riddle

devinette, énigme

Question ou courte description dont il faut trouver la réponse astucieuse.

En anglais simple : A question or short description with a clever answer that you must work out.

• Can you answer this riddle?
• The children told riddles on the bus.
• He gave us a tricky riddle to solve.

Synonymes : puzzle, brain teaser

Expressions courantes : tell a riddle, answer a riddle, a tricky riddle

énigme, mystère

Chose difficile à comprendre ou à expliquer.

En anglais simple : Something confusing or difficult to understand or explain.

• His disappearance remains a riddle.
• Scientists are trying to solve the riddle of this disease.
• Her strange behavior was a riddle to us.

Comment l'utiliser : riddle of something (They investigated the riddle of the missing ship.)

Synonymes : mystery, puzzle

Expressions courantes : solve a riddle, riddle of something, remain a riddle

infester, envahir

Remplir quelque chose de problèmes ou d’éléments nuisibles ; s’emploie souvent sous la forme « be riddled with ».

En anglais simple : To fill something with harmful things or problems, usually used as “be riddled with”.

• The report is riddled with errors.
• Corruption riddled the whole organization.
• Their plan was riddled with practical problems.

Comment l'utiliser : be riddled with something (The software was riddled with bugs.)

Synonymes : pervade

Expressions courantes : riddle something with errors, riddle something with flaws

cribler

Faire de nombreux trous dans quelque chose, généralement en tirant dessus.

En anglais simple : To make many holes in something, usually by shooting at it.

• Bullets riddled the door.
• The gunfire riddled our parked car.
• The soldiers found a truck riddled with bullet holes.

Comment l'utiliser : riddle something with something (The attackers riddled the wall with bullets.)

Synonymes : perforate, pepper

Expressions courantes : riddle something with bullets, riddle the target

résoudre, expliquer

Trouver la réponse à une question difficile ou expliquer une énigme.

En anglais simple : To answer or explain a difficult question or puzzle.

• Riddle me this: why did she leave?
• The old man could riddle every question they asked.
• Can you riddle the mystery of the locked room?

Comment l'utiliser : riddle me this (Riddle me this: how did the key get outside?)

Synonymes : solve, answer, explain

Expressions courantes : riddle me this, riddle this question

tamiser, cribler

Faire passer une matière à travers un outil percé pour séparer les gros morceaux des petits.

En anglais simple : To pass material through a tool with holes to separate large and small pieces.

• Riddle the soil before planting.
• He riddled the gravel to remove larger stones.
• The worker riddled the ash through a metal screen.

Comment l'utiliser : riddle something through something (She riddled the sand through a fine mesh.)

Synonymes : sift, sieve

Expressions courantes : riddle the gravel, riddle the soil, riddle something through something