This riddle is driving me nuts...

[Monoxide Child]

EDIT: sarongsong Solved this.. look below for another..

Thirty-two stallions on a rose-red hill.
They dance and stomp,
whistle and chomp.
Now they stand still.
Brush them so they gleam.
Rinse them in a stream.

I don't even get it. ](*,) Helllpp.

[sarongsong]

Sounds like human teeth.

[beskeptical]

Sounds like human teeth.I am amazed. How did you guess or know that? It certainly fits.

[Monoxide Child]

WOOHOO. THANK YOU. Man, I was going insane.

[Monoxide Child]

Just for kicks...

The first letter, a question eternally pending,

The second forms a line never ending,

The third, what I am called, but never me,

The fourth, what Heaven and Hell in common hold,

But alas, the rub: This riddling grows old.

[sarongsong]

...How did you guess or know that? It certainly fits.
As I'm currently dealing with things dental, 32 rang a bell :lol:

[sarongsong]

Just for kicks...
...But alas, the rub: This riddling grows old.
Guessing 'young'.

[xbck1]

Thirty-two stallions on a rose-red hill.
They dance and stomp,
whistle and chomp.
Now they stand still.
Brush them so they gleam.
Rinse them in a stream.We're to assume that you've never read The Hobbit before, correct?

[Monoxide Child]

Thirty-two stallions on a rose-red hill.
They dance and stomp,
whistle and chomp.
Now they stand still.
Brush them so they gleam.
Rinse them in a stream.We're to assume that you've never read The Hobbit before, correct?

Correct.

[Monoxide Child]

Just for kicks...
...But alas, the rub: This riddling grows old.
Guessing 'young'.

Oh, turns out it was "Youth".. But i would have been clueless without your help.

[Monoxide Child]

The first letter has wings but cannot fly,

The second is to am as we is to I,

The third is all others, as I of course, am I.

The fourth letter we drink (but not a savage, do you think?)

The fifth begins every END.

No brain, all brawn, this sorry friend.




K, my friend has a billion of these obviously.. these are FUN.

[AGN Fuel]

The first letter has wings but cannot fly,

The second is to am as we is to I,

The third is all others, as I of course, am I.

The fourth letter we drink (but not a savage, do you think?)

The fifth begins every END.

No brain, all brawn, this sorry friend.


BRUTE?

[sarongsong]

XLNT, AGN Fuel; I was going with W for your B---wrong!
...The fourth, what Heaven and Hell in common hold...---Monoxide Child
How you get a 'T' out of this?

[ToSeek]

XLNT, AGN Fuel; I was going with W for your B---wrong!
...The fourth, what Heaven and Hell in common hold...---Monoxide Child
How you get a 'T' out of this?

My question, too, unless it was supposed to be fifth instead of fourth.

[gethen]

Sounds like human teeth.I am amazed. How did you guess or know that? It certainly fits.
There is a similar riddle in the old Mother Goose book. I read it to my kids so many times I knew this one immediately.

[beskeptical]

Just for kicks...
...But alas, the rub: This riddling grows old.
Guessing 'young'.YOU all fit but how does the N figure?

[beskeptical]

Just for kicks...
...But alas, the rub: This riddling grows old.
Guessing 'young'.

Oh, turns out it was "Youth".. But i would have been clueless without your help.And again, how does the T or TH fit?

[Ut]

The first letter has wings but cannot fly,

The second is to am as we is to I,

The third is all others, as I of course, am I.

The fourth letter we drink (but not a savage, do you think?)

The fifth begins every END.

No brain, all brawn, this sorry friend.


BRUTE?

I'll confirm a BRUTE here.


Also, I'm pretty sure that the Heaven/Hell clue is actually letter #5. Unless the answer is YOUH, anyway.

[jfribrg]

The first letter, a question eternally pending : Y

The second forms a line never ending : O

The third, what I am called, but never me : U

The fourth, what Heaven and Hell in common hold : H



Am I missing something obvious , or is there a missing T ?

[ToSeek]

Someone dropped a line:

The first letter a question eternally pending.
The second forms a line never ending.
The third: What I am called, but never me.
The fourth: Upon which a ball percheth for thee.
The fifth: What heaven & hell in common hold.
But, alas, the rub: This riddling grows old.

This and more riddles here: http://www.artsforge.com/humor/riddles.html

[beskeptical]

Well, this is fun so here are the riddles from ToSeek's link one at a time.

#1
It makes men blind
and lets them see.
It tells the time;
a crystal be.

Once they are answered, I (or anyone else) can post the next one.

[Tobin Dax]

Sounds like human teeth.I am amazed. How did you guess or know that? It certainly fits.

I don't know how late this response is (I don't want to spoil the answer to the second riddle), but this riddle is used, in a slightly different form, in "The Hobbit." That's how I know it. :)

[swansont]

Well, this is fun so here are the riddles from ToSeek's link one at a time.

#1
It makes men blind
and lets them see.
It tells the time;
a crystal be.


The sun? The last line doesn't quite fit, though sunlight can appear crystal-like at times (e.g. sunbeams)

[AGN Fuel]

Well, this is fun so here are the riddles from ToSeek's link one at a time.

#1
It makes men blind
and lets them see.
It tells the time;
a crystal be.

Once they are answered, I (or anyone else) can post the next one.

Glass?

Line 1 - 4 glasses of the stuff I was drinking last night would make anyone blind. :lol:
Line 2 - Glasses to help vision.
Line 3 - An hourglass.
Line 4 - self-explanatory.

[Ut]

Glass?

Line 1 - 4 glasses of the stuff I was drinking last night would make anyone blind. :lol:
Line 2 - Glasses to help vision.
Line 3 - An hourglass.
Line 4 - self-explanatory.

