# three-pipe problem

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. A particularly complex or challenging problem or puzzle.

## Etymology
From the Sherlock Holmes stories of Arthur Conan Doyle, in which the detective would smoke one or more pipes while pondering the solution to a mystery.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/three-pipe-problem