priests could now demand his services.
▪ Flora was puzzled by this exchange.
▪ Initially, the taxi driver was puzzled when we asked to be driven to Shantinagar.
▪ It was only when the young man moved away in this fashion that George began to puzzle over the incident.
▪ The men are recalled with a deliberate and puzzling emotional inconsistency.
▪ What puzzled me was how Mrs Witherspoon fit into the setup.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
puzzle

puzzle \puz"zle\ (p[u^]z"z'l), n. [For opposal, in the sense of problem. See Oppose, Pose, v.]

  1. Something which perplexes or embarrasses; especially, a toy or a problem contrived for testing ingenuity; also, something exhibiting marvelous skill in making.

  2. The state of being puzzled; perplexity; as, to be in a puzzle.

puzzle

puzzle \puz"zle\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. puzzled (p[u^]z"z'ld); p. pr. & vb. n. puzzling (p[u^]z"zl[i^]ng).]

  1. To perplex; to confuse; to embarrass; to put to a stand; to nonplus.

    A very shrewd disputant in those points is dexterous in puzzling others.
    --Dr. H. More.

    He is perpetually puzzled and perplexed amidst his own blunders.
    --Addison.

  2. To make intricate; to entangle.

    They disentangle from the puzzled skein.
    --Cowper.

    The ways of Heaven are dark and intricate, Puzzled in mazes, and perplexed with error.
    --Addison.

  3. To solve by ingenuity, as a puzzle; -- followed by out; as, to puzzle out a mystery.

    Syn: To embarrass; perplex; confuse; bewilder; confound. See Embarrass.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
puzzle

1590s, pusle "bewilder, confound," possibly frequentative of pose (v.) in obsolete sense of "perplex" (compare nuzzle from nose). Related: Puzzled; puzzling.

puzzle

c.1600, "state of being puzzled," from puzzle (v.); meaning "perplexing question" is from 1650s; that of "a toy contrived to test one's ingenuity" is from 1814.

Wiktionary
puzzle

n. 1 Anything that is difficult to understand or make sense of. 2 A game for one person that is more or less difficult to work out or complete. 3 A crossword puzzle. 4 A jigsaw puzzle. 5 A riddle. 6 (context archaic English) Something made with marvellous skill; something of ingenious construction. 7 The state of being puzzled; perplexity. vb. (label en transitive) To perplex (someone).

WordNet
puzzle
  1. n. a particularly baffling problem that is said to have a correct solution; "he loved to solve chessmate puzzles"; "that's a real puzzler" [syn: puzzler, mystifier, teaser]

  2. a toy that tests your ingenuity

puzzle
  1. v. be a mystery or bewildering to; "This beats me!"; "Got me--I don't know the answer!"; "a vexing problem"; "This question really stuck me" [syn: perplex, vex, stick, get, mystify, baffle, beat, pose, bewilder, flummox, stupefy, nonplus, gravel, amaze, dumbfound]

  2. be uncertain about; think about without fully understanding or being able to decide; "We puzzled over her sudden departure"

Wikipedia
Puzzle

A puzzle is a game, problem, or toy that tests a person's ingenuity or knowledge. In a puzzle, one is required to put pieces together in a logical way, in order to arrive at the correct solution of the puzzle. There are different types of puzzles for different ages, such as crossword puzzles, word-search puzzles, number puzzles, or logic puzzles.

Puzzles' are often devised as a form of entertainment but they can also arise from serious mathematical or logistical problems. In such cases, their solution may be a significant contribution to mathematical research.

Solutions of puzzles often require the recognition of patterns and the creation of a particular kind of order. Sometimes not because of how complicated and diagonal the pattern can get. People with a high level of inductive reasoning aptitude may be better at solving such puzzles than others. But puzzles based upon inquiry and discovery may be solved more easily by those with good deduction skills. Deductive reasoning improves with practice.

Some notable creators of puzzles are Sam Loyd, Henry Dudeney, Boris Kordemsky and, more recently, David J. Bodycombe, Will Shortz, Lloyd King, and Martin Gardner.

Puzzle (2006 film)

Puzzle is a 2006 South Korean film, the feature directorial debut of Kim Tae-kyung. A group of crooks are summoned together by an unknown master planner to carry out a bank robbery, but then it goes fatefully wrong.

