2
general::
puzzle sth out
[ M ]
to discover or understand something by thinking hard about it
• [ + question word ]: I still Can't puzzle out how I managed to spend so much money last month., puzzle over sth
to try to solve a problem or understand a situation by thinking carefully about it
• Scientists are puzzling over the results of the research on the drug.
Cambridge-Phrasal Verbs
3
general::
noun sth that is difficult to understand ADJ. great | perplexing | scientific, theoretical VERB + PUZZLE solve | remain What happened to the ship remains a puzzle. PUZZLE + VERB remain The puzzle remains of what happened to the ship. PREP. in a/the ~ They knew who the killer was, but there were still some gaps in the puzzle. | ~ about There is a puzzle about how the plant first came to Britain. | ~ of They're trying to solve the puzzle of how gravity works. PHRASES a bit/piece of the puzzle Another piece of the puzzle fell into place. | the key to a puzzle Traces of explosives found among the wreckage were the key to the puzzle. | a piece in the puzzle The police didn't know what the message meant, but it was another piece in the puzzle. | a solution to a puzzle, something of a puzzle The origin of the word is something of a puzzle. game that tests your skill, intelligence, etc. ADJ. crossword, jigsaw | number, picture, word | complicated VERB + PUZZLE do, solve PUZZLE + NOUN book
Oxford Collocations Dictionary