problemn.

Brit.

/ˈprɒbləm/, U.S.

/ˈprɑbləm/

Forms: Middle English–1600s probleme, Middle English– problem, 1500s probleame; Scottish pre-1700 problame, pre-1700 probleame, pre-1700 probleme, pre-1700 problevme, pre-1700 problewm, pre-1700 problowme, 1700s– problem.

Origin: Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from French. Partly a borrowing from Latin. Etymons: French problème; Latin problēma.

Etymology: < Middle French problème (c1380 with reference to Aristotle; French problème ) and its etymon classical Latin problēma question proposed for academic discussion (only in plural, problēmata , also as title of a work by Aristotle (2nd cent. a.d.)), in post-classical Latin also puzzle, riddle (Vulgate) < ancient Greek πρόβληματ- , πρόβλημα question proposed for solution, set task, (in logic) question as to whether a statement is true, in plural, πρόβληματα , title of a work by Aristotle, in Hellenistic Greek also difficult question or situation, puzzle, riddle (Septuagint), literally ‘a thing thrown or put forward’ < προ- pro- prefix² + βλῆμα throw ( < the same base as βάλλειν to throw: see ballista n.), after προβάλλειν to throw to, to put forward. Compare Catalan problema (1461 as probleuma), Spanish problema (1424), Italian problema (14th cent.).

†1.

a. A puzzle; a riddle; an enigmatic statement. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > secrecy, concealment > a profound secret, mystery > puzzle, enigma, riddle > [noun]

riddleOE

purposec1350

problema1382

propositiona1382

conclusion1393

divinailc1430

opposal?a1439

riddling?c1475

wordc1480

why1532

dark, hard sentence1535

enigma1539

remblere1599

puzzlement1646

gripha1652

puzzler1651

riddlemy riddlemy1652

puzzle1655

crux1718

teaser1759

puzzleation1767

conundrum1790

poser1793

riddle-me-ree1805

stumper1807

tickler1825

sticker1849

brain-teaser1850

grueller1856

question mark1870

brain-twister1878

skull-buster1926

mind-bender1968

a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) Judges xiv. 15 Fage to þi man [a1425 L.V. glose thin hosebonde] & moeue hym þat he schewe to þee what betokneþ þe probleme [a1425 L.V. v.r. sutel axyng; L. problema].

c1395 G. Chaucer Summoner's Tale 2219 How hadde this cherl ymaginacioun To shewe swich a probleme to the frere?

a1425 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Royal) (1850) Judges xiv.12 Y schal putte forth to you a probleme, that is, a douȝteful word and priuy, and if ȝe asoilen it to me..Y schal ȝyue to ȝow thretti lynnun clothis.

Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 414 Probleme, or rydel, problema, enigma.

1548 Hall's Vnion: Edward IV f. cxcix^v The erle of Warwicke..thought firste to proue hym a farr of, as it wer in a probleme, and after to open to him..the secrete imaginacions of his stomacke.

1564 tr. P. M. Vermigli Most Fruitfull & Learned Comm. 218 b Graue men wer wont to put forth ridles or problemes, omitting dangerous talke.

1602 W. Warner Albions Eng. (rev. ed.) xiii. lxxvii. 319 Howsoere those Oracles of men were vnderstood, Double Construction euer made their Prothean Problemes good.

1698 J. Turner Phisico-theological Disc. upon Divine Being iii. 102 Is it not truly amasing to see the most certain Demonstrations of the Mathematicks, and therefore akin and greatly alluding to the Humane Mind, its Problems and Riddles?

1787 in G. Gregory tr. R. Lowth Lect. Sacred Poetry Hebrews I. ii. iv. 77 It [sc. chidah] is derived from Chud, to propose a problem, or enigma, or some exquisite and curious saying.

a1887 E. Lazarus Poems (1889) II. 28 Some,..Blear-eyed from poring over..knotty riddles of the Talmud, brought Their problems to this youth, who cleared and solved, Yielding prompt answer to a lifetime's search.

b. Chiefly Scottish. A metaphorical fable, an allegory, a parable; an analogy. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > literature > prose > narrative or story > parable, allegory, or apologue > [noun]

byspelc950

by-talea1300

forbyseninga1300

fable1340

parablec1384

similitudea1425

examplec1425

allegoryc1450

problema1500

apologuea1555

byworda1557

mythology1603

Aesopism1845

exemplum1883

a1500 (?a1410) J. Lydgate Churl & Bird (Lansd.) 1 in Minor Poems (1934) ii. 468 Problemys, liknessis, & ffigures..been fructuous of sentence.

a1500 R. Henryson tr. Æsop Fables: Wolf & Wether l. 2592 in Poems (1981) 96 Esope..Wrait this parabole..Quhais problemes bene verray excellent, Throw similitude of figuris, to this day.

a1538 A. Abell Roit or Quheill of Tyme f. 7, in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue at Problem(e Samson..mareit a wirgin of Philistais and eftir that he had slane ane lione be a problowme of the sam he gat occasioun the Philisteis to distroy.

c1626 H. Bisset Rolment Courtis (1922) II. 388 Quhat sall I writt or compair be alligorie..of erthlie freindschip..betuix these twa nobill monarches..or quhat comparisone be parabill problame or symilitude can be maid of the samin.

a. A question proposed for academic discussion or scholastic disputation. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of ideation > topic, subject-matter > materials of topic > [noun] > of debate or discussion

proposec1350

purposec1350

propositiona1382

problema1387

conclusionc1400

state of the causea1525

question1549

argumenta1568

thesis1579

disquisition1605

problem1645

consultation1663

consult1683

propos1816

issue1836

chat1861

debating point1927

battleground1931

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1865) I. 15 (MED) In þe whiche book and tretys wel nyh al problemys and questiouns [L. universa paene problemata] of þe wiseste men..beeþ i-planted.

?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 122 (MED) It may shewe..whi in som þai ar crisped And coloured in diuerse colourez..And many oþer problemez þat ar wont to be said of herez.

a1529 J. Skelton Speke Parrot in Certayne Bks. (?1545) sig. A.iiii^v In achademia Parrot dare no probleme kepe; For grecifari so occupyeth the chayre That latinum fari, may fall to rest and slepe.

1573 G. Harvey Let.-bk. (1884) 11 Semli for masters problems to dispute uppon.

a1593 C. Marlowe Tragicall Hist. Faustus (1604) sig. A4 I that haue with Consis sylogismes Graueld the Pastors of the Germaine Church, And made the flowring pride of Wertenberge Swarme to my Problemes.

1603 P. Holland in tr. Plutarch Morals Explan. Words Problemes, Questions propounded for to be discussed.

1624 R. Montagu Immediate Addresse 206 It is..not of force to conclude a Diuinity probleme.

1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica 21 Hereof there want not many examples in Aristotle, through all his booke of animals; we shall instance onely in three of his Problemes .

1771 M. Smith Christianity Unmasqued Ded. p. x The articles of an identical resurrection, and an eternity of torments,..which have never been determined by our church,..consequently may be looked upon in the light of scholastic problems.

1851 College Life t. Jas. I 65 He attended the common-place, and the problem, which were Latin dissertations read in the chapel by the graduates.

1994 Buddhist-Christian Stud. 14 224 It strikes me as decidedly Christian..to assume that the most exciting problem of theology is divinity... Personally, I find the human situation much more exciting and interesting.

b. Logic. The question (usually only implied) involved in a syllogism, of which the conclusion is the solution. Now historical.In quot. 1656 directly presenting the original from Aristotle (see Aristotle Topics I. iv.).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > logic > logical syllogism > [noun] > elements of

problem1656

argument1724

fallacy1725

1656 T. Stanley Hist. Philos. II. vi. 48 All disputation is of things controverted, either by Problem or proposition. A Problem questions both parts, as, a living Creature, is it the genus of man or not? A proposition questions but one part, as, Is not living creature the genus of man?

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) A Logical or Dialectical Problem, say the Schoolmen, consists of two Parts; a Subject, or Subject Matter about which the Doubt is raised; and a Predicate or Attribute, which is the thing doubted whether it be true of the Subject or not.

a1856 W. Hamilton Lect. Metaphysics (1860) III. xv. 280 (transl. Esser) There are to every syllogism three..requisites..1⁰, A doubt,—which of two contradictory predicates must be affirmed of a certain subject,—the problem or question, (problema, quæsitum); 2⁰, The application of a decisive general rule to the doubt; and, 3⁰, The general rule itself.

a1856 W. Hamilton Lect. Metaphysics (1860) III. xv. 281 The Conclusion is the Problem, (problema), Question, (quæstio, quæsitum), which was originally asked, stated now as a decision. The Problem is usually omitted in the expression of a syllogism; but is one of its essential parts.

1923 Proc. Acad. Polit. Sci. N.Y. 10 20 By the bare fact of stating the ‘general principle’ as the major premise of a syllogism with the new problem as the subject of its minor premise, the applicability of the ‘general principle’ is predestined.

a. A difficult or demanding question; (now, more usually) a matter or situation regarded as unwelcome, harmful, or wrong and needing to be overcome; a difficulty.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > enquiry > [noun] > act or instance of > difficult or crucial

opposal?a1439

problem1543

good questiona1576

searcher1923

sixty-four dollar question1942

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > secrecy, concealment > a profound secret, mystery > puzzle, enigma, riddle > [noun] > especially difficult

nut1540

problem1543

enigma1609

three-pipe problem1891

Chinese puzzle1895

monkey-puzzle1902

the world > action or operation > difficulty > [noun] > a difficulty

difficultya1398

hardheada1425

problem1874

shauri1874

shauri1921

prob1934

1543 ( Chron. J. Hardyng (1812) 402 (MED) They the kyng then had in gouernaunce..And made good rule and noble ordynaunce..For worshyp of the kyng and of his realme, Without doubte or any other probleme.

1594 R. Carew tr. J. Huarte Exam. Mens Wits x. 126 It is a probleme often demanded,..For what cause a diuine being a great man in the Schooles,..and in writing and lecturing of rare learning; yet getting vp into the pulpit, cannot skill of preaching.

1621 R. Burton Anat. Melancholy i. iii. iii. 263 Why melancholy men are witty..is a Probleme much controverted.

1664 H. More Modest Enq. Myst. Iniquity 215 A Problem too curious to enquire into, but not altogether inextricable.

1672 G. Whitehead Dipper Plung'd To Reader 3 When he Scurrilously acts a Quaker, he himself is that Nonsensical Quaker; who hath designedly forg'd his Dialogue to his own Fancy, so as not to puzzle himself with Problemes to be sure.

1706 D. Baker Hist. Job v. 122 How long wilt thou refuse to bow before These strong Convictions of Almighty Power? How long wilt thou my Providence arraign Of blind Injustice?.. He that durst Presume so high, should solve these Problems first.

1764 J. Otis Rights Brit. Colonies 14 The grand political problem in all ages has been to invent the best combination or distribution of the supreme powers of legislation and execution.

1841 R. W. Emerson Ess. 1st Ser. (Boston ed.) vi. 167 Not one step has man taken toward the solution of the problem of his destiny.

1874 J. R. Green Short Hist. Eng. People vii. §5. 384 Elizabeth..had hardly mounted the throne..when she faced the problem of social discontent.