Puzzle (Dada album)

Puzzle is the debut album of the alternative rock group dada, released in 1992, on I.R.S. Records. The album featured the hit single " Dizz Knee Land" and sold more than half a million copies. It spent 10 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart, peaking at #111. On July 13, 2004, the album was reissued with bonus tracks by Blue Cave Records.

Puzzle (Gianna Nannini album)

Puzzle is the sixth album by Gianna Nannini. It was released in 1984. The first single from the album, "Fotoromanza", was a summer hit and went on to win the Festivalbar, Vota la Voce and a Gold Telegatto prize. The music video was directed by Michelangelo Antonioni. The album went platinum in Italy, with Fotoromanza topping the charts in Italy, Switzerland and Austria. The European tour to promote the album culminated with a handful of very successful dates in Berlin, at the Montreaux Jazz Festival and in Cologne, resulted in the album "Tutto Live" (1985).

Puzzle (2010 film)

Puzzle is a 2010 Argentine drama film directed by Natalia Smirnoff. It was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival.

Puzzle (1974 film)

L’uomo senza memoria (internationally released as Puzzle and Man Without a Memory) is a 1974 Italian giallo film directed by Duccio Tessari. It was written by Ernesto Gastaldi. La Stampa defined the film as "full of ideas and with a strong storyline".

Puzzle (2014 film)

is a 2014 Japanese school horror film directed by Eisuke Naito and based on the novel by Yusuke Yamada. It was released on March 8, 2014.

Puzzle (Biffy Clyro album)

Puzzle is the fourth studio album by Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro, released 4 June 2007 - the album was later released in America in August. It is the band's first album since leaving Beggars Banquet (though the sleeve artwork still features the Beggars Banquet logo).

The album reached #2 in the UK Albums Chart to widespread critical acclaim, receiving several perfect ratings and was voted the best album of 2007 by Kerrang! and Rock Sound. The album also reached #17 in Ireland, and #39 in the overall world charts. The album is certified Platinum in the UK, having sold over 300,000 copies. As of July 2016, it has sold 342,042 copies in the UK.

This album is notable for having somewhat more straightforward song structures and a more melodic overall sound than their previous work, while still retaining some more unusual elements.

Puzzle (disambiguation)

A puzzle is a type of mental challenge.

Puzzle may also refer to:

  • Puzzle (1974 film), a 1974 Italian film
  • Puzzle (2006 film), a 2006 Korean film written and directed by Tae-kyeong Kim
  • Puzzle (2010 film), a 2010 Argentine film
  • Puzzle (2014 film), a 2014 film
  • Puzzle (Narnia), a character in C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia

In music:

  • Puzzle (Biffy Clyro album), the 2007 fourth album by Scottish group Biffy Clyro
  • Puzzle (Dada album), the 1992 debut album by the rock band dada
  • Puzzle (Gianna Nannini album), the 1986 album by Gianna Nannini
  • Puzzle (Amiina album), 2010 album by Amiina
  • Puzzle (Kanjani Eight album), by the Japanese boyband Kanjani Eight
  • Puzzle (Tahiti 80 album), the 1999 album by the pop band Tahiti 80
  • "Puzzle" (song), a 2016 song by CNBLUE
  • "Puzzle", a 2014 song Fernando Milagros
  • Puzzle. (Band) Post-nu gaze band from Western Australia formed in 2015

In science:

  • Thomas Samuel Kuhn's concept of normal science regards science as a process of "puzzle-solving"
Puzzle (Kanjani Eight album)

is the third full-length album released by the Japanese boyband Kanjani Eight. Puzzle was released almost two years after the release of their second album, KJ2 Zukkoke Dai Dassō. There were two versions of this release, a regular edition and a CD+ DVD limited edition. First press of the regular edition came with a photobook containing pictures from the making of the unit promotional videos, the normal edition came with member solos, and the limited edition CD+DVD came with a DVD documenting the making of the album, creation of the units, and music videos for each unit.

The music's style is, again, unlike its predecessor. Out of all the albums released by the group, "Puzzle" is considerably the most "modern" sounding album of the bunch compared to KJ1 F.T.O which was primarily an 80s era pop sound and to KJ2 Zukkoke Dai Dassou's 70s era pop sound. The album is well diverse, with a blended balance of R&B, pop, rock, and slow ballads that present the group in a more mature, "boyband", sounding nature than their more notorious "comedy" sound. Jouya Uenaka of The Inazuma Sentai returned to write for the album, producing the group's biggest to date, " Musekinin Hero", as well as writing every rock song on the album.

