On the names of brain games in the Polish language

Bogusław Nowowiejski

Uniwersytet w Białymstoku

Abstract

Solving puzzles and riddles has been one of the pastimes enjoyed by many Poles for a long time. It is proved directly not only by the descriptions of customs or habits of several generations of our ancestors, but also by the contents of different types of dictionaries, particularly Polish language dictionaries or dictionaries of words of foreign origin, where the names of such kind of entertainment have been registered. A main purpose of the article is to present and characterize various names of riddles and puzzles that appear in Polish charades, particularly in the context of their very modest representation in not only historical but also contemporary lexicographical studies.

Keywords:

brain games, dictionaries, Polish language