1930 Engineering 3 Jan. 21/2 The paramount problem is now whether this recession is yet at an end.

1979 A. Storr Art of Psychotherapy xiv. 180 The only persons who have no problems are those that are dead.

2002 Daily Tel. 8 July 25/5 One of the problems with the industry is that advice is now so heavily regulated that selling savings products has become very costly.

†b. The quality of being problematic or difficult to solve. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > difficulty > [noun]

arvethnessc1000

painc1330

difficultya1382

hardnessc1384

wondsome?a1400

hardheada1425

painfulnessa1530

difficult?1532

difficultness1549

awkness1587

uneasiness1594

difficileness1612

arduity1623

problem1641

difficacity1656

going1678

arduousness1731

catch-arse1970

1641 J. Jackson True Evangelical Temper ii. 142 Is it not enigmaticall and full of Probleme, to wash white in bloud?

c. With qualifying noun or adjective: a seemingly insoluble quandary affecting a specified group of people or a nation; (also) a long-standing personal difficulty.drink, drinking problem: see the first element.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > difficulty > [noun] > a difficulty > specific affecting group or nation

problem1851

1851 J. Bigelow Jamaica in 1850 122 Such is the solution of the West Indian problem, advocated by one of the most distinguished writers and thinkers in England: a restoration of slavery.

1879 Nation 2 Jan. 7/2 The theory of certain amiable persons, that the real solution of the Indian problem is extermination, ought not for a moment to be entertained.

1897 E. Ferri Criminal Sociol. p. viii The proper method of arriving at a more or less satisfactory solution of the criminal problem is to inquire into the causes which are producing the criminal population.

1936 H. G. Wells Anat. Frustration xv. 178 That does not close the Jewish problem for you.

1969 ‘J. Morris’ Fever Grass iv. 44 She had the body of a ballet dancer with a weight problem.

1974 E. Ambler Dr. Frigo i. 41 If Villegas had a health problem which could be helped by a change of climate, [etc.].

1980 Dun's Rev. July 93 If Giscard was indeed delivering a Gaullist ‘Non’ to new members until the British problem is straightened out, then a whole new saga of EEC dissension has been signaled.

2004 Time Out 31 Mar. 180/3 N.A. (Narcotics Anonymous) If you have any kind of drug problem then may be we can help.

4. Mathematics and Science. A proposition in which a specified action is required to be done (originally in Geometry, contrasted with a theorem, where something is proved). Later also: a phenomenon or situation to be physically explained or mathematically described or solved. Frequently with distinguishing word.decision, Delian, Dirichlet, four-colour, Kepler's, three-body problem, etc.: see the first element.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > testing > [noun] > object of

problem1570

the world > relative properties > number > mathematics > [noun] > mathematical enquiry

conclusionc1400

problem1570

zetetic1692

prob1700

the world > relative properties > number > mathematics > [noun] > mathematical enquiry > proposition > problem

problem1570

postulatum1667

1570 H. Billingsley tr. Euclid Elements Geom. i. f. 7^v A Probleme, is a proposition which requireth some action, or doing.

1570 J. Dee in H. Billingsley tr. Euclid Elements Geom. xi. sig. 352^v Consider, how nere this crepeth to the famous Probleme of doubling the Cube.

1658 Sir T. Browne Garden of Cyrus iii, in Hydriotaphia: Urne-buriall 142 Which..is become a point of art, and makes two Problemes in Euclide.

1673 J. Collins Let. 6 Apr. in H. Oldenburg Corr. (1973) IX. 567 Ye variety of Problems that may be put about a right-angled triangle, divided into two right Triangles by a perpendicular falling from the right Angle in the Hypothenuse.

1734 tr. P. L. M. de Maupertuis Diss. Cœlestial Bodies 41 in J. Keill Exam. Burnet's Theory of Earth (ed. 2) It is seen that the solution of these Problems must give the true Figures the cœlestial Bodies may be of, by fixing the Law according to which Gravity increases and decreases proportionably to the distance from the Center.

1798 C. Hutton Course Math. I. 2 A Problem is a proposition or a question requiring something to be done... As, to find out the quantity or sum of all the three angles of any triangle.

1814 J. Playfair Outl. Nat. Philos. II. ii. i. 244 If there are three bodies..the determination of their motions becomes a problem of the greatest difficulty, distinguished by the name of the Problem of the three bodies.

1821 J. Q. Adams Rep. Weights & Meas. 79 The problem, hitherto unsolvable to man, of squaring the circle.

1885 C. Leudesdorf tr. L. Cremona Elements Projective Geom. 135 The solution of the problem, To construct by means of its tangents the parabola which is determined by four given tangents.

1940 M. Tornich Radius Action Aircraft xii. 40 Problems involving graphical solutions of a triangle of velocities are termed, ‘wind and allied problems’.

1970 G. K. Woodgate Elem. Atomic Struct. ii. 28 The Kepler problem of planetary motion under an inverse square law of force.

1998 J. L. Heilbron Geom. Civilized v. 208 A famous problem in geometry is to draw a circle tangent to three others given in position.

5. Chess. An artificial position in which a player on one side has to achieve a checkmate or other specified result in a set number of moves.Formerly called jeopardy (cf. jeopardy n. 1a).

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > board game > chess > [noun] > problems

jeopardyc1369

problem1817

Indian problem1846

mover1868

Indian1878

retractive problem1890

waiting problem1891

retractor1893

help-mate1897

sui1897

miniature1903

waiter1906

grab theme1909

fairy chess1914

King's (or Queen's) Indian1931

1817 tr. Montigny Stratagems of Chess Pref. p. v These situations are in reality so many problems, the solution of which is required to be found.

1862 Harper's Mag. Mar. 500/1 I was head and ears in a problem of the Chess Monthly, and my sermon..lay half finished on my desk.

1894 R. F. Green Chess 21 Problems have come to be a study almost entirely distinct from that of the game proper... Their composition is regulated by elaborate rules.

1916 J. Joyce Portrait of Artist v. 266 Inclining his ear like that of a confessor to the face of the medical student who was reading to him a problem from the chess page.

1966 V. Nabokov Speak, Memory (U.S. rev. ed.) Foreword 15 I do not recall the position lucidly enough to notate it here, but perhaps some lover of ‘fairy chess’ (to which type of problem it belongs) will look it up some day.

1997 Brit. Chess Mag. 117 329 This problem shows great originality, especially the line where Black allows White's bishop to reach the d1–a4 diagonal.

Phrases

no problem colloquial (a) simple, acceptable, not problematic; (b) used to express one's agreement or acquiescence, or to acknowledge an expression of thanks.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > easiness > easy, easily, or without difficulty [phrase] > easy to do

(there is) nothing to it1933

no sweat1951

no problem1955

no probs (also prob)1974

1955 A. Murray Let. 2 Nov. in R. Ellison & A. Murray Trading Twelves (2000) 102 No problem on haircuts here. Moroccans come in all textures. No problem there either.

1973 M. Amis Rachel Papers 117 Finally, every time I emptied my glass, he took it, put more whisky in it, and gave it back to me, saying ‘No problem’ again through his nose.

1985 W. Sheed Frank & Maisie vii. 153 In this rose-window glow, the problem of why God allows pain at all was no problem to me.

1999 J. M. Coetzee Disgrace (2000) xx. 177 ‘Thank you,’ he says. ‘No problem,’ says young Dr Otto.

2002 New Yorker 4 Nov. 50/1 The river was swift and the water was cold, but this was no problem for Hadwin, a self-described ‘extreme swimmer’.

that's (or it's) not my problem colloquial = that's your (his, etc.) problem.

ΚΠ

1947 Washington Post 28 Oct. 13/4 Ingram said he made no apology for the talent raids which the All-America ‘had to make’ on the NFL to get started—‘that's not my problem. My concern is to rectify the feeling growing out of that.’

1965 B. Dylan Positively 4th Street 211 And now I know you're dissatisfied With your position and your place Don't you understand It's not my problem.

2001 C. Harrison Afterburn 129 Maybe that insults you, maybe it don't. That's not my problem.

that's your (his, etc.) problem colloquial used to express one's lack of interest in or sympathy with the difficulties or misfortunes of another person.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > statement > refusal > [phrase]

not if I can help it1682

I'll be far (enough) if1752

I'll be shot (occasionally shortened to shot!) if1761

to have none of it1849

not if you paid me1853

not likely1878

that's your problem1951

1951 V. T. Hamlin Alley Oop (comic strip) in Warren (Pa.) Times Mirror 3 Aug. 8 ‘Vot I do in dees colt voods mitoudt clothes, dummerkopft?’ ‘I dunno, Fritz, that's your problem!’

1991 C. Paglia in Philadelphia Inquirer 21 Oct. 15 a/3 If Anita Hill was thrown for a loop by sexual banter, that's her problem.

2001 B. Rai (Un)arranged Marriage ii. 25 I'm just proud to be Punjabi. At least I ain't ashamed, innit, of what I am and that. You're always trying to be white, that's your problem.

to have a problem with colloquial (originally U.S.) to have a disagreement with; to have an objection to or be unable to accept (someone or something); to take issue with. Frequently in negative constructions.

ΚΠ

1966 Los Angeles Times 8 July ii. 1/4 We have no problem with those who protest because in a sense the Peace Corps itself is a form of protest.

1978 T. M. Horner Jonathan loved David 149 I have a problem with Nelson's handling of specific biblical material here.

1997 Daily Tel. 30 Apr. 19/3 He never had a problem with me.., but it is hard for me to see him support things that are extremely anti-gay.

2000 New Republic 29 May 50/3 He's committing adultery—you got a problem with that?

Compounds

C1.

a. General attributive and objective.

problem analysis n.

ΚΠ

1945 National Math. Mag. 19 408 Original exercises in demonstrative geometry, to develop power and confidence in problem-analysis, reflective thinking and deductive inference.

1998 A. K. Gaynor Analyzing Probl. Schools & School Syst. ii. x. 109 Systems modeling is a particularly powerful method of problem analysis, of gaining insight into the complex causes of problems.

problem composer n.

ΚΠ

1859 Davenport (Iowa) Daily Gaz. 6 Sept. 1/4 As a Problem composer his name is familiar to the chess players of the whole country.

1953 Reno (Nevada) Evening Gaz. 31 Mar. 4/4 Lenz was then famous as a problem composer..and as the ‘grand old man’ of bridge.

2004 Weekend Austral. (Nexis) 16 Oct. 64 The second diagram last week and this week was taken from award-winning Australian problem composer Peter Wong's new book Parallel Strategy.

problem composition n.

ΚΠ

1890 J. Rayner Chess Probl. 6 The history of problem composition.

1957 Times 23 Apr. 11/5 The finish was in character of this game of imaginative play and the many positions akin to problem composition.

2003 Weekend Austral. (Nexis) 22 Nov. 59 One of the oldest magazines devoted to the art of problem composition is Die Schwalbe (The Swallow), published in Germany.

problem editor n.

ΚΠ

1892 Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 9 July 1/6 Mr. James Rayner is the Problem Editor of the British Chess Magazine.

1960 Sunday Gaz.-Mail (Charleston, W. Va.) 31 Jan. 12 b/4 The current problem editor of Chess Life is Nicholas Gabor.

problem game n.

