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poser

1 8.8

A difficult question or problem that is hard to answer

noun
/ˈpoʊzər/

: acertijo

During the debate, she posed a thought-provoking poser that initiated a lively discussion.

Examples

It is a poser that was worthy of Einstein's time, who eventually came up with the best answer.

Blog text (8)
Tacit acceptance of this unfairness shows the magically binding nature of a riddle question and the special privileges of the poser.

Academic text (1991)
Riddling, associated with the mysteries of the universe and with cosmological questions, involves a transfer of power (real or symbolic) from poser to responder (Goldberg 213).

Academic text (1991)
The teacher presented a challenging poser that stumped the entire class.
The mystery novel included a particularly clever poser that kept readers guessing until the end.

Synonyms

conundrum

vsposer

45 8.5

A confusing problem or question that is hard to solve

is a general difficult question, not only one that baffles

sticker

vsposer

Archaic

11 8.3

A question or problem that is hard to solve

is the general term for difficult or puzzling questions

puzzler

vsposer

5 6.7

A difficult question or problem for people to solve

is broader and applies to real problems as well as games

toughie

vsposer

Informal

4 7.6

A person, question, or thing that is very difficult to deal with

is limited to difficult questions or problems, not people

head-scratcher

vsposer

Informal

4 7.7

A problem that is hard to understand or solve

is a single difficult question rather than a broader puzzling situation

teaser

vsposer

4 6.3

A tricky question or puzzle that tests your skill

is a challenge in general, not necessarily designed to test skill

stumper

vsposer

2 9.3

A question or problem that is very hard to answer

is any difficult question, not only the extremely hard ones

Antonyms

solution

∞ 2.1

An answer to a problem or a way to deal with a difficult situation

How Puzzling

enigma

33 8.1

stumper

2 9.3

conundrum

45 8.5

poser

1 8.8

puzzle

610 1.9

problem

∞ 1.2

question

∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

poser singular

posers plural

Morphology

poser = pose (opaque) = pose + er

The word 'poser' is built from 'pose' + 'er', but its meaning as a 'difficult question or problem' is not a straightforward derivation from the verb 'pose'.

Etymology

Poser comes from the verb pose, which means 'to put' or 'place'. A poser is a question someone 'puts' in front of you that is tricky or hard to answer, so think of it as a problem placed before you.