Puzzles

puz·zle  (pzl)

v. puz·zled, puz·zling, puz·zles

v.tr.

1. To baffle or confuse mentally by presenting or being a difficult problem or matter.

2. To clarify or solve (something confusing) by reasoning or study: He puzzled out the significance of the statement.

v.intr.

1. To be perplexed.

2. To ponder over a problem in an effort to solve or understand it.

n.

1. Something, such as a game, toy, or problem, that requires ingenuity and often persistence in solving or assembling.

2. Something that baffles or confuses.

3. The condition of being perplexed; bewilderment.

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[Origin unknown.]

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puzzler n.

Synonyms: puzzle, perplex, mystify, bewilder, confound
These verbs mean to cause bafflement or confusion. Puzzle suggests difficulty in solving or interpreting something: "The poor creature puzzled me once . . . by a question merely natural and innocent" Daniel Defoe.
Perplex stresses uncertainty or anxiety, as over reaching an understanding or finding a solution: a dilemma that perplexed the committee.
Mystify implies defying comprehension by obscuring facts: symbolism that mystifies me.
Bewilder emphasizes extreme mental confusion: "The old know what they want; the young are sad and bewildered" Logan Pearsall Smith.
To confound is to confuse and astonish: God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise I Corinthians 1:27.

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Puzzles

See also games.

enigmatography

the art or skill of composing enigmas. — enigmatographer, n.

enigmatology

the analysis of enigmas.

logology

the pursuit of word puzzles or puzzling words. — logologist, n.