Puzzle

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bbeeton
Senior Lexiterian
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Location: Providence, RI

Puzzle

Postby bbeeton » Sun Jun 27, 2021 3:48 pm

I've been led to believe that the etymology of "puzzle" is unknown.

This is puzzling. Does anyone have an idea?

There's an interesting article in the New York that incorporates "PUZZLE" as its starting point: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/25/scie ... maine.html (Warning: paywall involved.)

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Slava
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Re: Puzzle

Postby Slava » Wed Jun 30, 2021 11:42 am

Here's what etymonline has to say:
1590s, pusle "bewilder, confound, perplex with difficult problems or questions," possibly frequentative of pose (v.) in obsolete sense of "perplex" (compare nuzzle from nose). To puzzle (something) out "resolve or discover by long cogitation or careful investigation" is by 1781.

A great bit from the Grinch: "And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore."
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.


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