riddlingn.¹

Brit.

/ˈrɪdl̩ɪŋ/,

/ˈrɪdlɪŋ/, U.S.

/ˈrɪd(ə)lɪŋ/

Forms: late Middle English riddyllynge, late Middle English ryddylynge, late Middle English rydellynge, 1500s–1600s ridling, 1600s– riddling; English regional (northern) 1800s reddlin, 1800s– ridlin, 1800s– ruddlin'.

Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: riddle n.¹, -ing suffix¹; riddle v.², -ing suffix¹.

Etymology: Partly < riddle n.¹ + -ing suffix¹, and partly (in later use) < riddle v.² + -ing suffix¹.

The action of posing or asking a riddle or riddles; an instance of this. Also: a riddle, a puzzle (English regional (northern) in later use).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > secrecy, concealment > a profound secret, mystery > puzzle, enigma, riddle > [noun]

riddleOE

purposec1350

problema1382

propositiona1382

conclusion1393

divinailc1430

opposal?a1439

riddling?c1475

wordc1480

why1532

dark, hard sentence1535

enigma1539

remblere1599

puzzlement1646

gripha1652

puzzler1651

riddlemy riddlemy1652

puzzle1655

crux1718

teaser1759

puzzleation1767

conundrum1790

poser1793

riddle-me-ree1805

stumper1807

tickler1825

sticker1849

brain-teaser1850

grueller1856

question mark1870

brain-twister1878

skull-buster1926

mind-bender1968

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > secrecy, concealment > a profound secret, mystery > puzzle, enigma, riddle > [noun] > propounding of riddles

riddling1611

society > leisure > entertainment > toy or plaything > puzzle > [noun] > other word puzzles > propounding of a riddle or riddles

riddling1611

?c1475 Catholicon Anglicum (BL Add. 15562) f. 104 A Riddyllynge [1483 BL Add. 89074 a Rydellynge], enigma; Þat spekes Riddyllynge [BL Add. 89074 Rydels], enigmatista; to rede Ryddylynge, enigmatizare.

1593 N. Breton in R. S. Phœnix Nest 25 And one begin, another answere make: Whose ridling sports in order as I can, I will recite, and thus the first began.

1611 T. Middleton & T. Dekker Roaring Girle sig. G^v What a pox meanes this ridling?

1671 J. Milton Samson Agonistes 1064 Be less abstruse, my riddling days are past.

1755 J. Hervey Theron & Aspasio (ed. 3) III. ix. 117 Fool that He is! To think of inlarging, corroborating, or improving the finished and magnificent Works of Nature, by the puny Riddlings of Art.

1812 Sporting Mag. 39 110 The laughable exercises of blindman's buff, riddling, and question and command.

1881 J. Sargisson Joe Scoap's Jurneh 183 Ah'll set yeh a ruddlin'.

1922 Jrnl. Amer. Folklore 35 105 Only six story-riddles occur, but..the elaborate explanations perhaps indicate a taste still active for this kind of riddling.

1980 S. H. Brandes Metaphors of Masculinity vii. 128 Riddling may be seen as a form of verbal chicanery.

2007 W. Smith Quest 151 Soon she could play word games with Taita, and delighted him with her rhyming, riddling and punning.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2010; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

riddlingn.²

Brit.

/ˈrɪdl̩ɪŋ/,

/ˈrɪdlɪŋ/, U.S.

/ˈrɪd(ə)lɪŋ/

Forms: see riddle v.¹ and -ing suffix¹; also Scottish pre-1700 ridleing.

Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: riddle v.¹, -ing suffix¹.

Etymology: < riddle v.¹ + -ing suffix¹.

a. In plural. The less valuable parts, either coarser or finer, of a substance which has been separated with a riddle; siftings, screenings.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > refuse or rubbish > [noun] > refuse part of anything > sifted

riddlings1539

siftings1600

screening1727

1539–41 in H. M. Paton Accts. Masters of Wks. (1957) I. 270 With vi hors ledand lyme riddillingis and pulder fra the palice to the brewhous.

1600 R. Surflet tr. C. Estienne & J. Liébault Maison Rustique i. xxv. 152 By that part of increase which the farmer spareth in his fodder, siftings, ridlings, and such other things.