[family feud]Good Answer! Good Answer! =D> [/family feud]

[constible]

Well, this is fun so here are the riddles from ToSeek's link one at a time.

#1
It makes men blind
and lets them see.
It tells the time;
a crystal be.

Once they are answered, I (or anyone else) can post the next one.

Glass?

Line 1 - 4 glasses of the stuff I was drinking last night would make anyone blind. :lol:
Line 2 - Glasses to help vision.
Line 3 - An hourglass.
Line 4 - self-explanatory.

If you put on someone else's glasses, you go blind, or rather you can't see too well.

[beskeptical]

Well, this is fun so here are the riddles from ToSeek's link one at a time.

#1
It makes men blind
and lets them see.
It tells the time;
a crystal be.

Once they are answered, I (or anyone else) can post the next one.

Glass?

Line 1 - 4 glasses of the stuff I was drinking last night would make anyone blind. :lol:
Line 2 - Glasses to help vision.
Line 3 - An hourglass.
Line 4 - self-explanatory.

If you put on someone else's glasses, you go blind, or rather you can't see too well.I thought about glass but it seems a tad off the mark on the 'makes men blind'. I also thought of light or the Sun but neither of those fit just right either.

[Fra Mauro]

#1
It makes men blind
and lets them see.
It tells the time;
a crystal be.

I guessing Sand;

Glass is made of sand, and it blinds you when it gets in your eye.
I don't get the crystal line however.

[Tranquility]

Well sand is composed of crystals of silicon dioxide.

[beskeptical]

Maybe we should try #2 and come back to #1 later.

From thin air comes and to air goes,
'tis a mirror that cannot break.
Home to some, to some a grave,
with salt a tear does make.

[beskeptical]

I'm thinking water.

[Ut]

Yeah, definitely water.

[constible]

An ocean.

[beskeptical]

One's too hard, 2 too easy
Here comes 3, I hope it's pleasy :P :P :P :lol:

#3
It comes through doors yet leaves no tracks.
Can pass the sun without a shadow.
Sifts your grain, stokes your fire,
and chills you to the marrow.

[beskeptical]

Darn, too easy again, I think it's wind.

[beskeptical]

For #1 I thought Sun, but Sun crystal on google only gets a kids book and art 'Sun crystals'.

[Kizarvexis]

#1
It makes men blind
and lets them see.
It tells the time;
a crystal be.

I guessing Sand;

Glass is made of sand, and it blinds you when it gets in your eye.
I don't get the crystal line however.

Fra Mauro and Tranquility were on the right track.

Sand can make you blind. i.e. hard to see rather than clinicly(sp?) blind

Sand makes glass for glasses so you can see.

Sand in an hourglass for telling time

and Sand is a crystal.

Kizarvexis

[beskeptical]

Sand is not a 'crystal'. It may have crystals in it but it is not homogeneous.
Sand is a mixture. (http://www.paccd.cc.ca.us/instadmn/physcidv/geol_dp/dndougla/SAND/Aboutsnd.htm)

[beskeptical]

To recap we have
#1 ___________
#2 water
#3 wind
Moving on.

#4
Can fill a house, can fill a room;
cannot catch it in a spoon.
Used to preserve, to say hello,
yet often portends tragedy below.

[Pinemarten]

#4 Smoke?

[Tranquility]

Nitrogen :-? ?

[ToSeek]

#4 Smoke?

That sounds good to me.

[Tranquility]

Oh yeah come to think of it, it does sound like smoke, but, smoke is used to preserve stuff? :oops:

[Patrator]

Oh yeah come to think of it, it does sound like smoke, but, smoke is used to preserve stuff?

You ever had an Arbroath Smokie?

[Tranquility]

Oh yeah come to think of it, it does sound like smoke, but, smoke is used to preserve stuff?

You ever had an Arbroath Smokie?

nope :oops:

[ToSeek]

Oh yeah come to think of it, it does sound like smoke, but, smoke is used to preserve stuff? :oops:

Yes. (http://fcit.usf.edu/florida/photos/cities/mvill/manat2/manat206.htm)

[beskeptical]

Smoke it is then.

Here's #5
What has four fingers and a thumb
but neither flesh nor bone?
A digit protectorate
seldom alone.

[TimH]

A glove?

[Irishman]

Smoke preserves meat.

#5 is a glove.

[Betenoire]

Yeah, glove.

And it's only alone if you're Michael Jackson :-D

I'm a fan of sand for #1, as well (Glass is an amorphous solid)

Are we still wrong?

[beskeptical]

If the glove fits... :wink:

#6
It runs about the forest yet does not move.
Be warned: Always keep it in sight.
It casts no shadow, makes no sound,
but will lead you to the light.

[Betenoire]

Path (or trail)

[mike alexander]

Is #1 a mirror?

[Tranquility]

Is #1 a mirror?

I dont think so. How can you tell the time from a mirror?

[mike alexander]

I don't KNOW this is the answer, of course. But.

Think of the clues as metaphors. (As for me, I never metaphor I didn't like).

When you look in the mirror you see your image.
1) Lord, I'm a handsome devil
2) Mom's right, I do need braces
3) Have I gotten THAT old?
4) the mirror is the 'crystal'

[Tranquility]

oooooooh gotcha.
Never thought of it that way.
Really good interpretation. Applause =D> .

[mike alexander]

Thank You. If it IS correct, I should thank AGN and swansont. One mentioned the sun, the other an hourglass, and about an hour later, for no apparent reason, a line or two from Richard III went scooting across my mind:

Shine out, fair sun, 'till I have bought a glass
That I may see my shadow as I pass.

