History Main / ARiddleWrappedInAMysteryInsideAnEnigma

* Following scattered hints in the canonical ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'', Creator/AAPessimal ran with the ball and visualised a scenario where the long-dormant, perhaps defunct, "Dark Empire" of "Far {{Uberwald}}" is now split up with its population distributed among up to eight canonical Discworld nations and innumerable smaller Duchies. At the "present" point in the timeline, the Rus people are beginning to come together again and need only a charismatic Tsar to emerge and unite them.[[note]]The principal contenders are four brothers, all Grand Dukes who watch each other jealously; the one thing that can unite any three is to prevent a fourth from becoming Tsar. Vetinari encourages this. He employs the daughter of the Duke with the most convincing case for Tsar-hood, and has encouraged her to have her son educated in Ankh-Morpork. it is possible he has plans for young Vassily.[[/note]] Lord Vetinari is watching with interest and has indeed likened the possibility of a re-united Rus-land to something you find at the very heart of those intriguing dolls that fit inside each other, like the skins of an onion.

** The ''Compleat Discworld Atlas'' describes the general area of "Far {{Uberwald}}'' as a mysterious place, where several long-sundered people united by common ties of culture and language are coming together for economic reasons in a sort of, err, "[[UsefulNotes/{{Russia}} Federation of States]]".

-->-- '''The Riddler''', ''ComicBook/TheLongHalloween''

* On the penultimate episode of ''Series/BurnNotice's'' second season, Victor calls Michael "an enigma wrapped in a schizophrenic."

-->'''Sara:''' What is this thing? What is the Witchblade?
-->'''Kenneth:''' A mystery, wrapped in a riddle, and cloaked in a conundrum.
-->'''Sara:''' That doesn't help very much.

* Budget Direct insurance had a parody of the "[[DefectiveDetective eccentric genius detective]] who [[BunnyEarsLawyer gets results]]" being called in to investigate some [[AgentMulder bizarre happenings]], not least being why the victims would pay so much for substandard insurance.

* In Website/{{WrestleCrap}}'s induction for TNA's Last Rites Match from 2007, on the matter of [[http://www.wrestlecrap.com/induction%20files/lastrites/lastrites1.mp3 Sting describing death as a "choice" where one of those choices is, in fact, life,]] RD calls the meaning and exact point of Sting's remarks a "riddle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a crummy TNA storyline".

* In Website/{{WrestleCrap}}'s induction for TNA's Last Rites Match from 2007, on the matter of [[http://www.wrestlecrap.com/induction%20files/lastrites/lastrites1.mp3 Sting describing death as a "choice" where one of those choices is, in fact, life]], RD calls the meaning and exact point of Sting's remarks a "riddle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a crummy TNA storyline".

* In ''[[Fanfic/SkyholdAcademyYearbook I Must Be Going]]'', [[VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition Dorian informs Solas]] that ""You are an enigma wrapped in a mystery wrapped in [[DoesNotLikeShoes no shoes]]."

** In ''Discworld/TheFifthElephant'' Lord Vetinari describes Uberwald as "a mystery inside a riddle wrapped in an enigma." Sergeant Colon misinterprets this and later refers to it as "[[{{Malaproper}} a misery wrapped in an enema]]."

* In ''Heat Rises'', Jameson Rook claims "What can I say? I'm an enigma inside a conundrum inside a condom."

-->You're complicated. You're like a puzzle, wrapped in a mystery, sealed with obscurity, and shipped through the WTF postal service. [[MixedMetaphor That's just the package you come in]].''

** In ''Discworld/MenAtArms'', the clowns ask Colon to search for their late compatriot's real nose, despite the fact he had one. Vimes, reading the report, reflects that "the whole nose business looked like a conundrum wrapped up in an enigma, or at least in Sergeant Colon's handwriting, which was pretty much the same thing".

* On ''Series/{{NCIS}}'', Tony once refers to Abby as, "A paradox wrapped in an oxymoron, smothered in contradictions and terms."

* On the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS33E12NightmareInSilver A Nightmare in Silver]]'', the Doctor refers to Clara as "a mystery wrapped in an enigma squeezed into a skirt [[DistractedByTheSexy that's just a little bit too... tight.]]"

* In ''VideoGame/{{Brawlhalla}}'' the description for the legend of Orion is "A riddle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in Ivaldic battle armor."

* In Film/HalloweenResurrection, Freddie (Busta Rhymes) hypes up the premise of his reality television show filmed inside the old Myers residence as "a mystery wrapped up inside of a riddle inside of an enigma."

* ''Franchise/SpiderMan'': In ''The Amazing Spider-Man #26'', the narrator asks: Can Spider-Man solve this dark riddle, cloaked within a grim puzzle, hidden beneath the shadows of a deadly enigma??

* From ''ProfessorLaytonAndTheDiabolicalBox'':

* On the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS33E12NightmareInSilver A Nightmare in Silver]]'', the Matt Smith Doctor refers to Clara as "a mystery wrapped in an enigma squeezed into a skirt [[DistractedByTheSexy that's just a little bit too... tight.]]"

* On the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS33E12NightmareInSilver A Nightmare in Silver]]'', the Doctor refers to Clara as "a mystery wrapped in an enigma squeezed into a skirt [[DistractedByTheSexy that's just a little bit too... tight.]]"

* In ''VideoGame/{{Brawlhalla}}'' the description for the short description for the legend Orion is "A riddle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in Ivaldic battle armor. Here he is called Orion"

The phrase is often open to great interpretation and variation. Its three distinct-yet-related nouns allow for a variety of setups and gags related to TheTriple and dependent on the RuleOfThree. Frequently, the last item of the phrase is changed to something completely different and irrelevant to mystery for RuleOfFunny, and the exact order of what's wrapped and inside what varies with almost every separate occasion the phrase is evoked. Sometimes, one of the three parts may be dropped for gags and line deliveries that require a faster pacing; conversely, additional clauses can be added for greater [[ExaggeratedTrope exaggeration]].

* Mozzie in ''WhiteCollar'' sometimes describes himself as this.

* In one ''WeeblAndBob'' short, Bob describes the flat-packed pie they bought from [[FictionalCounterpart Piekia]] as "a conundrum wrapped in an enigma wrapped in pastry, wrapped in a lie."

* When Creator/StephenColbert uncovered [[http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/166955/april-23-2008/the-lost-o-reilly-tapes-pt--1 "lost footage"]] from an interview with BillOReilly on ''Series/TheColbertReport'', Stephen introduced it as "a conundrum wrapped in a riddle covered with a spicy enigma sauce."

* ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'': In the comic book story "A Tree Grows in Ed", the Eds are wondering how a pair of shoes went up to a communication cable. Ed says "it's a riddle wrapped in an egg roll, sitting next to a fortune cookie".

--> Neloth: Now, it's only a rumor of a whisper of a conjecture...

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/BromwellHigh'', during Mrs. Jackson explaining her separation from her husband to the main characters:

--> '''Keisha:''' [[BreadMilkEggsSquick Wrapped in a cocksucker.]]
--> '''Mrs. Jackson:''' [[DeadpanSnarker I don't think Churchill said that.]]