ΚΠ

1917 Philos. Rev. 26 607 The most unequivocal examples of intelligence are found in problems and ‘problem-games’, where prolonged deliberation precedes actual movements. Games of cards..and above all chess, are typical of this.

1993 Seattle Times (Nexis) 23 Dec. e3 Here's a rundown on the problem games this season, with some alternatives proposed by experienced players.

problem-monger n.

ΚΠ

1897 Athenaeum 14 Aug. 214/3 Those pompous problem-mongers of fiction and the stage who do their best to make life hideous.

1900 Daily News 17 Sept. 6/1 The healthy, virile English intellect..is naturally suspicious of morbid problem-mongers.

1992 Financial Post (Canada) (Nexis) 19 Dec. s3 The only problem my Canada has is that it tolerates too many problem-mongers, then elects politicians who pander to them.

problem paper n.

ΚΠ

1864 H. Goodwin Mem. Bishop Mackenzie 12 I examined him at the end of his first year, and remember well the decided superiority which he evinced in his treatment of a problem paper, which it fell to my lot to set.

1919 Granta 1 May 4/2 The solutions of the problem paper in the Mathematical Tripos.

2002 Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 17 Sept. The CXC accounting exam has three components, the school-based assessment, a problem paper and a multiple choice test.

problem programmer n.

ΚΠ

1970 O. Dopping Computers & Data Processing xix. 305 Those who design programming systems..are sometimes called system programmers. In contrast, the user's normal programmers are sometimes called problem programmers or application programmers.

1986 Computers & Graphics 10 297 The problem programmer must be equipped with rules knowledge.

problem situation n.

ΚΠ

1919 Amer. Jrnl. Sociol. 25 258 The present writer was conducting a seminar on the subject ‘The United States Considered as a “Problem-Situation”’.

1939 T. L. Green Pract. Animal Biol. Pref. p. vi The ultimate end of the campaign is to stimulate thought by raising problem-situations.

2006 BusinessWorld (Philippines) (Nexis) 8 Feb. s1/6 After the written examination..there are other tests, including an ‘assessment center’ or a simulation of a problem situation.

problem solution n.

ΚΠ

1923 Philos. Rev. 32 589 Instrumental logic,..widely accepted as the only sound theory of problem-solution.

2002 A. M. Johns Genre in Classroom ii. iii. 88 Students make notes under each of the ‘content slots’ presented in the chart as a way of ensuring they attend to each of these constituent components of problem solution texts in as much detail as possible.

problem spot n.

ΚΠ

1908 Daily Chron. 15 Jan. 3/2 The problem spot in Africa now is the Congo.

1991 Caterer & Hotelkeeper (BNC) Jan. 41 Within one minute of being triggered, the alarm summons about 50 staff to the problem spot.

problem tackler n.

ΚΠ

1963 Times 29 Jan. 9/4 Contributing to a Forum, colliding politely at a Meeting Point, joining in the domestic Parliament of a Woman's Hour, onward the problem-tacklers go.

1991 National Jrnl. (Nexis) 23 Nov. 2855 Her personal charm and tenacity as a problem tackler are evident.

problem term n.

ΚΠ

1901 S. S. Blackburne (title) Problem Terms and Characteristics.

2000 N. J. Lowe Classical Plot & Invention Western Narr. i. ii. 28 The range of possible behaviours of characters in the first two circles is tightly determined by their ‘characterisation’ (a famous problem term we shall consider further below).

problem tourney n.

ΚΠ

1866 Times 13/2 (advt.) The offer of three valuable prizes for a chess problem tourney.]

1890 J. Rayner Chess Probl. 28 In solution and problem tourneys..it is necessary to throw aside all conventionalities.

2002 Weekend Austral. (Nexis) 31 Aug. 55 A panel of judges at a Cleveland, US, problem tourney in 1873 initially thought the problem in diagram two above to be unsolvable.

b. Prefixed to adjectives and past participles.

problem-based adj.

ΚΠ

1973 Hist. Teacher 6 205 Few scholars were committed to the American Social Science Association's informal, problem-based approach to inquiry.

2000 D. H. Evensen & C. E. Hmelo Problem-Based Learning ii. 34 Students in the problem-based course performed significantly poorer on an immediate multiple-choice test.

problem-free adj.

ΚΠ

1957 Hispania 40 37/2 All this, of course, does not mean that Mexico is a problem-free Utopia.

1987 New Statesman 27 Nov. 5/1 Certainly, not everything in his life is problem-free.

2000 B. Moore Resistance in W. Europe viii. 240 It served to undermine the somewhat problem-free existence that the Germans enjoyed from time to time in Norway.

problem-ridden adj.

ΚΠ

1924 R. Graves Mock Beggar Hall 59 A disturbing problem-ridden affair demanding the comments of a moralist.

1992 A. F. Chalmers What Is This Thing Called Sci.? (BNC) 90 An entirely new paradigm emerges and attracts the allegiance of more and more scientists until eventually the original, problem-ridden paradigm is abandoned.

c. With sense ‘in which a problem is treated or discussed’.

problem book n.

ΚΠ

1909 R. Burton Masters of Eng. Novel xii. 285 It is at once a romance of the modern type, a love-story and a problem book.

1927 Jrnl. Polit. Econ. 35 151 The tables of the problem-book fall into four groups.

2002 Civil Rights Jrnl. (Nexis) 1 Jan. 31 A bit like solving story problems by looking at the teacher's manual, with this punchline: the manual goes to a later edition of the problem book.

problem column n.

ΚΠ

1906 New Oxford (Pa.) Item 19 Oct. ‘Do you think he cares for me?’ is the question the girl who writes to ‘problem’ columns asks oftener than any other.

1997 Sunday Mail (Queensland, Austral.) (Nexis) 16 Mar. 25 The energetic 18-year-old is, among other things, currently answering a problem column in a teen magazine.

problem drama n.

ΚΠ

1895 A. W. Pinero in Daily News 27 Nov. 3/4 The problem drama is, after all, earnest drama.

1989 Empire Sept. 39/1 Producers. High-gloss problem drama specialists (Fatal Attraction, The Accused).

2002 D. Beasley Mckee Rankin & Heyday of Amer. Theater 234 Audiences were uninterested in problem drama; they wanted either sensation or ribald entertainment.

problem letter n.

ΚΠ

1934 Middletown (N.Y.) Times Herald 31 Aug. 4/4 During the last four or five days a batch of problem letters has come to us from the love-shorn of Middletown.

1997 Scotl. on Sunday (Nexis) 19 Oct. 23 Joan..is not the kind of agony aunt to offer honeyed words in response to the problem letters she receives.

problem novel n.

ΚΠ

1894 Morning Post (London) 11 Aug. 4/4 The problem-novel, we need hardly say, is not put before us as particularly ‘suitable for holiday reading’.

1898 N.Y. Times 23 Apr. 278/4 The problem novel proposes to put before our minds a question of some kind, say, right or wrong?

1902 Daily Chron. 22 Jan. 7/2 No sensible person in search of pastime-reading will waste time and attention upon the ponderous problem-novels.

1961 John o' London's 6 July 18/1 ‘Silence,’ he [sc. Melville] wrote in his problem-novel Pierre, ‘is the only voice of our God’.

2007 R. J. Welch Guy-friendly YA Libr. v. 82 Problem novels might focus on drug and alcohol use and abuse, physical abuse, [etc.].

problem page n.

ΚΠ

1968 Times 26 Aug. 9/4 Cookery, fashion and the problem page seem to bring the greatest response from readers.

2001 J. Coe Rotters' Club (2002) 144 Why had his father been reading the problem pages of Woman in the first place?

problem picture n.

ΚΠ

1909 Times 1 May 12/1 There is..not even a ‘problem picture’ to tax the ingenuity of interpreters.

1979 G. Macdonald Camera xiii. 180/2 Middle-class dilemmas were explored in ‘problem pictures’ with titles like ‘The Confession’,..‘The Prodigal Daughter’, etc.

2001 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 8 Feb. 10/2 Whether his subject was..a biblical story of a ‘problem picture’ taken from London Life, even strayed sheep or a lone goat, he was a crusader for moral reform.

problem poem n.

ΚΠ

1897 Daily News 9 Dec. 8/2 He has..given a fuller expression of himself in powerful ‘problem’ poems.

1962 S. Mowinckel Psalms in Israel's Worship (2004) ii. ii. 31 The psalm-writer may use the form of the ‘wisdom-poetry’ for his personal expression of the praise of God..without his psalm becoming a wisdom or problem poem.

problem story n.

ΚΠ

1896 Oakland (Calif.) Tribune 13 Mar. 4/4 No... You can't come home here at 3 o'clock in the morning and work off any of your problem stories on me.

1991 Locus May 38/3 She strongly disapproved of the sex and violence now making its way into young-adult fiction, under the guise of ‘problem stories’.

d. With sense ‘in which problems of a personal or social nature are manifested’.

problem case n.

ΚΠ

1917 Amer. Jrnl. Sociol. 23 128 Dr. Bronner brings to her task a rich experience in the personal examination of problem-cases in the Juvenile Psychopathic Institute of Chicago.

1991 Family Pract. 8 311/1 A doctor could refer a problem case knowing that a consultant would understand that there would be a good reason for the referral.

problem family n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > difficulty > [noun] > that which is difficult > a difficult thing or person > specific person(s)

problem child1920

problem parent1926

problem family1934

society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinship group > family > [noun] > family with problems

problem family1934

1934 E. R. Groves & L. M. Brooks Readings in Family xvi. 340 The incompatible family..is distinguished from the problem-family..by the fact that its difficulties come not from rupture but from lack of harmony.

1996 A. Jones All she Wanted ii. x. 53 He was a rebel without a clue, who would later describe himself as a problem kid growing up in a problem family.

problem parent n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > difficulty > [noun] > that which is difficult > a difficult thing or person > specific person(s)

problem child1920

problem parent1926

problem family1934

society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinsman or relation > parent > [noun] > with problems

problem parent1926

1926 Davenport (Iowa) Democrat & Leader 29 Jan. 4/1 It is the problem parent we should deal with rather than the problem child.

2003 Herald (Glasgow) (Nexis) 15 Oct. 16 Nowadays, we do not accept the idea of forcibly breaking the bonds between children and problem parents.

e. With sense ‘that is a problem, posing a problem’, as problem dandruff, problem hair, problem skin, etc.

ΚΠ

1937 Nebraska State Jrnl. 10 June 2/7 (advt.) If you're one of those women with dry, problem skin.

1953 S. Jenyns Ming Pottery & Porcelain vi. 90 Another problem piece is the famous Kitchener bowl.

1956 Times 5 Mar. 11/2 These are often responsible for problem hair.

1967 Times 22 Aug. 7/8 A Swiss-trained Frenchwoman who has 35 years' experience of problem nails.

1970 Cape Times 28 Oct. 3/2 (advt.) A daily cleanser for problem skins.

1993 Outdoor Canada Mar. (Ontario) 5/2 (advt.) The itching and flaking associated with problem dandruff, seborrhea, and psoriasis.

1997 Southern Nature Winter (Thames & Chilterns ed.) 3/2 English Nature relies heavily on its volunteers particularly when it comes to visiting ‘problem’ bat roosts.

