What is "riddle"

Riddle \Rid"dle\, v. t. To explain; to solve; to unriddle.

Riddle me this, and guess him if you can.
--Dryden.

Riddle \Rid"dle\, v. i. To speak ambiguously or enigmatically. ``Lysander riddels very prettily.''
--Shak.

Riddle \Rid"dle\, n. [OE. ridil, AS. hridder; akin to G. reiter, L. cribrum, and to Gr. ??? to distinguish, separate, and G. rein clean. See Crisis, Certain.]

1. A sieve with coarse meshes, usually of wire, for separating coarser materials from finer, as chaff from grain, cinders from ashes, or gravel from sand.

2. A board having a row of pins, set zigzag, between which wire is drawn to straighten it.

Riddle \Rid"dle\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Riddled; p. pr. & vb. n. Riddling.]

1. To separate, as grain from the chaff, with a riddle; to pass through a riddle; as, riddle wheat; to riddle coal or gravel.

2. To perforate so as to make like a riddle; to make many holes in; as, a house riddled with shot.

Riddle \Rid"dle\, n. [For riddels, s being misunderstood as the plural ending; OE. ridels, redels. AS. r?dels; akin to D. raadsel, G. r["a]thsel; fr. AS. r?dan to counsel or advise, also, to guess. [root]116. Cf. Read.] Something proposed to be solved by guessing or conjecture; a puzzling question; an ambiguous proposition; an enigma; hence, anything ambiguous or puzzling.

To wring from me, and tell to them, my secret, That solved the riddle which I had proposed.
--Milton.

'T was a strange riddle of a lady.
--Hudibras.

"A word game or joke, comprising a question or statement couched in deliberately puzzling terms, propounded for solving by the hearer/reader using clues embedded within that wording" [Oxford Dictionary of English Folklore], early 13c., from Old English rædels "riddle; counsel; conjecture; imagination; discussion," common Germanic (Old Frisian riedsal "riddle," Old Saxon radisli, Middle Dutch raetsel, Dutch raadsel, Old High German radisle, German Rätsel "riddle").\n

\nThe first element is from Proto-Germanic *redaz-, from PIE *re-dh-, from PIE *re(1)- "to reason, count" (cognates: Old English rædan "to advise, counsel, read, guess;" see read (v.)). The ending is Old English noun suffix -els, the -s of which later was mistaken for a plural affix and stripped off. Meaning "anything which puzzles or perplexes" is from late 14c.

"perforate with many holes," 1817 (implied in riddled), earlier "sift" (early 13c.), from Middle English ridelle "coarse sieve," from late Old English hriddel "sieve," altered by dissimilation from Old English hridder "sieve" (see riddle (n.2)).

"coarse sieve," mid-14c., alteration of late Old English hriddel, dissimilated from hridder, from Proto-Germanic *hrida- (cognates: German Reiter), from PIE root *krei- "to sieve," and thus related to Latin cribrum "sieve, riddle," Greek krinein "to separate, distinguish, decide" (see crisis).

"to pose as a riddle," 1570s, from riddle (n.1). Related: Riddled; riddler; riddling.

Etymology 1 n. A verbal puzzle, mystery, or other problem of an intellectual nature. vb. 1 To speak ambiguously or enigmatically. 2 (context transitive English) To solve, answer, or explicate a riddle or question Etymology 2

n. 1 A sieve with coarse meshes, usually of wire, for separating coarser materials from finer, as chaff from grain, cinders from ashes, or gravel from sand. 2 A board with a row of pins, set zigzag, between which wire is drawn to straighten it. vb. 1 To put something through a #Noun 2 or sieve#Noun, to sieve#Verb, to sift#Verb. 2 To fill with holes like a #Noun 2. 3 To fill or spread throughout; to pervade.

1. n. a difficult problem [syn: conundrum, enigma, brain-teaser]

2. a coarse sieve (as for gravel)

3. v. pierce many times; "The bullets riddled his body"

4. set a difficult problem or riddle; "riddle me a riddle"

5. separate with a riddle, as grain from chaff [syn: screen]

6. speak in riddles

7. explain a riddle

A riddle is a statement or question or phrase having a double or veiled meaning, put forth as a puzzle to be solved. Riddles are of two types: enigmas, which are problems generally expressed in metaphorical or allegorical language that require ingenuity and careful thinking for their solution, and conundra, which are questions relying for their effects on punning in either the question or the answer.

Archer Taylor says that "we can probably say that riddling is a universal art" and cites riddles from hundreds of different cultures including Finnish, Hungarian, American Indian, Chinese, Russian, Dutch and Filipino sources amongst many others. In the assessment of Elli Köngas Maranda (originally writing about Malaitian riddles, but with an insight that has been taken up more widely), whereas myths serve to encode and establish social norms, 'riddles make a point of playing with conceptual boundaries and crossing them for the intellectual pleasure of showing that things are not quite as stable as they seem' -- though the point of doing so may still ultimately be to 'play with boundaries, but ultimately to affirm them'.

A riddle is a form of word puzzle.

Riddle may also refer to:

• The World riddle of Friedrich Nietzsche, the meaning of life
• Riddle of the Sphinx
• The Riddle Song, also known as "I Gave My Love a Cherry," an English folk song

riddle is Thomas Leeb's first available release and features nine instrumentals and one vocal song.

A riddle is a large sieve used to separate soil or compost particles, or for separating soil from vegetables.

"Riddle" is a song by En Vogue. It was released as the lead single from the group's fourth studio album Masterpiece Theater. "Riddle" was the first and last single from the album. The song became a Top 40 hit in a few countries, it gained more success in Belgium where it became a Top 20 hit. The radio version of "Riddle" was remixed by Stargate; the remix sample one of their biggest hits My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It). The video received a lot of play, but the song didn't become a big hit. "Riddle" was the last single to feature Maxine Jones before she left to make more time for her family.

The band performed the single on The Rosie O'Donnell Show. The group also performed it for their 20th Anniversary, this time it featured all 4 original members rather than just Cindy, Terry & Maxine who did the original vocals.