The Metaphor in the Yiddish Intra-Genre of Riddles

The article examines sub-categories in the genre of the Yiddish Riddle. Most riddles, Yiddish ones, too, are constructed according to a fixed pattern whereby the objects described in the question part of the riddle are related by metaphor to their parallels in the solution. Yiddish folklore, however, includes two additional types of riddle less eommonly found elsewhere. In the first type, called the enigmatic riddle, the metaphor is only partial. Such riddles deal with subjects considered too rude or erotic to be discussed in good company. The partial metaphor signals the listener that the riddle has a grosser or more risque meaning than what appears on the surface. The second type is the riddle-joke. Here there is no metaphor at all. These riddles focus upon poking fun at people and accepted values through parody, paradox, irony, and the grotesque and macabre. The absence of metaphor in them serves to emphasize their comic content.