And since he's referring to a mirror, and he's a stuck up.... somehow it fell into place.

[beskeptical]

#6, a path, it is agreed

#7
Has fork and mouth
but cannot eat.
Forever runs
but has no feet.
Seems to be a river so I thought I'd go on to #8
Here's a riddle you should know:
What, when you take from it,
will always larger grow?
That one is a hole.

#9 and #10 were the first two so we are up to #11
#9 Thirty-two stallions on a rose-red hill.
They dance and stomp,
whistle and chomp.
Now they stand still.
Brush them so they gleam.
Rinse them in a stream.

#10
The first letter a question eternally pending.
The second forms a line never ending.
The third: What I am called, but never me.
The fourth: Upon which a ball percheth for thee.
The fifth: What heaven & hell in common hold.
But, alas, the rub: This riddling grows old.
#11
I bring great power with my little mite.
I open closed doors, but close opened ones tight.
I protect the home of my master discerned
and am protected wisely by him in return.
I guard great treasures, my poking nose to seek,
and keep secret my profile unique.

[beskeptical]

A key.

#12
For ten minutes you could not hold it,
yet it's lighter than a feather.
In the cold it is fog.
In the heat, feels like smog.
But you need it in all weather.

[SeanF]

A key.

#12
For ten minutes you could not hold it,
yet it's lighter than a feather.
In the cold it is fog.
In the heat, feels like smog.
But you need it in all weather.
Your breath.

[beskeptical]

That's it. OK, #13
By nature I am solitary,
scarred by spear and wounded by sword.
I reflect the face of my enemy
and protect my liege from the horde.
But my wounds are tended by smithy alone;
no doctor heals my bitten bones.

[Tranquility]

Shield.

[beskeptical]

Good one, tranquility.

#14
You wait in shade for me to drop.
Making squirrels away to hop.
As soft as silk, as white as milk,
as bitter as gall, a thick wall,
and green coat covers me all.

BTW, since you were stuck on #9, Monoxide, does that mean you know what #1 is?

[Tranquility]

Thanks.
Question: How can it be white AND green-coated :)

[freddo]

It is a walnut.

[edit - but it only has one l]

[Tranquility]

AHA...see where I grew up I'm more familiar with dates, grapes and rice crops :D

[beskeptical]

I'm gonna vote for coconut. The squirel suggests other kinds of nuts, but the white milk suggests coconuts.

Here's #15

The first letter has wings but cannot sing.
The second is to AM as WE is to I.
The third is all others, as I, of course am I.
The fourth letter we drink
(but not a savage, do you think?)
The fifth begins every END.
No brain, all brawn, this sorry friend.

[freddo]

we've had it it's BRUTE.

I'm gonna vote for coconut. The squirel suggests other kinds of nuts, but the white milk suggests coconuts.

I can tell you it is walnut. its a more common riddle - coconuts are not bitter, have nothing to do with walls, aren't shaded well by palm fronds, and squirrels won't have a bar of them.

[beskeptical]

Whoops, that was BRUTE, already solved above.

Here's #16

Big enough to hold a pig.
Small enough to be twig.
Rumored to be stronger than the sword.
A real blue blood when hollow bored.

[Tranquility]

a pen.

[beskeptical]

a pen.Sounds good but how is it big enough to hold a pig? Is that because you can write the word? It certainly seems correct for the other 3 clues.

[beskeptical]

a pen.Sounds good but how is it big enough to hold a pig? Is that because you can write the word? It certainly seems correct for the other 3 clues.Whoops, nevermind, a pig in a pen, now I get it.

Here's the next one.

I must fight the waves wipped by the wind
when I dive to earth beneath the sea.
I hold thee fast to harbors of thy choice
yet my own country is unkown to me.
With explorer's zeal I'm pulled from the waves
to, again, be cast and drowned,
and, later, them tame.
You know my nature, now guess my name.

[Tranquility]

Edited because beskeptical already figured out what I meant.

[Patrator]

I have a suggestion for #1 - Quartz.
Found out through googling that the earliest lenses were made from quartz and not glass.
Lenses can either blur (effectively make you blind) your vision OR correct your vision (let you see). Quartz in watches and clocks and of course, it's a crystal.

[Tranquility]

# 16 = anchor ?

[freddo]

that's what i got..

[ToSeek]

# 16 = anchor ?

That's what I thought.

[freddo]

#18
Though not a soldier, I often fight.
Though not a musician, I sing before light.
Though not a clock, I wake people up.
What am I, then, if on mere chicken feed I sup?

A rooster.

#19
If you work it out, Wob's my name;
'tis better to hold me backwards to front,
for frontwards to back may cause ye pain.
My sons and daughters always outward I sling
away from my master as far as can be
so to lay my foe with a sting.
From my hair is my quick song sung;
yet I serve no master when unstrung.

A bow.

[freddo]

#20
Roly Poly did something rash.
He rolled off a wall and hit with a splash.
And almost as soon as off he rolled,
Roly Poly turned into gold.

[AGN Fuel]

#20
Roly Poly did something rash.
He rolled off a wall and hit with a splash.
And almost as soon as off he rolled,
Roly Poly turned into gold.


An egg? (Humpty Dumpty specifically?)

[freddo]

That'll be it..

Here's a warrior that if let be too proud
may savage ye in a smoky shroud.
Some women and some men too
may fetter him to better their food.
Yet it is he that foe bears against foe
and scorches the land faster than the hoe.
Sometimes to destroy, sometimes to make grow.
Do not let Earth's lips be dry
else this fellow may blind the eye.
This one is fire.

