pons asinorum
1
9.9
- noun
- /pɒnz ˌæsɪˈnɔːrəm/
- Literature
- The students struggled with the pons asinorum in mathematics, as it was their first encounter with complex geometric proofs.
Examples
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As a newcomer to the field, she found the pons asinorum of managing a team to be her biggest challenge.
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During the training, they had to solve the pons asinorum of public speaking before moving on to more advanced skills.
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We are faced again with that pons asinorum that defeats all attempts to establish canons of justice for taxation: the problem of the justice of taxation itself.
Blog text (16)
Synonyms
∞
3.1
A difficult task that tests a person's skill and will
44
1.0
A question given to be solved, often in math or a test
42
8.5
A confusing problem or question that is hard to solve
6
6.3
A tricky question or puzzle that tests your skill
3
1.0
A practice problem to help you learn a rule
1
8.8
A difficult question or problem that is hard to answer
A problem that needs math thinking to solve
Surface Forms
Morphology
pons + asinorum
This is a Latin idiom whose constituents are not English lexis for a B1 learner and whose literal translation ('bridge of asses' / 'bridge of donkeys') does not transparently convey the sense 'a critical test or obstacle'. The meaning is historically and culturally specific (Euclid's fifth proposition) and functions as an idiomatic label, so it cannot be derived from the parts and is unpredictable to learners.
Etymology
The phrase pons asinorum comes from Latin and literally uses pons for 'bridge' and asinorum for 'of asses'. One popular story says the name was given to Euclid's famous geometry proof because students who could not follow it were like donkeys that could not cross a narrow bridge, so pons asinorum came to mean 'a test that separates those who understand from those who do not'.