1999 T. Winter House Arrest (HBO TV shooting script) 23 in Sopranos 2nd Ser. (O.E.D. Archive) Don't tip a truck on a problem customer.

2006 Mirror (Nexis) 15 Feb. 20 Ever-moody schoolgirl Michelle had more than a problem skin on her mind in August 1985,—she was up the duff.

f. Designating a person who has a particular habit or addiction to such an extent that it has a disruptive or damaging effect, either on the individual's life and welfare or more widely on family, friends, colleagues, or associates, as in problem drinker, problem gambler, etc. Also: designating the particular habit or addiction itself, as in problem drinking, problem gambling, etc.

ΚΠ

1937 C. H. Durfee To drink or not to Drink Pref. p.viii By the problem-drinker, as I prefer to call the alcoholic, I mean the man or woman for whom drink has become a problem or who by his drinking has been made a problem to society.

1942 Current List Med. Lit. 3 535/1 Where problem drinking begins.

1951 Alice (Texas) Daily Echo 26 Jan. 3/7 Though far from a problem gambler, he thinks nothing of dropping five or ten dollars at poker or on a horse race.

1972 Press-Courier (Oxnard, Calif.) 9 Mar. 10/2 Every one of them [sc. hardcore and compulsive gamblers] is in danger of stepping—or slipping—over the line into problem gambling where all is lost.

2002 T. Hine I want That! v. 108 Some problem shoppers appear to spend themselves into debt..in order to provoke a financial crisis in a..relationship with which they are dissatisfied.

C2.

problem child n. also figurative a child with behavioural or other difficulties.

ΘΚΠ

the world > people > person > child > [noun]

wenchelc890

childeOE

littleOE

littlingOE

hired-childc1275

smalla1300

brolla1325

innocentc1325

chickc1330

congeonc1330

impc1380

faunt1382

young onec1384

scionc1390

weea1400

birdc1405

chickenc1440

enfaunta1475

small boyc1475

whelp1483

burden1490

little one1509

brat?a1513

younkerkin1528

kitling1541

urchin1556

loneling1579

breed1586

budling1587

pledge?1587

ragazzo1591

simplicity1592

bantling1593

tadpole1594

two-year-old1594

bratcheta1600

lambkin1600

younker1601

dandling1611

buda1616

eyas-musketa1616

dovelinga1618

whelplinga1618

puppet1623

butter printa1625

chit1625

piggy1625

ninnyc1626

youngster1633

fairya1635

lap-child1655

chitterling1675

squeaker1676

cherub1680

kid1690

wean1692

kinchin1699

getlingc1700

totum17..

charity-child1723

small girl1734

poult1739

elfin1748

piggy-wiggy1766

piccaninny1774

suck-thumb18..

teeny1802

olive1803

sprout1813

stumpie1820

sexennarian1821

totty1822

toddle1825

toddles1828

poppet1830

brancher1833

toad1836

toddler1837

ankle-biter1840

yarkera1842

twopenny1844

weeny1844

tottykins1849

toddlekins1852

brattock1858

nipper1859

sprat1860

ninepins1862

angelet1868

tenas man1870

tad1877

tacker1885

chavvy1886

joey1887

toddleskin1890

thumb-sucker1891

littlie1893

peewee1894

tyke1894

che-ild1896

kiddo1896

mother's bairn1896

childling1903

kipper1905

pick1905

small1907

God forbid1909

preadolescent1909

subadolescent1914

toto1914

snookums1919

tweenie1919

problem child1920

squirt1924

trottie1924

tiddler1927

subteen1929

perisher1935

poopsie1937

pre-schooler1937

pre-teen1938

pre-teener1940

juvie1941

sprog1944

pikkie1945

subteenager1947

pre-teenager1948

pint-size1954

saucepan lid1960

rug rat1964

smallie1984

bosom-child-

the world > action or operation > difficulty > [noun] > that which is difficult > a difficult thing or person > specific person(s)

problem child1920

problem parent1926

problem family1934

1920 J. Taft in Proc. Nat. Conf. Social Work 63 The placing and replacing of a problematic child..is also costly... The problem child is such a costly, nagging, persistent proposition that..we are forced to bring intelligence to bear upon his case.

1977 D. Beaty Excellency iv. 50 We're the bankrupt problem child of the E.E.C.

1992 R. Graef Living Dangerously viii. 186 Luke was then sent to more children's homes, ending up at a regional assessment centre for problem children.

problem-orientated adj. = problem-oriented adj.

ΚΠ

1951 Amer. Anthropologist 53 478 The primary connections of the social anthropologists are with the other social scientists—in sociology.., and even in such history as is problem-orientated.

1964 OR 15 50 What distinguishes operational research from the rest is that it alone is ‘problem-orientated’.

1986 S. M. Hinchliff Teaching Clin. Nursing (ed. 2) iii. 57 Problem-orientated medical records (POMR) are now used by many doctors.

1990 K. Hawton & J. Catalan Attempted Suicide (BNC) 186 For many patients, brief problem-orientated outpatient care seems to be a very satisfactory means of helping them tackle the difficulties.

problem-oriented adj. having an emphasis towards or a design based on problems; (Computing) designating a language devised in the light of the requirements of a particular class of problem (contrasted with machine-oriented).

ΘΚΠ

society > computing and information technology > programming language > [adjective] > for certain requirements

problem-oriented1946

machine-oriented1967

1946 Philos. Sci. 13 330 This is where a problem-oriented science would have him be as often as necessary.

1961 Computer Jrnl. 4 217/1 In most if not all of the current computer program languages—called ‘problem-oriented languages’—the programmer must be concerned in some degree with how his program will be handled either on a specific computer or on a class of computers with specific characteristics.

1981 F. Monds & R. McLaughlin Introd. Mini & Micro Computers vii. 99/1 A compiler translates a problem-oriented language..into machine code.

1992 Police June 30/1 It's no wonder police academies have been slow to incorporate the concept of problem-oriented policing (POP) in their curricula.

problem play n. (a) a play in which a particular problem is treated or discussed; (b) a play which is difficult to classify as belonging to a particular genre, esp. such a play by Shakespeare.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > drama > a play > [noun] > other types of play

king play1469

king game1504

historya1509

chronicle history1600

monology1608

horseplaya1627

piscatory1631

stock play1708

petite pièce1712

mimic1724

ballad opera1730

ballad farce1735

benefit-play1740

potboiler1783

monodrama1793

extravaganza1797

theo-drama1801

monodrame1803

proverb1803

stock piece1804

bespeak1807

ticket-night1812

dramaticle1813

monopolylogue1819

pièce d'occasion1830

interlude1831

mimea1834

costume piece1834

mummers' play1849

history play1850

gag-piece1860

music drama1874

well-made1881

playlet1884

two-decker1884

slum1885

kinderspiel1886

thrill1886

knockabout1887

two-hander1888

front-piece1889

thriller1889

shadow-play1890

mime play1894

problem play1894

one-acter1895

sex play1899

chronicle drama1902

thesis-play1902

star vehicle1904

folk-play1905

radio play1908

tab1915

spy play1919

one-act1920

pièce à thèse1923

dance-drama1924

a mess of plottage1926

turkey1927

weepie1928

musical1930

cliffhanger1931

mime drama1931

triangle drama1931

weeper1934

spine-chiller1940

starrer1941

scorcher1942

teleplay1947

straw-hatter1949

pièce noire1951

pièce rose1951

tab show1951

conversation piece1952

psychodrama1956

whydunit1968

mystery play1975

State of the Nation1980

1894 Westm. Gaz. 16 July 1/2 Who invented the term ‘problem play’?.. The phrase is new,..the thing itself dates from twenty years, to go no further back.

1957 V. Brittain Testament of Experience (1979) iii. 96 My chief passion was for work..and my fourth for intellectual drama and ‘problem’ plays.

1992 A. Carter in M. Bradbury & J. Cooke New Writing 188 It's always supposed to be one of the crabbed, difficult problem plays [Measure for Measure], but my feeling is that it's a pure groundlings' play.

2005 Houston Press (Nexis) 17 Nov. He can clothe his problem play with missionary zeal, but in the end, Morgan would rather shock than reform.

problem-solver n. a person who finds solutions to difficult or complex issues.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > testing > resolving of problem, solution > [noun] > one who solves

unentangler1610

solutist1708

solver1719

problem-solver1848

disentangler1885

solutionist1885

1848 Brit. Q. Rev. 7 232 Our problem-solver shall not escape..by discussing animals singly.

1929 R. Frost Let. 6 Jan. (1964) 194 I don't believe in myself as a problem-solver.

1997 Indianapolis Star 5 June a19/6 The goal is to turn police into problem-solvers, not just 911 responders.

problem-solving n. and adj. (a) n.the action of finding solutions to difficult or complex issues; (b) adj. involved in or related to this activity; that solves problems.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > testing > resolving of problem, solution > [noun]

soilingc1380

solutionc1420

invention1484

resolutiona1500

soluting1534

satisfactiona1569

assoil1589

assoiling1619

assoilmenta1680

solving1706

problem-solving1854

the mind > attention and judgement > testing > resolving of problem, solution > [adjective]

solving1847

problem-solving1854

solvent1872

1854 Putnam's Monthly Mag. Aug. 199/1 The substitution of general methods and investigations for fragmentary and tentative problem solving, is a mathematical reform still incomplete in this country.

1884 Amer. Naturalist 18 369 This problem-solving age will ask, What law is at work that makes..the steep hills face southward and the more gentle northward?

1931 Psychol. Rev. 38 337 Problem-solving by insight is regarded..as qualitatively different from problem-solving on the basis of trial and error.

1979 Yale Apr. 4/2 Man is a problem-solving animal.

2004 A. Greig In Another Light (2005) 250 There should be more to living than problem solving, tholing, and some energetic sexual shenanigans.

problem tape n. Computing (now disused) a magnetic tape containing the numerical information for a problem.

ΘΚΠ

society > computing and information technology > data > database > [noun] > storage > for use in calculations

problem tape1948

table tape1948

1948 Proc. Symp. Large-scale Digital Calculating Machinery 1947 53 The problem data..are taken from a problem tape by a relay circuit, known as the problem control, one digit at a time and stored in a problem register.

1956 G. A. Montgomerie Digital Calculating Machines x. 213 The input tapes are of three kinds. First the problem tape containing the numerical information for a set of data and also, usually, some instructions.

Derivatives

ˈproblem-wise adv. in terms of a problem.

ΚΠ

a1859 T. De Quincey Posthumous Wks. (1891) I. 37 An idea sketched problem-wise.