#22
Into it you look
yet still look out.
There opposites clash
yet never alone to pout.


Is this one evidence that Mike Alexander is wrong about #1?

#23
If two's company and three's a crowd
and bees live in a hive,
tell me, for crying out loud,
what are four and five?

[SeanF]

#23
If two's company and three's a crowd
and bees live in a hive,
tell me, for crying out loud,
what are four and five?

Nine.

[AGN Fuel]

#23
If two's company and three's a crowd
and bees live in a hive,
tell me, for crying out loud,
what are four and five?

Nine.

:lol: :lol: :lol: =D>

That's half an hour of my life I'll never get back!!

[Tranquility]

Ditto :o :D

[Pinemarten]

#24
Two brothers we are,
great burden we bear
by which we a bitterly pressed.
In truth we may say
we are full all the day
but empty we go to our rest.
(And here's one more hint:
spit and put on a glint
when you want to be properly dressed.)


Shoes?

[AGN Fuel]

#24
Two brothers we are,
great burden we bear
by which we a bitterly pressed.
In truth we may say
we are full all the day
but empty we go to our rest.
(And here's one more hint:
spit and put on a glint
when you want to be properly dressed.)


Shoes?

Sounds good.

[Pinemarten]

#25
A wee, wee man
in a red, red coat,
staff in hand
and a stone in my throat.
Hanging from a tree
dangling prettily,
I'm a pie in the sky virgin's gloat.

I'm stumped?

[mike alexander]

#25
A wee, wee man
in a red, red coat,
staff in hand
and a stone in my throat.
Hanging from a tree
dangling prettily,
I'm a pie in the sky virgin's gloat.

I'm stumped?

maybe a cherry.

[Pinemarten]

I thought of that, but it doesn't fit well enough.

[freddo]

I thought of that, but it doesn't fit well enough.
are you kidding?

"and a stone in my throat." - gotta be a stoned fruit.

"Hanging from a tree" - self explanatory

"I'm a pie in the sky" - cherry pie?

And the absolute nail in the coffin:

"virgin's gloat." :oops: :oops: 8-[

[Pinemarten]

Wee, wee man; and staff in hand; don't fit.

[freddo]

This is like beskep's coconuts. It IS a cherry. The staff is the stem of the cherry - and a man in a red coat i'm sure is not talking about a human being.

If you don't believe me, I'm sure the internet could probably give you the answer.

[Musashi]

This is like beskep's coconuts.

:o



:wink:

[StarStuff]

I'm thinking 'cherry', too.

[ToSeek]

Today's entry on my puzzle calendar:

Andrew's father is a king who lives in seclusion deep in a pine forest. The king has called his children together for a sumptuous meal; he is delighted to see them for the first time in years.

The king has five children. The oldest is named Quartz. The second oldest is named Calcite. The third oldest is named Diamond, and the fourth oldest is named Amethyst. What is the name of the youngest child?

[Patrator]

Andrew

[ToSeek]

Well, at least hide the answer so others can think about it for a while!

[mike alexander]

Does everybody know what the difference is between roast beef and pea soup?

[Patrator]

Well, at least hide the answer so others can think about it for a while!

Too easy. I'm not really a puzzle whizz but got that within about 30 seconds (and no, I haven't seen it before).

Replacement puzzle (which I didn't get):

I live above a star, and yet I never burn,
I have eleven neighbors, and yet none of them turn,
I am visited in sequence, first, last or in between,
PRS (& sometimes Q) are my initials,
now tell me what I mean.

[beskeptical]

This is like beskep's coconuts.

:o



:wink:http://www.planetsmilies.com/smilies/happy/3/happy43.gif

[mike alexander]

I live above a star, and yet I never burn,
I have eleven neighbors, and yet none of them turn,
I am visited in sequence, first, last or in between,
PRS (& sometimes Q) are my initials,
now tell me what I mean.

Note: couldn't solve this when I was a kid.

7 on a phone pad. I just glanced over from my monitor and noticed it.

[mike alexander]

If two's company and three's a crowd
and bees live in a hive,
tell me, for crying out loud,
what are four and five?

When I first heard that one it was (works better spoken than read)

If Two 'n One is shoepolish
And Three 'n One is oil
What's Four 'n One?

[beskeptical]

#1
It makes men blind
and lets them see.
It tells the time;
a crystal be.Quartz makes sense.

I think we can pass on mirror.
How is a mirror a crystal?
Sand isn't a crystal, neither is glass.
the Sun isn't a crystal either

#2 water
#3 wind
#4 smoke
#5 glove
#6 path or road
#7 river
#8 hole
#9 teeth
#10 youth
#11 key
#12 breath
#13 shield
#14 coconut
#15 brute
#16 pen
#17 anchor
#18 rooster
#19 bow
#20 egg in a nursery rhyme
#21 fire
#22 mirror
#23 nine
#24 shoes
#25 cherry

Bonus Riddles:I'll give them the numbers for easy reference


"The following riddle was submitted by a fan who included the notation:
"An interesting stat: 70% of Stanford University students couldn't work it out, however 80% of Kindergarten kids could."
Let's see how you do..."

#26
The poor have it.
The rich need it.
What is greater than God?
What is more evil than the devil?
If you eat it you'll die...I guessed this one right away but I'll wait to say it. I guess I'm closer to a 5 year old than I realized.


Additional Riddles:

The following riddle was submitted by riddlemaster Adam W Voshall:

#27
A harvest sown and reaped on the same day
In an unplowed field,
Which increases without growing,
Remains whole though it is eaten
Within and without,
Is useless and yet
The staple of nations.