1692 Sheriffhall Coal Acct. Bks. 3 Dec. in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue at Riddilling For 18 cairts drawghts of lime ridlings for mending the hors gate.

1771 J. Justice Brit. Gardener's New Director (ed. 5) ii. 273 You are also to be provided with the fine riddlings of tan, and such as has been two years out of the pit, and worked in the stove.

1824 T. Hogg Conc. & Pract. Treat. Carnation (ed. 3) 34 The coarse parts or riddlings..would not pass through the sieve.

1866 R. D. Blackmore Cradock Nowell xxxvi Small-coals men..buy the crushings and riddlings by the sack.

1894 Labour Commission Gloss. Riddlings, the portions of lime rejected from the slaking because they are too coarse or strong or ill-burned.

1919 Science 2 May 416/1 The siftings or riddlings of the lighter kinds of wood charcoal.

1979 M. E. Leesley in J. J. McKetta Encycl. Chem. Processing & Design 147 As with all stokers with a grate, fines will be lost to the ash as ‘riddlings’ unless the fuel is damped prior to combustion.

2001 Evening News (Edinb.) (Nexis) 3 Feb. 16 When I use small pots for sowing, (7 to 10cm), I fill the bottom half of the pot with the coarse riddlings of the compost itself.

b. In extended use: the worst or most inferior part of something.

ΚΠ

1824 J. Galt Rothelan III. 117 It was in truth an epitome of the world—the riddlings of all nations.

1851 R. R. Madden Shrines & Sepulchres II. 544 The riddlings of society in the sea-ports, and the capitals.

1927 J. Buchan Witch Wood iii. 56 I have seen the riddlings of Europe stick fast..because they had been taught their trade.

a. The action of sifting or separating something with a riddle. Also figurative.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > freedom from impurities > removal of impurities > sifting > [noun]

siftingc1440

sieving1499

riddling1552

cribration1617

screening1651

garble1808

sift1814

ricing1893

1552–3 in J. D. Marwick Extracts Rec. Burgh Edinb. (1871) II. 337 For..riddeling.

1603 G. Owen Descr. Penbrokshire (1892) xi. 90 Then the seconde ridlinge with a smaler Ridle.

1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. 74/1 Ridling, is a sifting the corn from the chaff.

1704 in T. J. Salmon Borrowstounness (1913) 342 For ridling and souring of two bags of lyme.

1763 G. Washington Let. 27 Sept. in Papers (1990) VII. 254 6 large Wheat Sieves—to be so open as to admit all the Grain through in Ridling, but to retain the Heads, broken Straw, trash &ca.

1839 A. Ure Dict. Arts 814 This operation by the hand-sieve, is called riddling in the tub, or riddling by deposit.

1850 T. Carlyle Latter-day Pamphlets i. 39 By manœuvring of ballotboxes, and riddling of the popular clamour.

1891 Athenæum 15 Aug. 223/1 Some day..some patient person will take these six volumes, and, by severe riddling first and compressing afterwards, get them into one or two.

1908 Trans. Amer. Soc. Mech. Engin. 29 867 On passing a sample of sand a number of times through a hand riddle and making test bars from the sample after each riddling..the overhang was increased.

1956 Times 13 Feb. 12/4 Most growers regularly reckon that it requires..more Scotch seed to plant an acre than it does seed of their own growing and riddling.

2008 Dunoon Observer & Argyllshire Standard 5 Dec. 8/3 The vehicles would then make their way to one of the coal rees (the name deriving from an old word for riddling as presumably this process was undertaken there).

b. Winemaking. In méthode champenoise: the periodic turning and shaking of sparkling wine, esp. champagne, in its bottle to move sediment towards the cork or cap (for eventual removal before the wine is finished for shipment); = remuage n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > drink > manufacture of alcoholic drink > wine-making > [noun] > turning of bottle

remuage1903

riddling1903

1903 H. Lachman Monogr. on Manuf. Wines Calif. in H. W. Wiley Amer. Wines at Paris Expos. (U.S. Dept. Agric.) 39 The riddling, disgorging, and recorking are altogether dependent upon hand labor.