1994 PC Week (Nexis) 23 May 3 Sizewise, networks grow arithmetically. Problemwise, they grow astronomically.

2004 J. Amatuzio Does Sun Shine in Heaven? 148 Feeling frozen in time problem-wise, if I have any personality quirks from all of this, my foundation for them was reinforced during this timely stretch.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2007; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	problem
释义	problemn. Brit. /ˈprɒbləm/, U.S. /ˈprɑbləm/ Forms: Middle English–1600s probleme, Middle English– problem, 1500s probleame; Scottish pre-1700 problame, pre-1700 probleame, pre-1700 probleme, pre-1700 problevme, pre-1700 problewm, pre-1700 problowme, 1700s– problem. Origin: Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from French. Partly a borrowing from Latin. Etymons: French problème; Latin problēma. Etymology: < Middle French problème (c1380 with reference to Aristotle; French problème ) and its etymon classical Latin problēma question proposed for academic discussion (only in plural, problēmata , also as title of a work by Aristotle (2nd cent. a.d.)), in post-classical Latin also puzzle, riddle (Vulgate) < ancient Greek πρόβληματ- , πρόβλημα question proposed for solution, set task, (in logic) question as to whether a statement is true, in plural, πρόβληματα , title of a work by Aristotle, in Hellenistic Greek also difficult question or situation, puzzle, riddle (Septuagint), literally ‘a thing thrown or put forward’ < προ- pro- prefix² + βλῆμα throw ( < the same base as βάλλειν to throw: see ballista n.), after προβάλλειν to throw to, to put forward. Compare Catalan problema (1461 as probleuma), Spanish problema (1424), Italian problema (14th cent.). †1. a. A puzzle; a riddle; an enigmatic statement. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > secrecy, concealment > a profound secret, mystery > puzzle, enigma, riddle > [noun] riddleOE purposec1350 problema1382 propositiona1382 conclusion1393 divinailc1430 opposal?a1439 riddling?c1475 wordc1480 why1532 dark, hard sentence1535 enigma1539 remblere1599 puzzlement1646 gripha1652 puzzler1651 riddlemy riddlemy1652 puzzle1655 crux1718 teaser1759 puzzleation1767 conundrum1790 poser1793 riddle-me-ree1805 stumper1807 tickler1825 sticker1849 brain-teaser1850 grueller1856 question mark1870 brain-twister1878 skull-buster1926 mind-bender1968 a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) Judges xiv. 15 Fage to þi man [a1425 L.V. glose thin hosebonde] & moeue hym þat he schewe to þee what betokneþ þe probleme [a1425 L.V. v.r. sutel axyng; L. problema]. c1395 G. Chaucer Summoner's Tale 2219 How hadde this cherl ymaginacioun To shewe swich a probleme to the frere? a1425 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Royal) (1850) Judges xiv.12 Y schal putte forth to you a probleme, that is, a douȝteful word and priuy, and if ȝe asoilen it to me..Y schal ȝyue to ȝow thretti lynnun clothis. Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 414 Probleme, or rydel, problema, enigma. 1548 Hall's Vnion: Edward IV f. cxcix^v The erle of Warwicke..thought firste to proue hym a farr of, as it wer in a probleme, and after to open to him..the secrete imaginacions of his stomacke. 1564 tr. P. M. Vermigli Most Fruitfull & Learned Comm. 218 b Graue men wer wont to put forth ridles or problemes, omitting dangerous talke. 1602 W. Warner Albions Eng. (rev. ed.) xiii. lxxvii. 319 Howsoere those Oracles of men were vnderstood, Double Construction euer made their Prothean Problemes good. 1698 J. Turner Phisico-theological Disc. upon Divine Being iii. 102 Is it not truly amasing to see the most certain Demonstrations of the Mathematicks, and therefore akin and greatly alluding to the Humane Mind, its Problems and Riddles? 1787 in G. Gregory tr. R. Lowth Lect. Sacred Poetry Hebrews I. ii. iv. 77 It [sc. chidah] is derived from Chud, to propose a problem, or enigma, or some exquisite and curious saying. a1887 E. Lazarus Poems (1889) II. 28 Some,..Blear-eyed from poring over..knotty riddles of the Talmud, brought Their problems to this youth, who cleared and solved, Yielding prompt answer to a lifetime's search. b. Chiefly Scottish. A metaphorical fable, an allegory, a parable; an analogy. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > literature > prose > narrative or story > parable, allegory, or apologue > [noun] byspelc950 by-talea1300 forbyseninga1300 fable1340 parablec1384 similitudea1425 examplec1425 allegoryc1450 problema1500 apologuea1555 byworda1557 mythology1603 Aesopism1845 exemplum1883 a1500 (?a1410) J. Lydgate Churl & Bird (Lansd.) 1 in Minor Poems (1934) ii. 468 Problemys, liknessis, & ffigures..been fructuous of sentence. a1500 R. Henryson tr. Æsop Fables: Wolf & Wether l. 2592 in Poems (1981) 96 Esope..Wrait this parabole..Quhais problemes bene verray excellent, Throw similitude of figuris, to this day. a1538 A. Abell Roit or Quheill of Tyme f. 7, in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue at Problem(e Samson..mareit a wirgin of Philistais and eftir that he had slane ane lione be a problowme of the sam he gat occasioun the Philisteis to distroy. c1626 H. Bisset Rolment Courtis (1922) II. 388 Quhat sall I writt or compair be alligorie..of erthlie freindschip..betuix these twa nobill monarches..or quhat comparisone be parabill problame or symilitude can be maid of the samin. 2. a. A question proposed for academic discussion or scholastic disputation. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of ideation > topic, subject-matter > materials of topic > [noun] > of debate or discussion proposec1350 purposec1350 propositiona1382 problema1387 conclusionc1400 state of the causea1525 question1549 argumenta1568 thesis1579 disquisition1605 problem1645 consultation1663 consult1683 propos1816 issue1836 chat1861 debating point1927 battleground1931 a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1865) I. 15 (MED) In þe whiche book and tretys wel nyh al problemys and questiouns [L. universa paene problemata] of þe wiseste men..beeþ i-planted. ?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 122 (MED) It may shewe..whi in som þai ar crisped And coloured in diuerse colourez..And many oþer problemez þat ar wont to be said of herez. a1529 J. Skelton Speke Parrot in Certayne Bks. (?1545) sig. A.iiii^v In achademia Parrot dare no probleme kepe; For grecifari so occupyeth the chayre That latinum fari, may fall to rest and slepe. 1573 G. Harvey Let.-bk. (1884) 11 Semli for masters problems to dispute uppon. a1593 C. Marlowe Tragicall Hist. Faustus (1604) sig. A4 I that haue with Consis sylogismes Graueld the Pastors of the Germaine Church, And made the flowring pride of Wertenberge Swarme to my Problemes. 1603 P. Holland in tr. Plutarch Morals Explan. Words Problemes, Questions propounded for to be discussed. 1624 R. Montagu Immediate Addresse 206 It is..not of force to conclude a Diuinity probleme. 1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica 21 Hereof there want not many examples in Aristotle, through all his booke of animals; we shall instance onely in three of his Problemes . View more context for this quotation 1771 M. Smith Christianity Unmasqued Ded. p. x The articles of an identical resurrection, and an eternity of torments,..which have never been determined by our church,..consequently may be looked upon in the light of scholastic problems. 1851 College Life t. Jas. I 65 He attended the common-place, and the problem, which were Latin dissertations read in the chapel by the graduates. 1994 Buddhist-Christian Stud. 14 224 It strikes me as decidedly Christian..to assume that the most exciting problem of theology is divinity... Personally, I find the human situation much more exciting and interesting. b. Logic. The question (usually only implied) involved in a syllogism, of which the conclusion is the solution. Now historical.In quot. 1656 directly presenting the original from Aristotle (see Aristotle Topics I. iv.). ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > logic > logical syllogism > [noun] > elements of problem1656 argument1724 fallacy1725 1656 T. Stanley Hist. Philos. II. vi. 48 All disputation is of things controverted, either by Problem or proposition. A Problem questions both parts, as, a living Creature, is it the genus of man or not? A proposition questions but one part, as, Is not living creature the genus of man? 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) A Logical or Dialectical Problem, say the Schoolmen, consists of two Parts; a Subject, or Subject Matter about which the Doubt is raised; and a Predicate or Attribute, which is the thing doubted whether it be true of the Subject or not. a1856 W. Hamilton Lect. Metaphysics (1860) III. xv. 280 (transl. Esser) There are to every syllogism three..requisites..1⁰, A doubt,—which of two contradictory predicates must be affirmed of a certain subject,—the problem or question, (problema, quæsitum); 2⁰, The application of a decisive general rule to the doubt; and, 3⁰, The general rule itself. a1856 W. Hamilton Lect. Metaphysics (1860) III. xv. 281 The Conclusion is the Problem, (problema), Question, (quæstio, quæsitum), which was originally asked, stated now as a decision. The Problem is usually omitted in the expression of a syllogism; but is one of its essential parts. 1923 Proc. Acad. Polit. Sci. N.Y. 10 20 By the bare fact of stating the ‘general principle’ as the major premise of a syllogism with the new problem as the subject of its minor premise, the applicability of the ‘general principle’ is predestined. 3. a. A difficult or demanding question; (now, more usually) a matter or situation regarded as unwelcome, harmful, or wrong and needing to be overcome; a difficulty. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > enquiry > [noun] > act or instance of > difficult or crucial opposal?a1439 problem1543 good questiona1576 searcher1923 sixty-four dollar question1942 the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > secrecy, concealment > a profound secret, mystery > puzzle, enigma, riddle > [noun] > especially difficult nut1540 problem1543 enigma1609 three-pipe problem1891 Chinese puzzle1895 monkey-puzzle1902 the world > action or operation > difficulty > [noun] > a difficulty difficultya1398 hardheada1425 problem1874 shauri1874 shauri1921 prob1934 1543 ( Chron. J. Hardyng (1812) 402 (MED) They the kyng then had in gouernaunce..And made good rule and noble ordynaunce..For worshyp of the kyng and of his realme, Without doubte or any other probleme. 1594 R. Carew tr. J. Huarte Exam. Mens Wits x. 126 It is a probleme often demanded,..For what cause a diuine being a great man in the Schooles,..and in writing and lecturing of rare learning; yet getting vp into the pulpit, cannot skill of preaching. 1621 R. Burton Anat. Melancholy i. iii. iii. 263 Why melancholy men are witty..is a Probleme much controverted. 1664 H. More Modest Enq. Myst. Iniquity 215 A Problem too curious to enquire into, but not altogether inextricable. 1672 G. Whitehead Dipper Plung'd To Reader 3 When he Scurrilously acts a Quaker, he himself is that Nonsensical Quaker; who hath designedly forg'd his Dialogue to his own Fancy, so as not to puzzle himself with Problemes to be sure. 1706 D. Baker Hist. Job v. 122 How long wilt thou refuse to bow before These strong Convictions of Almighty Power? How long wilt thou my Providence arraign Of blind Injustice?.. He that durst Presume so high, should solve these Problems first. 1764 J. Otis Rights Brit. Colonies 14 The grand political problem in all ages has been to invent the best combination or distribution of the supreme powers of legislation and execution. 