'Gordian knot' definitions:
Definition of 'Gordian knot'
From: WordNet
noun
Any very difficult problem; insoluble in its own terms
noun
An intricate knot tied by Gordius, the king of Phrygia, and cut by the sword of Alexander the Great after he heard that whoever undid it would become ruler of Asia
Definition of 'Gordian knot'
From: GCIDE
- Gordian \Gor"di*an\, a.
- 1. Pertaining to Gordius, king of Phrygia, or to a knot tied by him; hence, intricate; complicated; inextricable. [1913 Webster]
- Gordian knot, an intricate knot tied by Gordius in the thong which connected the pole of the chariot with the yoke. An oracle having declared that he who should untie it should be master of Asia, Alexander the Great averted the ill omen of his inability to loosen it by cutting it with his sword. Hence, a Gordian knot is an inextricable difficulty; and to cut the Gordian knot is to remove a difficulty by bold and energetic measures. [1913 Webster]
- 2. (Zool.) Pertaining to the Gordiacea. [1913 Webster]
Synonyms of 'Gordian knot'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- can of worms,
- Chinese puzzle,
- complex,
- crux,
- dilemma,
- enigma,
- jungle,
- knot,
- knotty point,
- labyrinth,
- maze,
- meander,
- mesh,
- mess,
- node,
- nodus,
- nonplus,
- oxymoron,
- paradox,
- perplex,
- perplexity,
- pons asinorum,
- poser,
- puzzle,
- quandary,
- ravel,
- Rube Goldberg contraption,
- snafu,
- snake pit,
- snarl,
- tangle,
- tangled skein,
- teaser,
- vexed question,
- webwork,
- wheels within wheels,
- wilderness