1946 Encycl. Brit. V. 216/1 The repeated action, called ‘riddling’, shifts the sediment along the glass until it comes to rest on the cork.

1961 Times 23 Dec. 7/6 What is riddling?.. The gentle but regular twisting and turning of bottles of champagne to encourage the unwanted sediment created during fermentation to settle on the cork.

2006 Wines & Vines (Nexis) July 34 In the long history of wine, riddling is itself a fairly new concept, invented by the widow Nicole-Barbe Clicquot, who became head of Champagne Clicquot around 1810.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2010; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

riddlingadj.

Brit.

/ˈrɪdl̩ɪŋ/,

/ˈrɪdlɪŋ/, U.S.

/ˈrɪd(ə)lɪŋ/

Forms: see riddle v.² and -ing suffix².

Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: riddle n.¹, -ing suffix²; riddle v.², -ing suffix².

Etymology: Partly < riddle n.¹ + -ing suffix², and partly (especially in later use) < riddle v.² + -ing suffix². Compare earlier riddling n.¹

†1. That solves or interprets riddles. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > secrecy, concealment > a profound secret, mystery > puzzle, enigma, riddle > solution of puzzle, riddle, etc. > [adjective]

riddling1590

1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene iii. xi. sig. Oo She..could not construe it By any ridling skill, or commune wit.

1827 T. Hood Plea Midsummer Fairies lviii, in Plea Midsummer Fairies & Other Poems 30 Purblind men..In riddling wonder his great bones survey.

1865 A. C. Swinburne Chastelard i. ii. 31 A..riddling skill at love.

2. That speaks in or utters riddles; enigmatic or puzzling in expression.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > secrecy, concealment > a profound secret, mystery > puzzle, enigma, riddle > [adjective] > in expression

riddling1597

1597 W. Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet ii. ii. 56 Ridling confession findes but ridling shrift.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 1 (1623) ii. iii. 57 This is a Riddling Merchant for the nonce.

1655 T. Fuller Church-hist. Brit. x. 37 That ridd'ling Letter brought Him the first notice thereof.

1748 W. Melmoth Lett. by Sir Thomas Fitzosborne I. v. 21 Your grave friend..who reproached you..for your riddling genius.

1838 J. Sterling Ess. & Tales (1848) I. 205 He intimated the state of the case in these riddling lines.

1869 Ld. Tennyson Coming of Arthur 401 He [sc. Merlin] laugh'd.., and answer'd me In riddling triplets of old time.

1905 Folk-lore 16 24 A story resembling that of Oedipus meets us in Cyprus, and a riddling dragon in Naxos.

1952 College Eng. 13 260/2 A device of dialogue that had its origin in riddling speech.

2000 R. Kelly in ‘L. Carroll’ Alice's Adventures in Wonderland vii. 104 When Alice asks the riddling Hatter for the answer, his response that he hasn't the slightest idea appears well suited to his madcap world.

3. That is, or is the cause of, a riddle or puzzling thing; enigmatic, puzzling, obscure.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > secrecy, concealment > a profound secret, mystery > puzzle, enigma, riddle > [adjective]

riddling1598

uncome-at-able1694

unaccountable1711

mind-bending1952

1598 J. Marston Certaine Satyres in Metamorph. Pigmalions Image 40 Delphick Apollo, ayde me to vnrip, These intricate deepe Oracles of wit. These darke Enigmaes, and strange ridling sence Which passe my dullard braines intelligence.

1624 I. Bargrave Serm. against Selfe Policy 5 Sinne, with all the paradoxiall qualities and ridling intricacy thereof.

a1631 J. Donne Serm. (1956) VIII. 146 Riddling and entangling perplexities of the Schoole.

1654 R. Whitlock Ζωοτομία 558 When the most intricate and ridling Articles of our Creed shall shine in glorious and undoubted satisfactions.