1841 R. W. Emerson Ess. 1st Ser. (Boston ed.) vi. 167 Not one step has man taken toward the solution of the problem of his destiny. 1874 J. R. Green Short Hist. Eng. People vii. §5. 384 Elizabeth..had hardly mounted the throne..when she faced the problem of social discontent. 1930 Engineering 3 Jan. 21/2 The paramount problem is now whether this recession is yet at an end. 1979 A. Storr Art of Psychotherapy xiv. 180 The only persons who have no problems are those that are dead. 2002 Daily Tel. 8 July 25/5 One of the problems with the industry is that advice is now so heavily regulated that selling savings products has become very costly. †b. The quality of being problematic or difficult to solve. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > difficulty > [noun] arvethnessc1000 painc1330 difficultya1382 hardnessc1384 wondsome?a1400 hardheada1425 painfulnessa1530 difficult?1532 difficultness1549 awkness1587 uneasiness1594 difficileness1612 arduity1623 problem1641 difficacity1656 going1678 arduousness1731 catch-arse1970 1641 J. Jackson True Evangelical Temper ii. 142 Is it not enigmaticall and full of Probleme, to wash white in bloud? c. With qualifying noun or adjective: a seemingly insoluble quandary affecting a specified group of people or a nation; (also) a long-standing personal difficulty.drink, drinking problem: see the first element. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > difficulty > [noun] > a difficulty > specific affecting group or nation problem1851 1851 J. Bigelow Jamaica in 1850 122 Such is the solution of the West Indian problem, advocated by one of the most distinguished writers and thinkers in England: a restoration of slavery. 1879 Nation 2 Jan. 7/2 The theory of certain amiable persons, that the real solution of the Indian problem is extermination, ought not for a moment to be entertained. 1897 E. Ferri Criminal Sociol. p. viii The proper method of arriving at a more or less satisfactory solution of the criminal problem is to inquire into the causes which are producing the criminal population. 1936 H. G. Wells Anat. Frustration xv. 178 That does not close the Jewish problem for you. 1969 ‘J. Morris’ Fever Grass iv. 44 She had the body of a ballet dancer with a weight problem. 1974 E. Ambler Dr. Frigo i. 41 If Villegas had a health problem which could be helped by a change of climate, [etc.]. 1980 Dun's Rev. July 93 If Giscard was indeed delivering a Gaullist ‘Non’ to new members until the British problem is straightened out, then a whole new saga of EEC dissension has been signaled. 2004 Time Out 31 Mar. 180/3 N.A. (Narcotics Anonymous) If you have any kind of drug problem then may be we can help. 4. Mathematics and Science. A proposition in which a specified action is required to be done (originally in Geometry, contrasted with a theorem, where something is proved). Later also: a phenomenon or situation to be physically explained or mathematically described or solved. Frequently with distinguishing word.decision, Delian, Dirichlet, four-colour, Kepler's, three-body problem, etc.: see the first element. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > testing > [noun] > object of problem1570 the world > relative properties > number > mathematics > [noun] > mathematical enquiry conclusionc1400 problem1570 zetetic1692 prob1700 the world > relative properties > number > mathematics > [noun] > mathematical enquiry > proposition > problem problem1570 postulatum1667 1570 H. Billingsley tr. Euclid Elements Geom. i. f. 7^v A Probleme, is a proposition which requireth some action, or doing. 1570 J. Dee in H. Billingsley tr. Euclid Elements Geom. xi. sig. 352^v Consider, how nere this crepeth to the famous Probleme of doubling the Cube. 1658 Sir T. Browne Garden of Cyrus iii, in Hydriotaphia: Urne-buriall 142 Which..is become a point of art, and makes two Problemes in Euclide. 1673 J. Collins Let. 6 Apr. in H. Oldenburg Corr. (1973) IX. 567 Ye variety of Problems that may be put about a right-angled triangle, divided into two right Triangles by a perpendicular falling from the right Angle in the Hypothenuse. 1734 tr. P. L. M. de Maupertuis Diss. Cœlestial Bodies 41 in J. Keill Exam. Burnet's Theory of Earth (ed. 2) It is seen that the solution of these Problems must give the true Figures the cœlestial Bodies may be of, by fixing the Law according to which Gravity increases and decreases proportionably to the distance from the Center. 1798 C. Hutton Course Math. I. 2 A Problem is a proposition or a question requiring something to be done... As, to find out the quantity or sum of all the three angles of any triangle. 1814 J. Playfair Outl. Nat. Philos. II. ii. i. 244 If there are three bodies..the determination of their motions becomes a problem of the greatest difficulty, distinguished by the name of the Problem of the three bodies. 1821 J. Q. Adams Rep. Weights & Meas. 79 The problem, hitherto unsolvable to man, of squaring the circle. 1885 C. Leudesdorf tr. L. Cremona Elements Projective Geom. 135 The solution of the problem, To construct by means of its tangents the parabola which is determined by four given tangents. 1940 M. Tornich Radius Action Aircraft xii. 40 Problems involving graphical solutions of a triangle of velocities are termed, ‘wind and allied problems’. 1970 G. K. Woodgate Elem. Atomic Struct. ii. 28 The Kepler problem of planetary motion under an inverse square law of force. 1998 J. L. Heilbron Geom. Civilized v. 208 A famous problem in geometry is to draw a circle tangent to three others given in position. 5. Chess. An artificial position in which a player on one side has to achieve a checkmate or other specified result in a set number of moves.Formerly called jeopardy (cf. jeopardy n. 1a). ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > board game > chess > [noun] > problems jeopardyc1369 problem1817 Indian problem1846 mover1868 Indian1878 retractive problem1890 waiting problem1891 retractor1893 help-mate1897 sui1897 miniature1903 waiter1906 grab theme1909 fairy chess1914 King's (or Queen's) Indian1931 1817 tr. Montigny Stratagems of Chess Pref. p. v These situations are in reality so many problems, the solution of which is required to be found. 1862 Harper's Mag. Mar. 500/1 I was head and ears in a problem of the Chess Monthly, and my sermon..lay half finished on my desk. 1894 R. F. Green Chess 21 Problems have come to be a study almost entirely distinct from that of the game proper... Their composition is regulated by elaborate rules. 1916 J. Joyce Portrait of Artist v. 266 Inclining his ear like that of a confessor to the face of the medical student who was reading to him a problem from the chess page. 1966 V. Nabokov Speak, Memory (U.S. rev. ed.) Foreword 15 I do not recall the position lucidly enough to notate it here, but perhaps some lover of ‘fairy chess’ (to which type of problem it belongs) will look it up some day. 1997 Brit. Chess Mag. 117 329 This problem shows great originality, especially the line where Black allows White's bishop to reach the d1–a4 diagonal. Phrases no problem colloquial (a) simple, acceptable, not problematic; (b) used to express one's agreement or acquiescence, or to acknowledge an expression of thanks. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > easiness > easy, easily, or without difficulty [phrase] > easy to do (there is) nothing to it1933 no sweat1951 no problem1955 no probs (also prob)1974 1955 A. Murray Let. 2 Nov. in R. Ellison & A. Murray Trading Twelves (2000) 102 No problem on haircuts here. Moroccans come in all textures. No problem there either. 1973 M. Amis Rachel Papers 117 Finally, every time I emptied my glass, he took it, put more whisky in it, and gave it back to me, saying ‘No problem’ again through his nose. 1985 W. Sheed Frank & Maisie vii. 153 In this rose-window glow, the problem of why God allows pain at all was no problem to me. 1999 J. M. Coetzee Disgrace (2000) xx. 177 ‘Thank you,’ he says. ‘No problem,’ says young Dr Otto. 2002 New Yorker 4 Nov. 50/1 The river was swift and the water was cold, but this was no problem for Hadwin, a self-described ‘extreme swimmer’. that's (or it's) not my problem colloquial = that's your (his, etc.) problem. ΚΠ 1947 Washington Post 28 Oct. 13/4 Ingram said he made no apology for the talent raids which the All-America ‘had to make’ on the NFL to get started—‘that's not my problem. My concern is to rectify the feeling growing out of that.’ 1965 B. Dylan Positively 4th Street 211 And now I know you're dissatisfied With your position and your place Don't you understand It's not my problem. 2001 C. Harrison Afterburn 129 Maybe that insults you, maybe it don't. That's not my problem. that's your (his, etc.) problem colloquial used to express one's lack of interest in or sympathy with the difficulties or misfortunes of another person. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > statement > refusal > [phrase] not if I can help it1682 I'll be far (enough) if1752 I'll be shot (occasionally shortened to shot!) if1761 to have none of it1849 not if you paid me1853 not likely1878 that's your problem1951 1951 V. T. Hamlin Alley Oop (comic strip) in Warren (Pa.) Times Mirror 3 Aug. 8 ‘Vot I do in dees colt voods mitoudt clothes, dummerkopft?’ ‘I dunno, Fritz, that's your problem!’ 1991 C. Paglia in Philadelphia Inquirer 21 Oct. 15 a/3 If Anita Hill was thrown for a loop by sexual banter, that's her problem. 2001 B. Rai (Un)arranged Marriage ii. 25 I'm just proud to be Punjabi. At least I ain't ashamed, innit, of what I am and that. You're always trying to be white, that's your problem. to have a problem with colloquial (originally U.S.) to have a disagreement with; to have an objection to or be unable to accept (someone or something); to take issue with. Frequently in negative constructions. ΚΠ 1966 Los Angeles Times 8 July ii. 1/4 We have no problem with those who protest because in a sense the Peace Corps itself is a form of protest. 1978 T. M. Horner Jonathan loved David 149 I have a problem with Nelson's handling of specific biblical material here. 1997 Daily Tel. 30 Apr. 19/3 He never had a problem with me.., but it is hard for me to see him support things that are extremely anti-gay. 2000 New Republic 29 May 50/3 He's committing adultery—you got a problem with that? Compounds C1. a. General attributive and objective. problem analysis n. ΚΠ 1945 National Math. Mag. 19 408 Original exercises in demonstrative geometry, to develop power and confidence in problem-analysis, reflective thinking and deductive inference. 1998 A. K. Gaynor Analyzing Probl. Schools & School Syst. ii. x. 109 Systems modeling is a particularly powerful method of problem analysis, of gaining insight into the complex causes of problems. problem composer n. ΚΠ 1859 Davenport (Iowa) Daily Gaz. 6 Sept. 1/4 As a Problem composer his name is familiar to the chess players of the whole country. 1953 Reno (Nevada) Evening Gaz. 31 Mar. 4/4 Lenz was then famous as a problem composer..and as the ‘grand old man’ of bridge. 2004 Weekend Austral. (Nexis) 16 Oct. 64 The second diagram last week and this week was taken from award-winning Australian problem composer Peter Wong's new book Parallel Strategy. problem composition n. ΚΠ 1890 J. Rayner Chess Probl. 6 The history of problem composition. 1957 Times 23 Apr. 11/5 The finish was in character of this game of imaginative play and the many positions akin to problem composition. 2003 Weekend Austral. (Nexis) 22 Nov. 59 One of the oldest magazines devoted to the art of problem composition is Die Schwalbe (The Swallow), published in Germany. problem editor n. ΚΠ 1892 Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 9 July 1/6 Mr. James Rayner is the Problem Editor of the British Chess Magazine. 