Puzzle-Headed
/ˈpʌz.əl ˌhɛd.ɪd/noun
Confused, bewildered, or not thinking clearly.
Did you know?Puzzle in the sense of “bewilder” is a later development from the same word family that gave English the idea of a “puzzling” problem, and the phrase puzzle-headed paints confusion like a mental spell.
Etymological Timeline
Late 16th Century
English
puzzle
“To bewilder or confuse”
17th Century
English
puzzle-headed
“Mentally confused or slow to understand”
Early Modern English
English
puzzle
“A perplexing problem or enigma”
Origin uncertain; often linked to
English
poussen
“To push or thrust, or to confuse”