kəˈnəndrəm noun
( -s )
Etymology: origin unknown
1. obsolete
a. : conceit , whim , fancy
b. : pun , quibble
2. : a riddle based on some fanciful or fantastic resemblance between things quite unlike and forming a puzzling question whose answer is or involves a pun (as in “Why didn't the children of Israel starve in the desert? Because of the sand which is there”)
3.
a. : a question or problem to which only a conjectural answer can be made
the political conundrums, particularly the problem of how the richer areas … can be made to subsidize the poorer — Douglass Cater
b. : a puzzle or problem that is usually intricate and difficult of solution
it's been a chronic conundrum where they were to pay taxes and vote: some have paid taxes to both states, some to neither — New York Times
Synonyms: see mystery