riddle
riddle — noun
1. A game in which one person asks a puzzling question with a surprising or amusing
A game in which one person asks a puzzling question with a surprising or amusing answer, and the other person must guess that answer.
Eitan asked his younger sister a riddle: 'What has keys but cannot open locks?' — the answer was a piano.
riddle + question with surprising answer
The children spent a rainy afternoon laughing at silly riddles from a book their grandmother had given them.
Some teachers use riddles at the start of class to get students thinking creatively.
Gita told a riddle about a man who could not see his reflection, and her friends tried to solve it.
- puzzle
broader term — a puzzle can be a visual, logic, or word-based challenge; a riddle is always a question-answer format.
- conundrum
more formal or humorous; often refers to a tricky problem rather than a children's game.
- brainteaser
informal; focuses on the mental challenge rather than the playful question-answer format.
文法句型
a riddle about [topic]
ask/tell/solve a riddle
用法筆記
A riddle is always a question with an answer. If there is no question-answer structure, use 'puzzle' or 'mystery' instead.
常見錯誤
2. A situation, event, or person that is very difficult to understand or explain.
A situation, event, or person that is very difficult to understand or explain.
The sudden disappearance of the painting remained a riddle that no one in the town could explain.
collocation: remain a riddle
To the doctors, the patient's unusual symptoms were a complete riddle — none of the standard tests gave them any answers.
Why the ancient civilisation abandoned their city is a riddle that archaeologists are still trying to solve.
Takeshi's behaviour at the meeting was a riddle; he agreed with every suggestion but then did the exact opposite.
- mystery
very similar but slightly broader; a mystery can be solved by clues, while a riddle feels more puzzling or contradictory.
- enigma
more formal; suggests something deeply mysterious and perhaps permanently unsolvable.
- puzzle
suggests a problem that can be solved with effort; less dramatic than 'riddle'.
文法句型
remain a riddle
be a riddle to [someone]
用法筆記
Common with 'remain', 'be', and 'solve'. Unlike sense 1, this meaning does not involve a question-answer game — the 'riddle' is the confusing thing itself.
常見錯誤
riddle — verb
1. To make many small holes through something, especially by shooting at it or by y
To make many small holes through something, especially by shooting at it or by years of wear and damage.
After the battle, the old wooden wall was riddled with bullet holes from the enemy attack.
passive: be riddled with bullet holes
Moths had riddled the woollen jumper with tiny holes, making it impossible to wear.
active: riddle + object + with + holes
The target board at the shooting range was riddled with marks from hundreds of practice shots.
Years of dampness had riddled the roof beams with holes, so the house needed urgent repair.
文法句型
be riddled with + [bullets/holes]
riddle + object + with + [something sharp]
用法筆記
Almost always appears in the passive form 'be riddled with [something]'. The active form (e.g. 'Moths riddled the jumper') is grammatical but less common.
常見錯誤
2. To be filled with many bad or undesirable things such as mistakes, problems, dis
To be filled with many bad or undesirable things such as mistakes, problems, dishonest actions, or disease.
The student's essay was riddled with spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, so the teacher asked her to rewrite it.
be riddled with + errors/mistakes
The construction project was riddled with problems from the start — missed deadlines, poor materials, and budget overruns.
Historians later discovered that the old report was riddled with lies and had been written to hide the truth.
The company's sales system was riddled with corruption, and several managers were arrested after the investigation.
- be full of
neutral in tone; can be used with positive or negative things. 'Riddled with' is always negative.
- be filled with
neutral register; does not carry the same sense of damage or contamination.
- be teeming with
more vivid; often used for living things or movement, e.g. 'teeming with insects'.
- be free of
suggests the absence of flaws or problems
文法句型
be riddled with + [flaws/errors/corruption/problems]
用法筆記
Always passive: 'be riddled with' is a fixed construction. The subject is typically abstract (report, system, plan) or a piece of work (essay, proposal). The objects are always negative: flaws, errors, corruption, disease, contradictions.