Meaning
A complicated situation; an entanglement.
Etymology
Origin: French
Borrowed from Italian imbroglio (“tangle, entanglement, muddle”) (im-, alternative form of in- (prefix forming verbs denoting derivation) + broglio (“confusion; intrigue, fraud, rigging, stuffing”); see also imbrogliare (“to tangle”)), cognate with and probably from an earlier form of French embrouiller (“to embroil, muddle”) (em- (“em-”), a form of en- (“en-”, prefix meaning ‘caused’) + brouiller (“to confuse, mix up”)). Doublet of embroil.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
NYT Puzzle Appearances
Accepted in 1 recorded puzzle, including a pangram: