I.
noun
1 sth that is difficult to understand
ADJECTIVE
▪ great
▪ perplexing
▪ scientific , theoretical
VERB + PUZZLE
▪ crack ( BrE ), figure out ( esp. AmE ), piece together , solve
▪ remain
▪
What happened to the ship remains a ~.
PUZZLE + VERB
▪ remain
▪
The ~ remains of what happened to the ship.
PREPOSITION
▪ ~ about
▪
There is a ~ about how the plant first came to Britain.
▪ ~ of
▪
They're trying to solve the ~ of how gravity works.
PHRASES
▪ a piece of the ~
▪
Another piece of the ~ fell into place.
▪ the key to a ~
▪
Traces of explosives found among the wreckage were the key to the ~.
▪ a piece in the ~
▪
The police didn't know what the message meant, but it was another piece in the ~.
▪ a solution to a ~ , something of a ~
▪
The origin of the word is something of a ~.
2 game that tests your skill, intelligence, etc.
ADJECTIVE
▪ crossword , jigsaw ( BrE )
▪ logic , number , picture , word
▪ complicated
VERB + PUZZLE
▪ complete , do , put together ( esp. AmE ), solve
PUZZLE + NOUN
▪ book
▪ game
▪ piece
II.
verb
Puzzle is used with these nouns as the object: ↑ observer , ↑ scientist