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| Manuscript book of conundrums, showing answers 40-104, Bodleian Libraries, MS. 21625 |
A recent donation to the Bodleian Library included this manuscript volume, described in pencil on the inner flyleaf as containing ‘162 conundrums’ and dated as c.1814-1820. According to The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, a conundrum is: A question asked for amusement, typically one with a pun in its answer; a riddle; a confusing and difficult problem or question.
This early nineteenth-century book of conundrums contains zingers like these:
Why is a spectator like a beehive? Because he is a beholder.What is the Elegy of a Turkey? Its Leg.
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