Kanjani Eight had a more creative control over the album, selecting from around 60 demos to sing for the album. Nishikido had personally requested Kazuyoshi Saito to write the title track of the album for the group.

The member solos were all written and/or composed by the group themselves as well as for the special units for the album. The units themselves were picked out through a game of Jan Ken Pon during the night of their NTV Best Hit Artist 2008 performance.

Puzzle (Amiina album)

Puzzle is the second album by the Icelandic band amiina. It was released on September 27, 2010. This album has references to the bands EP Re Minore as the tracks "Ásinn", "Púsl" and "Sicsak" are re-worked versions of the songs "Ásinn", "Þristurinn" and "Tvisturinn" from that release. Additionally, the track "Mambó" is a re-worked version of the song "Ammælis" from the " Seoul" single.

As part of the pre-order package for the album the band released a video of the band playing "Glámur" from their previous studio album, Kurr, at the Reykjavík Arts Festival from 2008. This concert was the original quartets first performance together with Magnús Trygvason Eliassen and Kippi Kaninus (Guðmundur Vignir Karlsson) and it also marks the start of their collaboration.

Puzzle (song)

"Puzzle" is a song by South Korean pop rock band CNBLUE. It was released on May 11, 2016, as their 10th single under Warner Music Japan and 13th single overall in Japan. The song was written by lead vocalist Jung Yong-hwa. Revolving around the theme of a wedding, "Puzzle" deals with the idea of "eternal love".

The single was released in four editions: Regular Edition, Limited Editions A and B, and a fan club-only Boice Limited Edition. "Puzzle" debuted on the weekly Oricon Singles Chart at number four and has sold over 30,000 copies since its release. The band embarked on the CNBLUE Spring Live 2016 "We're Like a Puzzle" arena tour, where they held four concerts in Aichi, Tokyo, and Osaka.

Usage examples of "puzzle".

After all, if we coolly consider those arguments which have been bandied about, and retorted with such eagerness and acrimony in the house of commons, and divest them of those passionate tropes and declamatory metaphors which the spirit of opposition alone had produced, we shall find very little left for the subject of dispute, and sometimes be puzzled to discover any material source of disagreement.

Beautiful Agami woodwork, larken-built, like all the best of the Agami: each panel was made of thousands of pieces of wood, some as large as a thumbnail, some as small as a splinter, each one invisibly glued into place, fitted together like the pieces of a puzzle.

Why a top officer of the powerful Bank of Spica should want to quiz Floyt about his inheritance, then try to shoot him and Alacrity, was still a puzzle.

I listened with interest from my reserved seat on the front row, but part of my mind remained concentrated on the puzzle of Albacore, whose duties as chair of the meeting kept him from his other task of stroking my ego.

There was puzzling evidence from all over the Altiplano that agricultural experiments of an advanced and scientific nature had been carried out, with great ingenuity and dedication, to try to compensate for the deterioration of the climate.

The active Kappa Theta Etas, the alumnae, the missing one, and even the deceased one qualified for some role in the muddlesome puzzle.

I had written down the anagram Edmund had just given us to solve, for it was his turn to provide the puzzle.

To this Sirin would contribute poems, riddles, crossword puzzles, and probably some of its unsigned anagrams, logogriphs, meta-grams.

But long before the codebreakers moved into the sterile supercomputer laboratories, clean rooms, and anechoic chambers, their hunt for the solution to that ultimate puzzle took them to dark lakebeds and through muddy swamps in the early light of the new Cold War.

He was looking at her as if puzzled, but her pain at having to walk away into anorgasmia was too great to try and figure out what he found so odd.

Puzzled by this, Sanders walked on, and then saw that Aragon was taking the craft down-river to the point of the bank where the crystallized body of Matthieu had been cast up two months earlier.

Frenchman, finding himself puzzled by the learning of his antagonist, had recourse to the argumentum ad hominem, by laying his hand upon his sword, and declaring that he was ready to lose the last drop of his blood in opposition to such a damnable scheme.

But what puzzles me most is how involved is Charles Asthenia with Ellis?

This cavern, from which The Shadow had dynamited a way to the Aureole shaft above, was the beginning of another trail that promised a solution to mysterious occurrences that still had Harry puzzled.

He was not disappointed, for presently the old fellow arrived with a very worried and puzzled expression upon his austere face.