1718 N. Rowe tr. Lucan Pharsalia vii. 27 Perhaps, the riddling Visions of the Night With Contrarieties delude our Sight.

1789 T. Twiss Treat. Poetry (1812) II. 325 (note) Dante has a riddling metaphorical expression of the same kind.

1837 C. Wordsworth Misc. (1879) I. 5 Mural arabesques of Japanese jugglery, or riddling hieroglyphics.

1856 R. A. Vaughan Hours with Mystics (1860) II. xiii. i. 251 Its material, remote and riddling to the lower apprehension of common minds.

1935 ‘H. MacDiarmid’ Compl. Poems (1993) I. 539 O ease my spirit increasingly of the load Of my personal limitations and the riddling differences Between man and man.

1966 Punch 17 Aug. 271/3 The author leaves us peering into a future with the same riddling question mark.

2003 London Rev. Bks. 21 Aug. 24/3 The chapter promises to decipher its riddling bird, fruit and flesh-filled imagery in the light of Pané's Taino myths.

Derivatives

ˈriddlingly adv.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > secrecy, concealment > a profound secret, mystery > puzzle, enigma, riddle > [adverb]

riddle-wise1563

riddlingly1608

mind-bendingly1982

1608 J. Donne Let. in Poems (1633) 368 I..am riddlingly subject to two contrary wrackes, sinking and over-setting.

a1631 J. Donne Poems (1633) 329 Poetry..like the Pestilence or old fashion'd love Ridlingly it [doth] catch men; and doth remove Never.

1789 William & Charles II. 55 What in the name of wonder have you done to your adversary the devil, that he should put so many sudden obstacles into your way?–But I shall no longer write riddlingly.

1875 R. Browning Aristophanes' Apol. 296 Heyday! How riddlingly that hint returns.

1963 Times 13 Dec. 15/5 His [sc. George Saintsbury's]..even more illegible handwriting, resulted in a typomanuscript most richly, most riddlingly, Saintsburian.

2008 Time Out (Nexis) 20 Mar. 155 The stage is poignantly empty, save for a single chair and the lone, spot-lit figure talking us through movies, marriages and deaths in faltering, riddlingly playful speech.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2010; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

