Also 7 conimbrum, quonundrum, 8 (conuncrum), quadundrum, cunnundrum, (connunder). [Origin lost: in 1645 (sense 3) referred to as an Oxford term; possibly originating in some university joke, or as a parody of some Latin term of the schools, which would agree with its unfixed form in 17–18th c. It is doubtful whether Nash’s use (sense 1) is the original.]
† 1. Applied abusively to a person. (? Pedant, crotchet-monger, or ninny.) Obs.
1596. Nashe, Saffron Walden, 158. So will I … driue him [Gabriel Harvey] to confesse himselfe a Conundrum, who now thinks he hath learning inough to proue the saluation of Lucifer.
† 2. A whim, crotchet, maggot, conceit. Obs.
1605. B. Jonson, Volpone, V. ii. I must ha’ my crotchets! And my conundrums!
1623. Massinger, Bondman, II. iii. (Tipsy man says) I begin To have strange conundrums in my head.
1651. Bedell, Life Erasm., in Fuller’s Abel Rediv., 61. These conimbrums, whether Reall or Nominall, went downe with Erasmus like chopt hay.
1687. Mrs. Behn, Lucky Chance, II. ii. I hope he’ll chain her up, the Gad Bee’s in his Quonundrum.
a. 1700. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, Conundrums, Whimms, Maggots, and such like.
1706. Estcourt, Fair Examp., IV. i. You don’t know her; she has more Conuncrums in her Head than a Fencer.
1719. D’Urfey, Pills, IV. 140. My Blood she advances, With Twenty Quadundrums, and Fifty Five Fancies.
† 3. A pun or word-play depending on similarity of sound in words of different meaning. Obs.
1645. Kingdom’s Weekly Post, 16 Dec., 76. This is the man who would have his device alwayes in his sermons, which in Oxford they then called conundrums. For an instance … Now all House is turned into an Alehouse, and a pair of dice is made a Paradice, was it thus in the days of Noah? Ah no!
a. 1704. T. Brown, Praise Poverty, Wks. (1730), I. 94. Pun and conundrum pass with them for wit.
1707. E. Ward, Hud. Rediv. (1715), I. x. Such frothy Quibbles and Cunnunders.
1711. Addison, Spect., No. 61, ¶ 2. A Clinch, or a Conundrum.
1726. Amherst, Terræ Fil., xxxix. (1741), 204. Plain sense was esteem’d nonsense from the pulpit, which rung with ambiguities and double meanings; the poor sinner was mightily awaken’d to his duty by a pretty pun, and oftentimes owed his salvation to a quibble or a conundrum.
1731. Bailey (ed. 5), Conundrum, a quaint humourous Expression, Word, or Sentence.
1755–73. Johnson, Conundrum, a low jest; a quibble; a mean conceit: a cant word.
1794. Godwin, Cal. Williams, 47. Zounds! sir, do not think to put any of your conundrums upon me.
4. A riddle in the form of a question the answer to which involves a pun or play on words: called in 1769 conundrumical question. b. Any puzzling question or problem; an enigmatical statement.
1790. Wolcott (P. Pindar), Elegy to Apollo, Wks. (1812), II. 278. The Riddle and Conundrum-mongers cry Pshaw!
1806–7. J. Beresford, Miseries Hum. Life (1826), III. xxxviii. Exhausting your faculties … in vain endeavours to guess at a … conundrum.
1824. Byron, Juan, XV. xxi.
| The whole together is what I could wish | |
| To serve in this conundrum of a dish. |
1845. Disraeli, Sybil (1863), 191. ‘You speak in conundrums,’ said Morley; ‘I wish I could guess them.’
1886. Froude, Oceana, ii. 32. The stars … will be after Adam’s race has ceased to perplex itself with metaphysical conundrums.
5. A thing that one is puzzled to name, a ‘what-d’ye-call-it.’ rare.
1817. Scott, Lett., 8 June, in Lockhart. We are attempting no castellated conundrums to rival those Lord Napier used to have executed in sugar.
1858. Hogg, Life Shelley, II. xii. 396. In her plain cap, plain kerchief, and plaited conundrums, by which the female Friends are distinguished.
6. Comb., as conundrum-game, -making, -monger (see prec. 4), -party.
1716. M. Davies, Athen. Brit., III. Dissert. 32. Mr. Wood … makes a Conundrum-Game with poor Cornaro’s Daughter Su.
1792. W. Roberts, Looker-on (1794), I. No. 20. 271. Conundrum parties. Ibid., No. 20. 281. Leger-de-main, conundrum-making, and punning.
Hence, † Conundrumed, grown crotchety, slightly crazed; † Conundrumical a., whimsical, fantastic, crotchety; also, of the nature of a conundrum (sense 4); Conundrumize v. intr., to make conundrums.
1628. Ford, Lover’s Mel., II. ii. Mel. Am I stark mad? Trol. No, no, you are but a little staring. There’s difference between staring and stark mad. You are but whimsied yet; crotcheted, conundrumed, or so.
1743. London Mag., 36. Of all the conundrumical Inconsistencies, and incoherent Images that ever arose from a sick Stomach and a weak Head.
1769. Town & Country Mag., 1 Sept., 462/2. Answers to Mr. Wags connundrumical questions.
1834. Arkansas Gaz., 4 Nov., 2/5. Conundrumizing.—One of our Yankee exchange papers asks—‘Which is the left side of a plum pudding?’ Were one placed before us now, we question if either side would be left.
1836. New Monthly Mag., XLVIII. 420. The conundrumizing of the said Billy … set everybody making conundrums.
1839. L. Blanchard, Ibid., LVI. 519. It was from you that he had the joke first, while you were conundrumizing for want of thought.
