puzzle

Related to puzzle: riddles

Chinese puzzle

1. A puzzle game consisting of intricate and complex pieces that fit together in a specific manner, especially of multiple boxes that fit inside one another. My uncle gave me this Chinese puzzle for Christmas, and I still haven't been able to solve it!
2. Any problem, question, or situation that is especially complex or difficult to understand. Dealing with growing income inequality is truly a Chinese puzzle for lawmakers today. I can't understand a thing about how this engine works, it's like a dang Chinese puzzle!
See also: Chinese, puzzle

puzzle out (something)

To determine, clarify, or realize something through careful thought or consideration. They're still puzzling out how to get the system back online without losing any data. It took me a while, but I think I was able to puzzle out the solution to this riddle.
See also: out, puzzle

puzzle over (someone or something)

To think about or consider something, usually at length. After puzzling over the experiment all day, I think I've figured out where we've gone wrong.
See also: over, puzzle
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

puzzle over someone or something

to consider or ponder. I can't puzzle out the mean—someone or something. Anne is a bit strange. I've spent some time puzzling over her. While I was puzzling over why she had slapped me, she did it again.
See also: over, puzzle

puzzle something out

to figure something out. It took me a while to puzzle it out. I can't puzzle out the meaning of this argument.
See also: out, puzzle
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

puzzle out

Clarify or solve something, as in It took him a while to puzzle out the significance of the statement. [Late 1700s]
See also: out, puzzle
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

puzzle out

v.
To come to a conclusion or find an answer, especially as the result of a careful thought process: I puzzled out the identity of the murderer before finishing the novel. The answer escaped me at first, but I finally puzzled the problem out.
See also: out, puzzle
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • Chinese puzzle
  • fit in with (someone or something)
  • serve the purpose
  • You cannot get a quart into a pint pot
  • you can't get a quart into a pint pot
  • serve a purpose
  • give (someone) a fit
  • give someone a fit
  • fiddle
  • fit out
References in periodicals archive
Youngsters performed the best in the puzzles, with 18-25-year-old selecting the correct missing piece in 52.6% of pictures on average, compared to just 34.9% of pictures amongst over-65s.
Only 0.6% of Brits can solve these mind-bending puzzles - can you? Buzz Bingo has created Puzzled Out - an interactive challenge of 10 puzzles, each with a piece missing; Buzz Bingo has created Puzzled Out - an interactive challenge of 10 puzzles, each with a piece missing
Ahmed Bin Sulayem, DMCC executive chairman, lays down one of the pieces to the puzzle.
Dubai breaks another world record
48) While Hanks (2017a, 2017b) prefers to distinguish between "seeing" something as a puzzle rather than a problem, Chu (2007) points out that a solution can be seen as a form of understanding.
Scaffolding Learner Puzzling in Exploratory Practice: Perspectives From the Business English Classroom/Andamiaje de preguntas de aprendizaje en la practica exploratoria: perspectivas desde el aula de ingles de negocios
The puzzles are part of the Times' push to rely more on subscriptions and less on advertising, which is increasingly dominated by Facebook and Google.
What's a seven-letter word for money at The New York Times? Puzzles
Nearly 13 years later, Schneider estimates he's created nearly 1,000 puzzles. They're usually organized around a theme, such as famous people or classic toys.
Puzzles Keep Customers Guessing
"Classic Crossword Puzzles: Features 100 Favorite Puzzles: Volume 1" (9780998832210, $9.95, PB, 126pp) is a new collection to challenge the most cunning crossword connoisseur.
AKA Associates, Inc
"The puzzle can truly become profitable for the publisher, including the small cost to pay us for using the software," Temple said.
As crosswords move online, publishers can still make a profit
In every box, they will find a high-quality jigsaw puzzle that they need to assemble.
ARZZLE The Augmented Reality Puzzle That Rewards You With Real Dollars Each Month
Dr Gow says that when it comes to puzzles and challenging our brains, the "use it or lose it theory" has merit.
Fun and brains; EXPERT PUZZLES BOOST THE GREY MATTER There's no big secret to staying younger. Just use the head
* A nervous cat may prefer the puzzle in a quiet area to explore it undisturbed.
'Foraging devices' make them work for their food
It's like a mash-up between the Pokemon monster collecting and battling titles, brought together with the match-three puzzle mechanic that fans of Bejeweled and Candy Crush.
Double bang for your buck
In "A Muse and a Maze: Writing as Puzzle, Mystery, and Magic", Turchi draws out the similarities between writing and puzzle-making and its flip-side, puzzle-solving.
A Muse and a Maze: Writing as Puzzle, Mystery, and Magic
For the full history of the 15 Puzzle, see The 15 Puzzle, by Jerry Slocum and Dic Sonneveld (slocumpuzzles.com).
The 15 puzzle
Entry will be PS2, which includes a PS1 discount voucher towards the purchase of a puzzle at the Festival.
Festival is a major puzzle
Ravensburger, a German game company and market leader in the European jigsaw puzzle market for about 100 years now, released its digital jigsaw puzzle app in App Store.
Apple: Latest 'Jigsaw Puzzle' App Lands in the App Store; Costs [pounds sterling]1.99 / $2.99