n.¹?c1475

n.²1539

adj.1590

单词	riddling
释义	riddlingn.¹ Brit. /ˈrɪdl̩ɪŋ/, /ˈrɪdlɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈrɪd(ə)lɪŋ/ Forms: late Middle English riddyllynge, late Middle English ryddylynge, late Middle English rydellynge, 1500s–1600s ridling, 1600s– riddling; English regional (northern) 1800s reddlin, 1800s– ridlin, 1800s– ruddlin'. Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: riddle n.¹, -ing suffix¹; riddle v.², -ing suffix¹. Etymology: Partly < riddle n.¹ + -ing suffix¹, and partly (in later use) < riddle v.² + -ing suffix¹. The action of posing or asking a riddle or riddles; an instance of this. Also: a riddle, a puzzle (English regional (northern) in later use). ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > secrecy, concealment > a profound secret, mystery > puzzle, enigma, riddle > [noun] riddleOE purposec1350 problema1382 propositiona1382 conclusion1393 divinailc1430 opposal?a1439 riddling?c1475 wordc1480 why1532 dark, hard sentence1535 enigma1539 remblere1599 puzzlement1646 gripha1652 puzzler1651 riddlemy riddlemy1652 puzzle1655 crux1718 teaser1759 puzzleation1767 conundrum1790 poser1793 riddle-me-ree1805 stumper1807 tickler1825 sticker1849 brain-teaser1850 grueller1856 question mark1870 brain-twister1878 skull-buster1926 mind-bender1968 the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > secrecy, concealment > a profound secret, mystery > puzzle, enigma, riddle > [noun] > propounding of riddles riddling1611 society > leisure > entertainment > toy or plaything > puzzle > [noun] > other word puzzles > propounding of a riddle or riddles riddling1611 ?c1475 Catholicon Anglicum (BL Add. 15562) f. 104 A Riddyllynge [1483 BL Add. 89074 a Rydellynge], enigma; Þat spekes Riddyllynge [BL Add. 89074 Rydels], enigmatista; to rede Ryddylynge, enigmatizare. 1593 N. Breton in R. S. Phœnix Nest 25 And one begin, another answere make: Whose ridling sports in order as I can, I will recite, and thus the first began. 1611 T. Middleton & T. Dekker Roaring Girle sig. G^v What a pox meanes this ridling? 1671 J. Milton Samson Agonistes 1064 Be less abstruse, my riddling days are past. View more context for this quotation 1755 J. Hervey Theron & Aspasio (ed. 3) III. ix. 117 Fool that He is! To think of inlarging, corroborating, or improving the finished and magnificent Works of Nature, by the puny Riddlings of Art. 1812 Sporting Mag. 39 110 The laughable exercises of blindman's buff, riddling, and question and command. 1881 J. Sargisson Joe Scoap's Jurneh 183 Ah'll set yeh a ruddlin'. 1922 Jrnl. Amer. Folklore 35 105 Only six story-riddles occur, but..the elaborate explanations perhaps indicate a taste still active for this kind of riddling. 1980 S. H. Brandes Metaphors of Masculinity vii. 128 Riddling may be seen as a form of verbal chicanery. 2007 W. Smith Quest 151 Soon she could play word games with Taita, and delighted him with her rhyming, riddling and punning. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2010; most recently modified version published online March 2022). riddlingn.² Brit. /ˈrɪdl̩ɪŋ/, /ˈrɪdlɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈrɪd(ə)lɪŋ/ Forms: see riddle v.¹ and -ing suffix¹; also Scottish pre-1700 ridleing. Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: riddle v.¹, -ing suffix¹. Etymology: < riddle v.¹ + -ing suffix¹. 1. a. In plural. The less valuable parts, either coarser or finer, of a substance which has been separated with a riddle; siftings, screenings. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > refuse or rubbish > [noun] > refuse part of anything > sifted riddlings1539 siftings1600 screening1727 1539–41 in H. M. Paton Accts. Masters of Wks. (1957) I. 270 With vi hors ledand lyme riddillingis and pulder fra the palice to the brewhous. 1600 R. Surflet tr. C. Estienne & J. Liébault Maison Rustique i. xxv. 152 By that part of increase which the farmer spareth in his fodder, siftings, ridlings, and such other things. 1692 Sheriffhall Coal Acct. Bks. 3 Dec. in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue at Riddilling For 18 cairts drawghts of lime ridlings for mending the hors gate. 1771 J. Justice Brit. Gardener's New Director (ed. 5) ii. 273 You are also to be provided with the fine riddlings of tan, and such as has been two years out of the pit, and worked in the stove. 1824 T. Hogg Conc. & Pract. Treat. Carnation (ed. 3) 34 The coarse parts or riddlings..would not pass through the sieve. 1866 R. D. Blackmore Cradock Nowell xxxvi Small-coals men..buy the crushings and riddlings by the sack. 1894 Labour Commission Gloss. Riddlings, the portions of lime rejected from the slaking because they are too coarse or strong or ill-burned. 