knotty

Everyday

1. Full of knots, or lumpy and twisted, like old wood or rough legs. tree →
2. (of a problem) hard to sort out, tangled. tree →

In the lessons

in tales, legs or necks that look lumpy and clumsy; in lessons, a puzzle that takes thought to untangle

Examples

• The old tree had knotty roots. tree →
• The camel waved his knotty legs. tree →
• This is a knotty question; we must think hard. tree →

Note

nothing for maths; «knotty» describes how hard or lumpy something is, not an amount, so it changes no count

In Jewish tradition

in tales, legs or necks that look lumpy and clumsy; in lessons, a puzzle that takes thought to untangle

Examples

• It is also believed that he is bound to come and decide all knotty points in the law, and to appear before the true Messiah arrives. (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914)) tree →

Note

nothing for maths; «knotty» describes how hard or lumpy something is, not an amount, so it changes no count