riddles

Noun (1)

riddle (plural riddles)

1. A verbal puzzle, mystery, or other problem of an intellectual nature.
   • Here's a riddle: It's black, and white, and red all over. What is it?

   Synonyms:

   enigma, conundrum, brain-teaser

2. An ancient verbal, poetic, or literary form, in which, rather than a rhyme scheme, there are parallel opposing expressions with a hidden meaning.

Noun (2)

riddle (plural riddles)

1. A sieve with coarse meshes, usually of wire, for separating coarser materials from finer, as chaff from grain, cinders from ashes, or gravel from sand.
2. A board with a row of pins, set zigzag, between which wire is drawn to straighten it.

Noun (3)

riddle (plural riddles)

1. (obsolete) A curtain; bedcurtain.
2. (religious) One of the pair of curtains enclosing an altar on the north and south.

See all 17 meanings of riddle