1919 Science 2 May 416/1 The siftings or riddlings of the lighter kinds of wood charcoal. 1979 M. E. Leesley in J. J. McKetta Encycl. Chem. Processing & Design 147 As with all stokers with a grate, fines will be lost to the ash as ‘riddlings’ unless the fuel is damped prior to combustion. 2001 Evening News (Edinb.) (Nexis) 3 Feb. 16 When I use small pots for sowing, (7 to 10cm), I fill the bottom half of the pot with the coarse riddlings of the compost itself. b. In extended use: the worst or most inferior part of something. ΚΠ 1824 J. Galt Rothelan III. 117 It was in truth an epitome of the world—the riddlings of all nations. 1851 R. R. Madden Shrines & Sepulchres II. 544 The riddlings of society in the sea-ports, and the capitals. 1927 J. Buchan Witch Wood iii. 56 I have seen the riddlings of Europe stick fast..because they had been taught their trade. 2. a. The action of sifting or separating something with a riddle. Also figurative. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > freedom from impurities > removal of impurities > sifting > [noun] siftingc1440 sieving1499 riddling1552 cribration1617 screening1651 garble1808 sift1814 ricing1893 1552–3 in J. D. Marwick Extracts Rec. Burgh Edinb. (1871) II. 337 For..riddeling. 1603 G. Owen Descr. Penbrokshire (1892) xi. 90 Then the seconde ridlinge with a smaler Ridle. 1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. 74/1 Ridling, is a sifting the corn from the chaff. 1704 in T. J. Salmon Borrowstounness (1913) 342 For ridling and souring of two bags of lyme. 1763 G. Washington Let. 27 Sept. in Papers (1990) VII. 254 6 large Wheat Sieves—to be so open as to admit all the Grain through in Ridling, but to retain the Heads, broken Straw, trash &ca. 1839 A. Ure Dict. Arts 814 This operation by the hand-sieve, is called riddling in the tub, or riddling by deposit. 1850 T. Carlyle Latter-day Pamphlets i. 39 By manœuvring of ballotboxes, and riddling of the popular clamour. 1891 Athenæum 15 Aug. 223/1 Some day..some patient person will take these six volumes, and, by severe riddling first and compressing afterwards, get them into one or two. 1908 Trans. Amer. Soc. Mech. Engin. 29 867 On passing a sample of sand a number of times through a hand riddle and making test bars from the sample after each riddling..the overhang was increased. 1956 Times 13 Feb. 12/4 Most growers regularly reckon that it requires..more Scotch seed to plant an acre than it does seed of their own growing and riddling. 2008 Dunoon Observer & Argyllshire Standard 5 Dec. 8/3 The vehicles would then make their way to one of the coal rees (the name deriving from an old word for riddling as presumably this process was undertaken there). b. Winemaking. In méthode champenoise: the periodic turning and shaking of sparkling wine, esp. champagne, in its bottle to move sediment towards the cork or cap (for eventual removal before the wine is finished for shipment); = remuage n. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > drink > manufacture of alcoholic drink > wine-making > [noun] > turning of bottle remuage1903 riddling1903 1903 H. Lachman Monogr. on Manuf. Wines Calif. in H. W. Wiley Amer. Wines at Paris Expos. (U.S. Dept. Agric.) 39 The riddling, disgorging, and recorking are altogether dependent upon hand labor. 1946 Encycl. Brit. V. 216/1 The repeated action, called ‘riddling’, shifts the sediment along the glass until it comes to rest on the cork. 1961 Times 23 Dec. 7/6 What is riddling?.. The gentle but regular twisting and turning of bottles of champagne to encourage the unwanted sediment created during fermentation to settle on the cork. 2006 Wines & Vines (Nexis) July 34 In the long history of wine, riddling is itself a fairly new concept, invented by the widow Nicole-Barbe Clicquot, who became head of Champagne Clicquot around 1810. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2010; most recently modified version published online March 2022). riddlingadj. Brit. /ˈrɪdl̩ɪŋ/, /ˈrɪdlɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈrɪd(ə)lɪŋ/ Forms: see riddle v.² and -ing suffix². Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: riddle n.¹, -ing suffix²; riddle v.², -ing suffix². Etymology: Partly < riddle n.¹ + -ing suffix², and partly (especially in later use) < riddle v.² + -ing suffix². Compare earlier riddling n.¹ †1. That solves or interprets riddles. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > secrecy, concealment > a profound secret, mystery > puzzle, enigma, riddle > solution of puzzle, riddle, etc. > [adjective] riddling1590 1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene iii. xi. sig. Oo She..could not construe it By any ridling skill, or commune wit. 1827 T. Hood Plea Midsummer Fairies lviii, in Plea Midsummer Fairies & Other Poems 30 Purblind men..In riddling wonder his great bones survey. 