1781 J. Woodforde 16 Mar. (1924) I. 304 To 7 pieces of wood, a Puzzle thing, pd 0. 0. 6.
1939 20 Sept. 7/1 That puzzle thing I was trying to work the other night..I sent it in just for fun and I won a prize.
2004 Lounge Help Please in uk.rec.competitions (Usenet newsgroup) 4 Mar. It's a sort of puzzle thing like a crossword but with roman numerals.