1960 Sunday Gaz.-Mail (Charleston, W. Va.) 31 Jan. 12 b/4 The current problem editor of Chess Life is Nicholas Gabor. problem game n. ΚΠ 1917 Philos. Rev. 26 607 The most unequivocal examples of intelligence are found in problems and ‘problem-games’, where prolonged deliberation precedes actual movements. Games of cards..and above all chess, are typical of this. 1993 Seattle Times (Nexis) 23 Dec. e3 Here's a rundown on the problem games this season, with some alternatives proposed by experienced players. problem-monger n. ΚΠ 1897 Athenaeum 14 Aug. 214/3 Those pompous problem-mongers of fiction and the stage who do their best to make life hideous. 1900 Daily News 17 Sept. 6/1 The healthy, virile English intellect..is naturally suspicious of morbid problem-mongers. 1992 Financial Post (Canada) (Nexis) 19 Dec. s3 The only problem my Canada has is that it tolerates too many problem-mongers, then elects politicians who pander to them. problem paper n. ΚΠ 1864 H. Goodwin Mem. Bishop Mackenzie 12 I examined him at the end of his first year, and remember well the decided superiority which he evinced in his treatment of a problem paper, which it fell to my lot to set. 1919 Granta 1 May 4/2 The solutions of the problem paper in the Mathematical Tripos. 2002 Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 17 Sept. The CXC accounting exam has three components, the school-based assessment, a problem paper and a multiple choice test. problem programmer n. ΚΠ 1970 O. Dopping Computers & Data Processing xix. 305 Those who design programming systems..are sometimes called system programmers. In contrast, the user's normal programmers are sometimes called problem programmers or application programmers. 1986 Computers & Graphics 10 297 The problem programmer must be equipped with rules knowledge. problem situation n. ΚΠ 1919 Amer. Jrnl. Sociol. 25 258 The present writer was conducting a seminar on the subject ‘The United States Considered as a “Problem-Situation”’. 1939 T. L. Green Pract. Animal Biol. Pref. p. vi The ultimate end of the campaign is to stimulate thought by raising problem-situations. 2006 BusinessWorld (Philippines) (Nexis) 8 Feb. s1/6 After the written examination..there are other tests, including an ‘assessment center’ or a simulation of a problem situation. problem solution n. ΚΠ 1923 Philos. Rev. 32 589 Instrumental logic,..widely accepted as the only sound theory of problem-solution. 2002 A. M. Johns Genre in Classroom ii. iii. 88 Students make notes under each of the ‘content slots’ presented in the chart as a way of ensuring they attend to each of these constituent components of problem solution texts in as much detail as possible. problem spot n. ΚΠ 1908 Daily Chron. 15 Jan. 3/2 The problem spot in Africa now is the Congo. 1991 Caterer & Hotelkeeper (BNC) Jan. 41 Within one minute of being triggered, the alarm summons about 50 staff to the problem spot. problem tackler n. ΚΠ 1963 Times 29 Jan. 9/4 Contributing to a Forum, colliding politely at a Meeting Point, joining in the domestic Parliament of a Woman's Hour, onward the problem-tacklers go. 1991 National Jrnl. (Nexis) 23 Nov. 2855 Her personal charm and tenacity as a problem tackler are evident. problem term n. ΚΠ 1901 S. S. Blackburne (title) Problem Terms and Characteristics. 2000 N. J. Lowe Classical Plot & Invention Western Narr. i. ii. 28 The range of possible behaviours of characters in the first two circles is tightly determined by their ‘characterisation’ (a famous problem term we shall consider further below). problem tourney n. ΚΠ 1866 Times 13/2 (advt.) The offer of three valuable prizes for a chess problem tourney.] 1890 J. Rayner Chess Probl. 28 In solution and problem tourneys..it is necessary to throw aside all conventionalities. 2002 Weekend Austral. (Nexis) 31 Aug. 55 A panel of judges at a Cleveland, US, problem tourney in 1873 initially thought the problem in diagram two above to be unsolvable. b. Prefixed to adjectives and past participles. problem-based adj. ΚΠ 1973 Hist. Teacher 6 205 Few scholars were committed to the American Social Science Association's informal, problem-based approach to inquiry. 2000 D. H. Evensen & C. E. Hmelo Problem-Based Learning ii. 34 Students in the problem-based course performed significantly poorer on an immediate multiple-choice test. problem-free adj. ΚΠ 1957 Hispania 40 37/2 All this, of course, does not mean that Mexico is a problem-free Utopia. 1987 New Statesman 27 Nov. 5/1 Certainly, not everything in his life is problem-free. 2000 B. Moore Resistance in W. Europe viii. 240 It served to undermine the somewhat problem-free existence that the Germans enjoyed from time to time in Norway. problem-ridden adj. ΚΠ 1924 R. Graves Mock Beggar Hall 59 A disturbing problem-ridden affair demanding the comments of a moralist. 1992 A. F. Chalmers What Is This Thing Called Sci.? (BNC) 90 An entirely new paradigm emerges and attracts the allegiance of more and more scientists until eventually the original, problem-ridden paradigm is abandoned. c. With sense ‘in which a problem is treated or discussed’. problem book n. ΚΠ 1909 R. Burton Masters of Eng. Novel xii. 285 It is at once a romance of the modern type, a love-story and a problem book. 1927 Jrnl. Polit. Econ. 35 151 The tables of the problem-book fall into four groups. 2002 Civil Rights Jrnl. (Nexis) 1 Jan. 31 A bit like solving story problems by looking at the teacher's manual, with this punchline: the manual goes to a later edition of the problem book. problem column n. ΚΠ 1906 New Oxford (Pa.) Item 19 Oct. ‘Do you think he cares for me?’ is the question the girl who writes to ‘problem’ columns asks oftener than any other. 1997 Sunday Mail (Queensland, Austral.) (Nexis) 16 Mar. 25 The energetic 18-year-old is, among other things, currently answering a problem column in a teen magazine. problem drama n. ΚΠ 1895 A. W. Pinero in Daily News 27 Nov. 3/4 The problem drama is, after all, earnest drama. 1989 Empire Sept. 39/1 Producers. High-gloss problem drama specialists (Fatal Attraction, The Accused). 2002 D. Beasley Mckee Rankin & Heyday of Amer. Theater 234 Audiences were uninterested in problem drama; they wanted either sensation or ribald entertainment. problem letter n. ΚΠ 1934 Middletown (N.Y.) Times Herald 31 Aug. 4/4 During the last four or five days a batch of problem letters has come to us from the love-shorn of Middletown. 1997 Scotl. on Sunday (Nexis) 19 Oct. 23 Joan..is not the kind of agony aunt to offer honeyed words in response to the problem letters she receives. problem novel n. ΚΠ 1894 Morning Post (London) 11 Aug. 4/4 The problem-novel, we need hardly say, is not put before us as particularly ‘suitable for holiday reading’. 1898 N.Y. Times 23 Apr. 278/4 The problem novel proposes to put before our minds a question of some kind, say, right or wrong? 1902 Daily Chron. 22 Jan. 7/2 No sensible person in search of pastime-reading will waste time and attention upon the ponderous problem-novels. 1961 John o' London's 6 July 18/1 ‘Silence,’ he [sc. Melville] wrote in his problem-novel Pierre, ‘is the only voice of our God’. 2007 R. J. Welch Guy-friendly YA Libr. v. 82 Problem novels might focus on drug and alcohol use and abuse, physical abuse, [etc.]. problem page n. ΚΠ 1968 Times 26 Aug. 9/4 Cookery, fashion and the problem page seem to bring the greatest response from readers. 2001 J. Coe Rotters' Club (2002) 144 Why had his father been reading the problem pages of Woman in the first place? problem picture n. ΚΠ 1909 Times 1 May 12/1 There is..not even a ‘problem picture’ to tax the ingenuity of interpreters. 1979 G. Macdonald Camera xiii. 180/2 Middle-class dilemmas were explored in ‘problem pictures’ with titles like ‘The Confession’,..‘The Prodigal Daughter’, etc. 2001 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 8 Feb. 10/2 Whether his subject was..a biblical story of a ‘problem picture’ taken from London Life, even strayed sheep or a lone goat, he was a crusader for moral reform. problem poem n. ΚΠ 1897 Daily News 9 Dec. 8/2 He has..given a fuller expression of himself in powerful ‘problem’ poems. 1962 S. Mowinckel Psalms in Israel's Worship (2004) ii. ii. 31 The psalm-writer may use the form of the ‘wisdom-poetry’ for his personal expression of the praise of God..without his psalm becoming a wisdom or problem poem. problem story n. ΚΠ 1896 Oakland (Calif.) Tribune 13 Mar. 4/4 No... You can't come home here at 3 o'clock in the morning and work off any of your problem stories on me. 1991 Locus May 38/3 She strongly disapproved of the sex and violence now making its way into young-adult fiction, under the guise of ‘problem stories’. d. With sense ‘in which problems of a personal or social nature are manifested’. problem case n. ΚΠ 1917 Amer. Jrnl. Sociol. 23 128 Dr. Bronner brings to her task a rich experience in the personal examination of problem-cases in the Juvenile Psychopathic Institute of Chicago. 1991 Family Pract. 8 311/1 A doctor could refer a problem case knowing that a consultant would understand that there would be a good reason for the referral. problem family n. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > difficulty > [noun] > that which is difficult > a difficult thing or person > specific person(s) problem child1920 problem parent1926 problem family1934 society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinship group > family > [noun] > family with problems problem family1934 1934 E. R. Groves & L. M. Brooks Readings in Family xvi. 340 The incompatible family..is distinguished from the problem-family..by the fact that its difficulties come not from rupture but from lack of harmony. 1996 A. Jones All she Wanted ii. x. 53 He was a rebel without a clue, who would later describe himself as a problem kid growing up in a problem family. problem parent n. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > difficulty > [noun] > that which is difficult > a difficult thing or person > specific person(s) problem child1920 problem parent1926 problem family1934 society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinsman or relation > parent > [noun] > with problems problem parent1926 1926 Davenport (Iowa) Democrat & Leader 29 Jan. 4/1 It is the problem parent we should deal with rather than the problem child. 2003 Herald (Glasgow) (Nexis) 15 Oct. 16 Nowadays, we do not accept the idea of forcibly breaking the bonds between children and problem parents. e. With sense ‘that is a problem, posing a problem’, as problem dandruff, problem hair, problem skin, etc. ΚΠ 1937 Nebraska State Jrnl. 10 June 2/7 (advt.) If you're one of those women with dry, problem skin. 1953 S. Jenyns Ming Pottery & Porcelain vi. 90 Another problem piece is the famous Kitchener bowl. 1956 Times 5 Mar. 11/2 These are often responsible for problem hair. 1967 Times 22 Aug. 7/8 A Swiss-trained Frenchwoman who has 35 years' experience of problem nails. 1970 Cape Times 28 Oct. 3/2 (advt.) A daily cleanser for problem skins. 1993 Outdoor Canada Mar. (Ontario) 5/2 (advt.) The itching and flaking associated with problem dandruff, seborrhea, and psoriasis. 1997 Southern Nature Winter (Thames & Chilterns ed.) 3/2 English Nature relies heavily on its volunteers particularly when it comes to visiting ‘problem’ bat roosts. 1999 T. Winter House Arrest (HBO TV shooting script) 23 in Sopranos 2nd Ser. (O.E.D. Archive) Don't tip a truck on a problem customer. 