The following riddle was submitted by riddlemaster Wayne Racher:

#28
I am a monster, strange and alien.
Neither on land, in the air or in the sea is there a beast
whose limbs can have so many shapes;
no one piece of me conforms with another,
anymore than if one is white, the other is black.
A band of hunters often follows behind me looking for the tracks made by my feet.
I inhabit the darkest places, and if I pass from the shadows
into bright light my soul quickly slips away
with the coming of the day and my tired limbs fall away,
and I lose my being with my life and with my name.


the submitter, Marquis L Everett

#29
'Twas in Godshome pronounced, 'twas the Abyss denounced,
And in the presence of Mishakal it shall be trounced.
>'Twas rumored to exist in Valhalla's sweet air,
'Twill be found in an evocationists sensible lair.
The silence bore tightly the sound of its whisper,
And where the sound of water falls are roaring faster.
Through the lies of an ancient curse it was permitted rest,
In the depths of the sea its presence was confessed.
'Twill be found in the Plain of Stones if it were parted,
And on the backs of mutilated trees this silver will be carted.
In the miser's hoard 'tis this treasure heaped with care,
Yet it shall surely be lost on his son - the prodigal heir!
Woe to the wretch who expels it from his sight,
Fore the wrath of the spectre will instill its terrible fright!
Through natures heavens will fall this majestic shower,
Ah... caress it's nuturing breath, - it will soon turn sour.
.... What is it?"

ToSeek's
#30
answered, Andrew

Mike A's pea soup
#31

Mike A's astronomy quiz
#32

[ToSeek]

#1
It makes men blind
and lets them see.
It tells the time;
a crystal be.Quartz makes sense.


How does quartz make men blind?

[beskeptical]

#1
It makes men blind
and lets them see.
It tells the time;
a crystal be.Quartz makes sense.


How does quartz make men blind?I agree. I didn't mean to list it as a confirmed answer. I should have put :-? after "It makes sense."

I don't think any of the answers to #1 fit with an 'ahhah!'

[Fra Mauro]

I'm still going with sand.

Encarta (http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_762504460_3/Chemistry.html)

Crystal Structure

Solids may be either amorphous or crystalline in their molecular structure. In amorphous solids, the molecules are arranged haphazardly. Glass is an example of an amorphous material. Like other amorphous materials, glass does not melt at a particular temperature, because the long, randomly intertwined glass molecules cannot easily become disentangled. As a result, glass softens bit by bit as the temperature is raised, eventually becoming liquid. Crystalline materials, on the other hand, have a definite orderly array of atoms, ions, or molecules, as would a pyramid of oranges or cannonballs. The orderly arrangement of particles in a crystal is called a crystal lattice. Sand, salt, sugar, diamond, and graphite are examples of common crystalline materials. Each crystalline material has a unique melting temperature (provided the material is not chemically changed by the heat before it melts, as happens with sugar).

While encarta is not the most definitive of authorities, from this and other websites I looked at it seems that Sand does fit criteria 4, at least for a riddle.

(Sorry for the huge quote, I found the whole thing quite interesting).

[Swift]

Sand is often composed of tiny pieces of quartz, though it can be made of other minerals too. One example are the black and green sands found in Hawaii. I guess you could be specific and say the answer is "quartz sand".

One nitpick with the Encarta definition
In amorphous solids, the molecules are arranged haphazardly.
I would not used the term "haphazardly". Amorphous solids usually have short range order (neighbor-to-neighber and next-nearest-neighbor molecules), but not the long-range order of a crystal (sorry, I'm a solid-state chemist).

Even if you say quartz and sand are the same, "sand" would be a strange answer for telling time. Quartz crystals are used for that, and the ones in a watch are tiny, but no one would call them sand.

[beskeptical]

I'm still going with sand.

Encarta (http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_762504460_3/Chemistry.html)

Crystal Structure....

.....(Sorry for the huge quote, I found the whole thing quite interesting).Excellent quote, but I'm not sure Encarta has it right about the sand. I shall get back on this matter. But sand can only make men see if it is changed to glass, and only then if it is in a particular shape.
Sand doesn't exactly fit. :-k

[Fra Mauro]

One nitpick with the Encarta definition
In amorphous solids, the molecules are arranged haphazardly.
I would not used the term "haphazardly". Amorphous solids usually have short range order (neighbor-to-neighber and next-nearest-neighbor molecules), but not the long-range order of a crystal (sorry, I'm a solid-state chemist).

Nitpick noted. "...examples of common crystalline materials." is what I was going for there. This being a riddle I thought it would be ok to go with "Sand is a crystal." Or is this one of those things I always thought was ture but turns out not to be?

Even if you say quartz and sand are the same, "sand" would be a strange answer for telling time. Quartz crystals are used for that, and the ones in a watch are tiny, but no one would call them sand.

However, sand does fill an Hourglass, which could either be used to tell time or in a diabolical plot to smother Batman and Robin in a 60's TV show.

But sand can only make men see if it is changed to glass, and only then if it is in a particular shape.


So am I wrong in thinking that glass is made from sand?

[mike alexander]

Struck me that context can be helpful. If #1 is, for example, a very old riddle (100 years or more) then 'quartz' is inappropriate because no one was using it as an oscillator then.

[gethen]

#26
Quote:
The poor have it.
The rich need it.
What is greater than God?
What is more evil than the devil?
If you eat it you'll die...
I guessed this one right away but I'll wait to say it. I guess I'm closer to a 5 year old than I realized.

Nothing?

[SeanF]

#26
Quote:
The poor have it.
The rich need it.
What is greater than God?
What is more evil than the devil?
If you eat it you'll die...
I guessed this one right away but I'll wait to say it. I guess I'm closer to a 5 year old than I realized.
Nothing?
#-o
Of course!

