I. rid ‧ dle 1 /ˈrɪdl/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: rædelse 'opinion, guess, riddle' ]
1 . a question that is deliberately very confusing and has a humorous or clever answer ⇨ puzzle :
See if you can solve this riddle.
2 . something that you do not understand and cannot explain SYN puzzle , mystery
riddle of
The police have been unable to solve the riddle of her disappearance.
3 . talk/speak in riddles to say things in a mysterious way that other people cannot understand:
Stop talking in riddles and explain what’s going on!
4 . a wire container with holes in it that is used to separate earth from stones
II. riddle 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Origin: riddle 'sieve' (11-21 centuries) , from Old English hriddel ]
1 . to make a lot of small holes in something:
Two gunmen riddled the bus with gunfire.
2 . to shake the coal or wood in a fire, in order to remove ↑ ash es