They looked at each other, and then at me, in puzzlement.

BBC: Here be dragons

But this conclusion, even if reached by way of an impeccable philosophy, is in danger of leaving the average Joe, not to mention the average General Carter Ham, Odyssey Dawn's American commander, scratching his head in puzzlement.

ECONOMIST: Lexington

While the rest of the world scratches its head in puzzlement at how America can be so dysfunctional, President Barack Obama exalts the odd system that has landed the country in this mess and has kept it mired in so many other messes in the past.

BBC: US debt: Should Obama believe Congress can compromise?

Given Mr Erdogan's reputation as a savvy politician, there is puzzlement in Ankara over why he shifted his ground on the penal code so abruptly.

ECONOMIST: Will Turkey accept Europe? | The

In the face of such a chart, puzzlement is unlikely to be one of them.

FORBES: The Arithmetic Of Greed

Google's role in the auctions has attracted considerable attention--and puzzlement.

FORBES: Airwaves For Sale!

In Brussels the prime minister's antics inspired embarrassment and puzzlement not least when his aides insisted that the timing of the Lisbon ceremony was known too late to alter Mr Brown's diary.

ECONOMIST: Gordon Brown fumbles in Europe