[TriangleMan]

#27
A harvest sown and reaped on the same day
In an unplowed field,
Which increases without growing,
Remains whole though it is eaten
Within and without,
Is useless and yet
The staple of nations.


People (or perhaps "citizens").

[Fra Mauro]

A harvest sown and reaped on the same day
In an unplowed field,
Which increases without growing,
Remains whole though it is eaten
Within and without,
Is useless and yet
The staple of nations.

I'm not going to say sand here, but I will say a Newspaper.

[Fra Mauro]

#28

I am a monster, strange and alien.
Neither on land, in the air or in the sea is there a beast
whose limbs can have so many shapes;
no one piece of me conforms with another,
anymore than if one is white, the other is black.
A band of hunters often follows behind me looking for the tracks made by my feet.
I inhabit the darkest places, and if I pass from the shadows
into bright light my soul quickly slips away
with the coming of the day and my tired limbs fall away,
and I lose my being with my life and with my name.

A Comet?

[Swift]

However, sand does fill an Hourglass, which could either be used to tell time or in a diabolical plot to smother Batman and Robin in a 60's TV show.

But sand can only make men see if it is changed to glass, and only then if it is in a particular shape.


So am I wrong in thinking that glass is made from sand?
#-o Of course, an hourglass!
And yes, glass is commonly made from sand.

Ok, I vote sand.

[mike alexander]

Hah! I found a Bad Riddle!

Riddle:
There is a house that has every window oriented to North.
There is a bear in front of this house.
What color is the bear?

Answer: The bear is white, because the only house having all its windows oriented to North is a house placed at South Pole. So the bear is white. Ah yes, the South Polar Bear.

And this one isn't Bad, but it's...ummm... :D

Riddle:
I'm the source of all emotion, but I'm caged in a white prison.
What am I?

Answer: The heart. #-o

As mentioned earlier, context counts.

[mike alexander]

COuld #28 be either Ignorance or Fear?

[freddo]

This is like beskep's coconuts.
:o
:wink:http://www.planetsmilies.com/smilies/happy/3/happy43.gif

At least I didn't refer to them in a row!! :oops: :oops: :oops:

In seriousness, I know I'm right. I'll find the answer on the net - it's gotta be there.

A harvest sown and reaped on the same day
In an unplowed field,
Which increases without growing,
Remains whole though it is eaten
Within and without,
Is useless and yet
The staple of nations.
I'm not going to say sand here, but I will say a Newspaper.
Well my seldom travelled cartographer, that is an interesting answer, but my guess is money. Although i will say the first two lines don't quite fit.

[freddo]

Turns out the walnut one was a song!

Here! (http://ingeb.org/songs/assoftas.html)

[Patrator]

A few answers:

A harvest sown and reaped on the same day
In an unplowed field,
Which increases without growing,
Remains whole though it is eaten
Within and without,
Is useless and yet
The staple of nations.

War.
Cheated on this one, whilst looking for another riddle yesterday, found the answer to this one. My only mitigation is that I wasn't actually looking for this particular answer.

I am a monster, strange and alien.
Neither on land, in the air or in the sea is there a beast
whose limbs can have so many shapes;
no one piece of me conforms with another,
anymore than if one is white, the other is black.
A band of hunters often follows behind me looking for the tracks made by my feet.
I inhabit the darkest places, and if I pass from the shadows
into bright light my soul quickly slips away
with the coming of the day and my tired limbs fall away,
and I lose my being with my life and with my name.

A Riddle (no, really the answer is: A Riddle). Here's the reasoning.

"...anymore than if one is white, the other is black." Riddles can be easy or hard. Or maybe this line refers to text being black and white.

"A band of hunters often follows behind me looking for the tracks made by my feet." Looking for clues in the riddle.

"...no one piece of me conforms with another". Riddles are unique.

"I inhabit the darkest places, and if I pass from the shadows
into bright light..." Seeing the light ie. solving the riddle.

"...and I lose my being with my life and with my name." Once a riddle is solved, it ceases to become a riddle.


'Twas in Godshome pronounced, 'twas the Abyss denounced,
And in the presence of Mishakal it shall be trounced.
'Twas rumored to exist in Valhalla's sweet air,
'Twill be found in an evocationists sensible lair.
The silence bore tightly the sound of its whisper,
And where the sound of water falls are roaring faster.
Through the lies of an ancient curse it was permitted rest,
In the depths of the sea its presence was confessed.
'Twill be found in the Plain of Stones if it were parted,
And on the backs of mutilated trees this silver will be carted.
In the miser's hoard 'tis this treasure heaped with care,
Yet it shall surely be lost on his son - the prodigal heir!
Woe to the wretch who expels it from his sight,
Fore the wrath of the spectre will instill its terrible fright!
Through natures heavens will fall this majestic shower,
Ah... caress it's nuturing breath, - it will soon turn sour.
.... What is it?"

There is no definitive answer to this as the statement above the riddle reads,
I have guesses for this riddle, but the submitter, Marquis L Everett, never replied if I was right.
What's your best guess?

Having done some net research, this riddle is based on Norse Mythology and/or role playing games. My best guesses so far are: Rainbow Bridge or Pot of Gold or just Rainbow.

[genebujold]

XLNT, AGN Fuel; I was going with W for your B---wrong!
...The fourth, what Heaven and Hell in common hold...---Monoxide Child
How you get a 'T' out of this?

Savages don't drink tea...

Here's another:

If two's company and three's a crowd
and bees live in a hive,
tell me, for crying out loud,
what are four and five?

