RIDDLE


Meaning of RIDDLE in English

~ 1

■ noun a question or statement phrased so as to require ingenuity in ascertaining its answer or meaning.

↘a person or thing that is difficult to understand.

■ verb archaic speak in or pose ~s.

↘explain (a ~) to.

Derivatives

~r noun

Origin

OE rdels , rdelse 'opinion, conjecture, ~'; related to read .

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~ 2

■ verb

1》 make many holes in, especially with gunshot.

↘fill or permeate with something undesirable: the law is ~d with loopholes.

2》 pass through a ~.

↘remove ashes or other unwanted material from (a fire or stove) with a sieve.

■ noun a large coarse sieve, especially one for separating ashes from cinders or sand from gravel.

Origin

OE hriddel , of Gmc origin.

Concise Oxford English vocab.      Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка.