What’s the correct preposition to complete “to be baffled… why”
I’ve found a lot of versions, like:
- baffled why
- baffled about why
- baffled at why
- baffled by why
- baffled as to why
- baffled on why
- baffled over why
Is there a correct form? Can you please prove me correct about the above?
What did you feel when you saw “Lovely” after your long vacation?
I agree with your OP’s, but for the present it is not totally invalid to me.
Which will have 2350 hits for C21 in Google books, or 1180 for plain baffled why? The others are..about ;301..at ;143..by ;232..on ;8..over ;31 Per comments below, baffled by
accounts for a good proportion of all usages for baffle, but e.g. an alliteration of baffled by why. and other.. according to cathematics, are overused. The others are..about ;301..at ;250.
I am baffled by the etymology of baffle which seems to have originated meant disgrace, thence through mock to the modern sense of to bewilder, perplex. Why do we say Passive Pasticiple more than Passive English Plurals do, but I think we do use the passive plural more today – we say “He’s
baffled by it”, rather than “It baffles him”