Although my OWN riddle created about 1.2 minutes from now) is:

Gander between, and you'll find what is not,
A title of tittle, and a lot full or rot.
The time is a teller of what titles are true,
Though the teller knows not of what tittles I do.
The spines they are thin, the hems they are true,
And covers me legs, to waist, that it do.
A cincture in time erases what time had has done,
And binders have followed in reducing - I'm mum
Alas, me whiskers, more often not than some,
Crowned my glory in ways not undone.

Ok - what am I?

[TriangleMan]

A few answers:

A harvest sown and reaped on the same day
In an unplowed field,
Which increases without growing,
Remains whole though it is eaten
Within and without,
Is useless and yet
The staple of nations.
War.

I don't get it, did the site have an explanation?

[Irishman]

#32 Pertrator's quiz, answer is the 7 button on a phone. I solved this one on the way home from work.

#31 Diff between roast beef and pea soup? No answer yet.

#26 I had heard before but didn't remember the answer. Had to resolve, but knew it was a trick question. The key seems to be that the difficulty of this riddle is inversely proportional to experience/age, by virtue of the more complex and abstract your thought, the harder it is. This is because the solution is by means of elimination of alternatives, but the more abstract your thought, the more alternatives there are that could be out there that you don't know how to eliminate.

#27 The official answer doesn't fit, but maybe it's just the symbolic language is too symbolic. I was thinking "news" works better.

#28 Night. Although that was a good argument for "a riddle", I still say night.

#29 Time. Don't know Mishakal. Not sure what an evocationist is.

#1 has to be sand. Sand turned to glass helps men see.

genebujold, a book?

[Irishman]

All this has gotten me thinking about riddles, and what makes a good riddle.

1. Commonplace. The answer must be something common, so everyone has experience with it. A riddle is no good if the audience has no experience and so cannot see how the clues fit.

2. Presented in an uncommon way. A good riddle doesn't lie. Every statement must be true. However, a good riddle finds an alternate way to look at the situation. Speaking in metaphor is a typical way to obscure the answer. Calling something by a different descriptive term can obscure the answer by misdirecting the reader/listener. For example, refering to the ribcage as a "white cage".

3. Well-phrased. A good riddle not only is a puzzle, but it is artistically presented. In verse is good. Being terse is good. You want something that flows, something easily remembered.

4. Consistent. Every line should have content that leads toward the answer. Extra "comments" in the lines are also clues themselves. Every comment should reflect the answer - no analogies or cliches or turns of phrase that do not apply to the answer.

If you understand what goes into making a good riddle, that can help in trying to solve the riddle.


I suppose everyone knows the Riddle of the Sphinx?

What walks on four legs in the morning,
two legs at night,
and three legs in the evening?

[Roy Batty]

I can roast beef but I can't pea soup :) (Mind you, Asparagus..)

Irishman, I think you meant:
What walks on four legs in the morning,
two legs in the afternoon,
and three legs in the evening?

[Irishman]

Gee, I totally bungled my own riddle.

What walks on four legs in the morning,
two legs at noon,
and three legs in the evening?


Noon, not night.

[mike alexander]

Roy got the roast beef right.

The leg one is the old Sphinx riddle: man (which I never liked).

[ToSeek]

What does a man do standing up, a woman do sitting down, and a dog do standing on three legs?

[Patrator]

A few answers:

A harvest sown and reaped on the same day
In an unplowed field,
Which increases without growing,
Remains whole though it is eaten
Within and without,
Is useless and yet
The staple of nations.
War.

I don't get it, did the site have an explanation?

I don't get it either and, unfortunately the site only provided a one word answer. Did a quick net search and found a couple of other sites with that same riddle but again, no explanations. :(

[Tranquility]

What does a man do standing up, a woman do sitting down, and a dog do standing on three legs?

Shake hands :lol:

[NoXion]

What does a man do standing up, a woman do sitting down, and a dog do standing on three legs?

Err... pee? 8-[

[mike alexander]

Digging back into grade school now, aren't we?

[Jim]

(If we're taking turns, pardon the interruption.)

An American went into a pub in Dublin. He started talking with the bartender. Turns out they both enjoyed a good riddle, and they began trying some on each other.

Finally, the bartender stumped the American with this one:

It's not my sister
And it's not my brother,
Yet it's a child
Of my father and mother.

Who is it?

[beskeptical]

Digging back into grade school now, aren't we?Well, you started it with the soup thing! :P

BTW, in medicine, one might pee soup... EEEWWWWWW!!!

OK, enough of those type of riddles please. We don't need to give any of the little ones new jokes to take to school.

[beskeptical]

(If we're taking turns, pardon the interruption.)

An American went into a pub in Dublin. He started talking with the bartender. Turns out they both enjoyed a good riddle, and they began trying some on each other.

Finally, the bartender stumped the American with this one:

It's not my sister
And it's not my brother,
Yet it's a child
Of my father and mother.

Who is it?Me (or He or She).

[Jim]

An American went into a pub in Dublin. He started talking with the bartender. Turns out they both enjoyed a good riddle, and they began trying some on each other.

Finally, the bartender stumped the American with this one:

It's not my sister
And it's not my brother,
Yet it's a child
Of my father and mother.

Who is it?

Me (or He or She).

Thge American gave up, and the bartender answered (as beskep did), "Why, me, of course!"

The American went home and was telling his friends about his trip. He mentioned the riddle and asked if they knew the answer. No one did.

"Why," exclaimed the American, "it's a bartender I met in Dublin!"

[Tranquility]

Digging back into grade school now, aren't we?Well, you started it with the soup thing! :P


I dunno what exactly they did, but i'm inclined to blame enron. :)

[Pinemarten]

What goes up the chimney up,
Down the chimney down,
But can't go down the chimney up?