2006 Mirror (Nexis) 15 Feb. 20 Ever-moody schoolgirl Michelle had more than a problem skin on her mind in August 1985,—she was up the duff. f. Designating a person who has a particular habit or addiction to such an extent that it has a disruptive or damaging effect, either on the individual's life and welfare or more widely on family, friends, colleagues, or associates, as in problem drinker, problem gambler, etc. Also: designating the particular habit or addiction itself, as in problem drinking, problem gambling, etc. ΚΠ 1937 C. H. Durfee To drink or not to Drink Pref. p.viii By the problem-drinker, as I prefer to call the alcoholic, I mean the man or woman for whom drink has become a problem or who by his drinking has been made a problem to society. 1942 Current List Med. Lit. 3 535/1 Where problem drinking begins. 1951 Alice (Texas) Daily Echo 26 Jan. 3/7 Though far from a problem gambler, he thinks nothing of dropping five or ten dollars at poker or on a horse race. 1972 Press-Courier (Oxnard, Calif.) 9 Mar. 10/2 Every one of them [sc. hardcore and compulsive gamblers] is in danger of stepping—or slipping—over the line into problem gambling where all is lost. 2002 T. Hine I want That! v. 108 Some problem shoppers appear to spend themselves into debt..in order to provoke a financial crisis in a..relationship with which they are dissatisfied. C2. problem child n. also figurative a child with behavioural or other difficulties. ΘΚΠ the world > people > person > child > [noun] wenchelc890 childeOE littleOE littlingOE hired-childc1275 smalla1300 brolla1325 innocentc1325 chickc1330 congeonc1330 impc1380 faunt1382 young onec1384 scionc1390 weea1400 birdc1405 chickenc1440 enfaunta1475 small boyc1475 whelp1483 burden1490 little one1509 brat?a1513 younkerkin1528 kitling1541 urchin1556 loneling1579 breed1586 budling1587 pledge?1587 ragazzo1591 simplicity1592 bantling1593 tadpole1594 two-year-old1594 bratcheta1600 lambkin1600 younker1601 dandling1611 buda1616 eyas-musketa1616 dovelinga1618 whelplinga1618 puppet1623 butter printa1625 chit1625 piggy1625 ninnyc1626 youngster1633 fairya1635 lap-child1655 chitterling1675 squeaker1676 cherub1680 kid1690 wean1692 kinchin1699 getlingc1700 totum17.. charity-child1723 small girl1734 poult1739 elfin1748 piggy-wiggy1766 piccaninny1774 suck-thumb18.. teeny1802 olive1803 sprout1813 stumpie1820 sexennarian1821 totty1822 toddle1825 toddles1828 poppet1830 brancher1833 toad1836 toddler1837 ankle-biter1840 yarkera1842 twopenny1844 weeny1844 tottykins1849 toddlekins1852 brattock1858 nipper1859 sprat1860 ninepins1862 angelet1868 tenas man1870 tad1877 tacker1885 chavvy1886 joey1887 toddleskin1890 thumb-sucker1891 littlie1893 peewee1894 tyke1894 che-ild1896 kiddo1896 mother's bairn1896 childling1903 kipper1905 pick1905 small1907 God forbid1909 preadolescent1909 subadolescent1914 toto1914 snookums1919 tweenie1919 problem child1920 squirt1924 trottie1924 tiddler1927 subteen1929 perisher1935 poopsie1937 pre-schooler1937 pre-teen1938 pre-teener1940 juvie1941 sprog1944 pikkie1945 subteenager1947 pre-teenager1948 pint-size1954 saucepan lid1960 rug rat1964 smallie1984 bosom-child- the world > action or operation > difficulty > [noun] > that which is difficult > a difficult thing or person > specific person(s) problem child1920 problem parent1926 problem family1934 1920 J. Taft in Proc. Nat. Conf. Social Work 63 The placing and replacing of a problematic child..is also costly... The problem child is such a costly, nagging, persistent proposition that..we are forced to bring intelligence to bear upon his case. 1977 D. Beaty Excellency iv. 50 We're the bankrupt problem child of the E.E.C. 1992 R. Graef Living Dangerously viii. 186 Luke was then sent to more children's homes, ending up at a regional assessment centre for problem children. problem-orientated adj. = problem-oriented adj. ΚΠ 1951 Amer. Anthropologist 53 478 The primary connections of the social anthropologists are with the other social scientists—in sociology.., and even in such history as is problem-orientated. 1964 OR 15 50 What distinguishes operational research from the rest is that it alone is ‘problem-orientated’. 1986 S. M. Hinchliff Teaching Clin. Nursing (ed. 2) iii. 57 Problem-orientated medical records (POMR) are now used by many doctors. 1990 K. Hawton & J. Catalan Attempted Suicide (BNC) 186 For many patients, brief problem-orientated outpatient care seems to be a very satisfactory means of helping them tackle the difficulties. problem-oriented adj. having an emphasis towards or a design based on problems; (Computing) designating a language devised in the light of the requirements of a particular class of problem (contrasted with machine-oriented). ΘΚΠ society > computing and information technology > programming language > [adjective] > for certain requirements problem-oriented1946 machine-oriented1967 1946 Philos. Sci. 13 330 This is where a problem-oriented science would have him be as often as necessary. 1961 Computer Jrnl. 4 217/1 In most if not all of the current computer program languages—called ‘problem-oriented languages’—the programmer must be concerned in some degree with how his program will be handled either on a specific computer or on a class of computers with specific characteristics. 1981 F. Monds & R. McLaughlin Introd. Mini & Micro Computers vii. 99/1 A compiler translates a problem-oriented language..into machine code. 1992 Police June 30/1 It's no wonder police academies have been slow to incorporate the concept of problem-oriented policing (POP) in their curricula. problem play n. (a) a play in which a particular problem is treated or discussed; (b) a play which is difficult to classify as belonging to a particular genre, esp. such a play by Shakespeare. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > drama > a play > [noun] > other types of play king play1469 king game1504 historya1509 chronicle history1600 monology1608 horseplaya1627 piscatory1631 stock play1708 petite pièce1712 mimic1724 ballad opera1730 ballad farce1735 benefit-play1740 potboiler1783 monodrama1793 extravaganza1797 theo-drama1801 monodrame1803 proverb1803 stock piece1804 bespeak1807 ticket-night1812 dramaticle1813 monopolylogue1819 pièce d'occasion1830 interlude1831 mimea1834 costume piece1834 mummers' play1849 history play1850 gag-piece1860 music drama1874 well-made1881 playlet1884 two-decker1884 slum1885 kinderspiel1886 thrill1886 knockabout1887 two-hander1888 front-piece1889 thriller1889 shadow-play1890 mime play1894 problem play1894 one-acter1895 sex play1899 chronicle drama1902 thesis-play1902 star vehicle1904 folk-play1905 radio play1908 tab1915 spy play1919 one-act1920 pièce à thèse1923 dance-drama1924 a mess of plottage1926 turkey1927 weepie1928 musical1930 cliffhanger1931 mime drama1931 triangle drama1931 weeper1934 spine-chiller1940 starrer1941 scorcher1942 teleplay1947 straw-hatter1949 pièce noire1951 pièce rose1951 tab show1951 conversation piece1952 psychodrama1956 whydunit1968 mystery play1975 State of the Nation1980 1894 Westm. Gaz. 16 July 1/2 Who invented the term ‘problem play’?.. The phrase is new,..the thing itself dates from twenty years, to go no further back. 1957 V. Brittain Testament of Experience (1979) iii. 96 My chief passion was for work..and my fourth for intellectual drama and ‘problem’ plays. 1992 A. Carter in M. Bradbury & J. Cooke New Writing 188 It's always supposed to be one of the crabbed, difficult problem plays [Measure for Measure], but my feeling is that it's a pure groundlings' play. 2005 Houston Press (Nexis) 17 Nov. He can clothe his problem play with missionary zeal, but in the end, Morgan would rather shock than reform. problem-solver n. a person who finds solutions to difficult or complex issues. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > testing > resolving of problem, solution > [noun] > one who solves unentangler1610 solutist1708 solver1719 problem-solver1848 disentangler1885 solutionist1885 1848 Brit. Q. Rev. 7 232 Our problem-solver shall not escape..by discussing animals singly. 1929 R. Frost Let. 6 Jan. (1964) 194 I don't believe in myself as a problem-solver. 1997 Indianapolis Star 5 June a19/6 The goal is to turn police into problem-solvers, not just 911 responders. problem-solving n. and adj. (a) n.the action of finding solutions to difficult or complex issues; (b) adj. involved in or related to this activity; that solves problems. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > testing > resolving of problem, solution > [noun] soilingc1380 solutionc1420 invention1484 resolutiona1500 soluting1534 satisfactiona1569 assoil1589 assoiling1619 assoilmenta1680 solving1706 problem-solving1854 the mind > attention and judgement > testing > resolving of problem, solution > [adjective] solving1847 problem-solving1854 solvent1872 1854 Putnam's Monthly Mag. Aug. 199/1 The substitution of general methods and investigations for fragmentary and tentative problem solving, is a mathematical reform still incomplete in this country. 1884 Amer. Naturalist 18 369 This problem-solving age will ask, What law is at work that makes..the steep hills face southward and the more gentle northward? 1931 Psychol. Rev. 38 337 Problem-solving by insight is regarded..as qualitatively different from problem-solving on the basis of trial and error. 1979 Yale Apr. 4/2 Man is a problem-solving animal. 2004 A. Greig In Another Light (2005) 250 There should be more to living than problem solving, tholing, and some energetic sexual shenanigans. problem tape n. Computing (now disused) a magnetic tape containing the numerical information for a problem. ΘΚΠ society > computing and information technology > data > database > [noun] > storage > for use in calculations problem tape1948 table tape1948 1948 Proc. Symp. Large-scale Digital Calculating Machinery 1947 53 The problem data..are taken from a problem tape by a relay circuit, known as the problem control, one digit at a time and stored in a problem register. 1956 G. A. Montgomerie Digital Calculating Machines x. 213 The input tapes are of three kinds. First the problem tape containing the numerical information for a set of data and also, usually, some instructions. Derivatives ˈproblem-wise adv. in terms of a problem. ΚΠ a1859 T. De Quincey Posthumous Wks. (1891) I. 37 An idea sketched problem-wise. 1994 PC Week (Nexis) 23 May 3 Sizewise, networks grow arithmetically. Problemwise, they grow astronomically. 2004 J. Amatuzio Does Sun Shine in Heaven? 148 Feeling frozen in time problem-wise, if I have any personality quirks from all of this, my foundation for them was reinforced during this timely stretch. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2007; most recently modified version published online June 2022). † problemv. Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: problem n. Etymology: < problem n. Compare problematize v. Obsolete. rare. intransitive. To dispute or discuss an academic or scholastic question. Cf. problem n. 2. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of ideation > topic, subject-matter > materials of topic > [noun] > of debate or discussion proposec1350 purposec1350 propositiona1382 problema1387 conclusionc1400 state of the causea1525 question1549 argumenta1568 thesis1579 disquisition1605 problem1645 consultation1663 consult1683 propos1816 issue1836 chat1861 debating point1927 battleground1931 1645 J. Worthington Diary 22 Nov. in Diary & Corr. (1847) I. 23 I problem'd. 1655 Copy of Laws of Harvard College, 1655 (1876) (Harvard Univ.) 8 Haveing stayed three yeers after his first degree, and therein thrice problemed, twice declaimed, and once made a commonplace. This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, June 2007; most recently modified version published online September 2018). < n.a1382v.1645
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problemn.

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† problemv.