1865 A. C. Swinburne Chastelard i. ii. 31 A..riddling skill at love. 2. That speaks in or utters riddles; enigmatic or puzzling in expression. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > secrecy, concealment > a profound secret, mystery > puzzle, enigma, riddle > [adjective] > in expression riddling1597 1597 W. Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet ii. ii. 56 Ridling confession findes but ridling shrift. View more context for this quotation a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 1 (1623) ii. iii. 57 This is a Riddling Merchant for the nonce. View more context for this quotation 1655 T. Fuller Church-hist. Brit. x. 37 That ridd'ling Letter brought Him the first notice thereof. 1748 W. Melmoth Lett. by Sir Thomas Fitzosborne I. v. 21 Your grave friend..who reproached you..for your riddling genius. 1838 J. Sterling Ess. & Tales (1848) I. 205 He intimated the state of the case in these riddling lines. 1869 Ld. Tennyson Coming of Arthur 401 He [sc. Merlin] laugh'd.., and answer'd me In riddling triplets of old time. 1905 Folk-lore 16 24 A story resembling that of Oedipus meets us in Cyprus, and a riddling dragon in Naxos. 1952 College Eng. 13 260/2 A device of dialogue that had its origin in riddling speech. 2000 R. Kelly in ‘L. Carroll’ Alice's Adventures in Wonderland vii. 104 When Alice asks the riddling Hatter for the answer, his response that he hasn't the slightest idea appears well suited to his madcap world. 3. That is, or is the cause of, a riddle or puzzling thing; enigmatic, puzzling, obscure. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > secrecy, concealment > a profound secret, mystery > puzzle, enigma, riddle > [adjective] riddling1598 uncome-at-able1694 unaccountable1711 mind-bending1952 1598 J. Marston Certaine Satyres in Metamorph. Pigmalions Image 40 Delphick Apollo, ayde me to vnrip, These intricate deepe Oracles of wit. These darke Enigmaes, and strange ridling sence Which passe my dullard braines intelligence. 1624 I. Bargrave Serm. against Selfe Policy 5 Sinne, with all the paradoxiall qualities and ridling intricacy thereof. a1631 J. Donne Serm. (1956) VIII. 146 Riddling and entangling perplexities of the Schoole. 1654 R. Whitlock Ζωοτομία 558 When the most intricate and ridling Articles of our Creed shall shine in glorious and undoubted satisfactions. 1718 N. Rowe tr. Lucan Pharsalia vii. 27 Perhaps, the riddling Visions of the Night With Contrarieties delude our Sight. 1789 T. Twiss Treat. Poetry (1812) II. 325 (note) Dante has a riddling metaphorical expression of the same kind. 1837 C. Wordsworth Misc. (1879) I. 5 Mural arabesques of Japanese jugglery, or riddling hieroglyphics. 1856 R. A. Vaughan Hours with Mystics (1860) II. xiii. i. 251 Its material, remote and riddling to the lower apprehension of common minds. 1935 ‘H. MacDiarmid’ Compl. Poems (1993) I. 539 O ease my spirit increasingly of the load Of my personal limitations and the riddling differences Between man and man. 1966 Punch 17 Aug. 271/3 The author leaves us peering into a future with the same riddling question mark. 2003 London Rev. Bks. 21 Aug. 24/3 The chapter promises to decipher its riddling bird, fruit and flesh-filled imagery in the light of Pané's Taino myths. Derivatives ˈriddlingly adv. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > secrecy, concealment > a profound secret, mystery > puzzle, enigma, riddle > [adverb] riddle-wise1563 riddlingly1608 mind-bendingly1982 1608 J. Donne Let. in Poems (1633) 368 I..am riddlingly subject to two contrary wrackes, sinking and over-setting. a1631 J. Donne Poems (1633) 329 Poetry..like the Pestilence or old fashion'd love Ridlingly it [doth] catch men; and doth remove Never. 1789 William & Charles II. 55 What in the name of wonder have you done to your adversary the devil, that he should put so many sudden obstacles into your way?–But I shall no longer write riddlingly. 1875 R. Browning Aristophanes' Apol. 296 Heyday! How riddlingly that hint returns. 1963 Times 13 Dec. 15/5 His [sc. George Saintsbury's]..even more illegible handwriting, resulted in a typomanuscript most richly, most riddlingly, Saintsburian. 2008 Time Out (Nexis) 20 Mar. 155 The stage is poignantly empty, save for a single chair and the lone, spot-lit figure talking us through movies, marriages and deaths in faltering, riddlingly playful speech. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2010; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.¹?c1475n.²1539adj.1590
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riddlingn.1

riddlingn.2

riddlingadj.

Derivatives

riddlingn.¹

riddlingn.²