sphinx
Keeper of secrets
A sphinx is a mythological creature typically depicted with a lion's body and a human head.
In Greek legend, a sphinx guarded Thebes, killing travelers who couldn't solve her riddle.
The word now describes an enigmatic or inscrutable person: She's a sphinx when it comes to her personal life.
To be sphinx-like is to be mysteriously silent or unreadable. (Capitalized Sphinx usually refers to the Great Sphinx of Giza.)
Tragic Greek king
- riddlePuzzling question to solve
- ThebesAncient city, two locations
- GreekOf Athenian origin
- oracleAuthoritative wisdom source
prophecy · hybrid · Hera · traveler · devourer · cliff · suicide · winged
Unrealistic fantasy or hybrid
- griffinLegendary eagle-lion hybrid
- manticoreHuman-headed lion with stinger
- wingedHaving flight appendages
- lionManed African feline
hybrid · mythical · composite · beast · feathered · guardian · threshold · supernatural
Beyond easy comprehension
- inscrutableImpossible to understand
- crypticObscure in meaning
- secretiveInclined to conceal
- silentProducing no sound
knowing · smile · gaze · expression · unknowable · mystique · aloof · watchful
Something hard to fathom
- conundrumPerplexing problem or question
- puzzleChallenge testing ingenuity
- crypticObscure in meaning
- mysteriousBeyond easy comprehension
unsolvable · challenge · question · answer · three-legged · morning · noon · night
Oedipus
Tragic Greek king
oracle · prophecy · hybrid · Hera · traveler · devourer · cliff · suicide · winged · curse
chimera
Unrealistic fantasy or hybrid
- griffinLegendary eagle-lion hybrid
- manticoreHuman-headed lion with stinger
- wingedHaving flight appendages
lion · hybrid · mythical · composite · beast · feathered · guardian · threshold · supernatural · monstrous
mysterious
Beyond easy comprehension
- inscrutableImpossible to understand
- crypticObscure in meaning
- secretiveInclined to conceal
silent · knowing · smile · gaze · expression · unknowable · mystique · aloof · watchful · impassive
enigma
Something hard to fathom
mysterious · unsolvable · challenge · question · answer · three-legged · morning · noon · night · mankind
- Ancient Egyptpharaoh, pharaohs, pyramids, hieroglyphics, pyramid
- Classical MythologyZeus, Apollo, Venus, Athena, Aphrodite
- Egyptian Antiquitiesmummies, sarcophagi, sarcophagus, canopic jars, scarabs
- Middle EastIraq, Baghdad, Cairo, Iran, Jordan
- mythologyZeus, Apollo, Athena, Poseidon, Odin
- Egyptian monumentspyramids, obelisks, temples, tombs, Giza pyramids
sphinxopen book
One easily understood
blabbermouth · chatterbox · gossip · motormouth · tell-all
sphinxdrama queen
Habitual emotional exaggerator
emotive · effusive · demonstrative · histrionic · theatrical
- anal sphincterMuscle controlling bowel opening
- Great SphinxColossal human-lion statue, Egypt
- The SphinxHuman-headed lion statue