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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread conundrum #117161 12/06/2003 8:15 PM Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 wwh Carpal Tunnel wwh Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 Dickens uses the word "conundrum". It occurred to me that I had no idea of the etymology, but sounds a bit like Latin. American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. conundrum SYLLABICATION: co·nun·drum PRONUNCIATION: k-nndrm NOUN: 1. A riddle in which a fanciful question is answered by a pun. 2. A paradoxical, insoluble, or difficult problem; a dilemma: “the conundrum, thus far unanswered, of achieving full employment without inflation” (Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.). ETYMOLOGY: Origin unknown. Offhand, I can't remember any conundrums (conunda?) for which answer is a pun. The only one I remember at the moment is "Why is Nancy Reagan like the Panama Canal?" Answer: "The Panama Canal is a busy ditch, and she's vice versa." But that answer doesn't seem to be a pun. Got a better example? Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: conundrum #117162 12/06/2003 8:26 PM Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 1,004 London, UK shanks old hand shanks old hand Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 1,004 London, UK Dear Doc I can't remember specific examples, but Alice in Wonderland is full of conundrums. Remember the school being run by a turtle? Why? "Because he tortoise" (probably need Brit pronunciation for that). But it's full of that sort of stuff, and I'd guess that the first definition you have may well have come from the Victorian fascination with word games. cheer the sunshine warrior Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: conundrum #117163 12/06/2003 9:18 PM Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 wwh Carpal Tunnel wwh Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 Why is a virgin like a sneeze? Gesundheit. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: conundrum #117164 12/07/2003 5:32 PM Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 wwh Carpal Tunnel wwh Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 And the was the proverbial dumb blonde who insisted that her boyfriend wear a conundrum. Not so dumb, after all. Incidentally, I despise the merriment directed at blondes. It has been said Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. I married one, but not because of tint of her chevelure. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. (have been... ------  Words from medicine  Beheading words  Meta-words  Words from classical mythology  Animal Safari  Words with unusual etymologies  Eponyms or words derived from p...  Loanwords from German  English as a global language Print Thread Switch to Threaded Mode Show Likes Link Copied to Clipboard View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary

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