[genebujold]

A few answers:

A harvest sown and reaped on the same day
In an unplowed field,
Which increases without growing,
Remains whole though it is eaten
Within and without,
Is useless and yet
The staple of nations.
War.

I don't get it, did the site have an explanation?

I don't get it either and, unfortunately the site only provided a one word answer. Did a quick net search and found a couple of other sites with that same riddle but again, no explanations. :(

During battle, both sides sew violence, and even the victor reaps casualties.

War is waged (sewn and reaped) on unplowed, open fields as often (perhaps more?) than it is wages amidst crops.

Fighting escalates, but it doesn't grow.

Although troops die (eaten by war), the war itself continues.

Wars are often useless, definately an option of last resort, yet the "staple," or common crop, of most nations. In fact, there isn't a nation on this planet that doesn't have either a standing army, or at least a provision for creating one from previously-trained troops, fast.

[Pinemarten]

Wars are often useless, definately an option of last resort, yet the "staple," or common crop, of most nations. In fact, there isn't a nation on this planet that doesn't have either a standing army, or at least a provision for creating one from previously-trained troops, fast.

Except Canada :wink:

[genebujold]

genebujold[/b], a book?

Well, thanks for playing, but not even close:

Although my OWN riddle created about 1.2 minutes from now) is:

Gander between, and you'll find what is not,
A title of tittle, and a lot full of rot.
The time is a teller of what titles are true,
Though the teller knows not of what tittles I do.
The spines they are thin, the hems they are true,
And covers me legs, to waist, that it do.
A cincture in time erases what time had has done,
And binders have followed in reducing - I'm mum
Alas, me whiskers, more often not than some,
Crowned my glory in ways not undone.

Ok - what am I?

Answer: An old, skirt-wearing lady with her hair in a bun.

Need a line-by-line explanation, or are you good to go?

[ToSeek]

What goes up the chimney up,
Down the chimney down,
But can't go down the chimney up?

An umbrella.

[TriangleMan]

Interesting. I can see the connection but if that is what the author of the riddle had in mind I don't think he did a great job in crafting the riddle.
During battle, both sides sew violence, and even the victor reaps casualties.
War is waged (sewn and reaped) on unplowed, open fields as often (perhaps more?) than it is wages amidst crops.
Fighting escalates, but it doesn't grow.
Although troops die (eaten by war), the war itself continues.
Wars are often useless, definately an option of last resort, yet the "staple," or common crop, of most nations. In fact, there isn't a nation on this planet that doesn't have either a standing army, or at least a provision for creating one from previously-trained troops, fast.
Too much "sometimes" and "often" to make the riddle work well. It would be like writing a riddle describing the Sun as a red orb justifying that "sometimes" the Sun is red.

Troops being "eaten" by war doesn't work either as it should be War that is eaten ("remains whole though it is eaten").

Oh well, not a big deal, if the author says it's War then War it is.

[ToSeek]

Wars are often useless, definately an option of last resort, yet the "staple," or common crop, of most nations. In fact, there isn't a nation on this planet that doesn't have either a standing army, or at least a provision for creating one from previously-trained troops, fast.

Costa Rica has no army at all.

[ToSeek]

30 men with ladies two
gathered for a festive do
dressed quite formal, black and white
yet movement turned to nasty fight.

[ToSeek]

I start with the letter e,
I end with the letter e.
I contain only one letter,
Yet I am not the letter e!
What am I?

[bbtuna]

Quote:

I start with the letter e,
I end with the letter e.
I contain only one letter,
Yet I am not the letter e!
What am I?


an envelope

[Rue]

A simple one:

What begins as a circle and ends up as a triangle?

[ToSeek]

Quote:

I start with the letter e,
I end with the letter e.
I contain only one letter,
Yet I am not the letter e!
What am I?


an envelope

With a letter in it, yes.

[Roy Batty]

30 men with ladies two
gathered for a festive do
dressed quite formal, black and white
yet movement turned to nasty fight.


Thats neat! A Chess game 8) (http://scribble.com/uwi/br/brfaq/chess.html)

[ToSeek]

30 men with ladies two
gathered for a festive do
dressed quite formal, black and white
yet movement turned to nasty fight.


Thats neat! A Chess game 8) (http://scribble.com/uwi/br/brfaq/chess.html)

Yep! Here's another (not exactly a riddle):

There is a dead man in the center of a field.
He carried with him an unopened package.
As he neared the center of the field, he knew he was going to die.
How did he know he was going to die?

[gethen]

Well, it could obviously have been a timed bomb, or he could have been carrying a box of metal in an electric storm, but somehow I don't think that's where it's going. Is he not supposed to know what's in the box?

[Tranquility]

He's already a dead man :)

[Patrator]

My answer in quote box. (Highlight text to reveal)

He's approaching the middle of the field from above ie. he's falling!
The version I remember, he drew the 'short straw' whilst in a hot air balloon... Not sure about the unopened package version.

[Tranquility]

But he's already dead in the center of the field :-?

[Patrator]

Key lines in the puzzle...

As he neared the center of the field, he knew he was going to die.
How did he know he was going to die?

Already dead yes, but the question is 'How did he know he was going to die?' ie. when he was still alive.

[mike alexander]

Because the parachute wouldn't open.

[ToSeek]

Because the parachute wouldn't open.

Yep.

How 'bout this one:


Tell me now, if you can,
Who is that highly favored man,
Who though he has married many a wife,
May still be single all his life?

[StarStuff]

Tell me now, if you can,
Who is that highly favored man,
Who though he has married many a wife,
May still be single all his life?


A priest?

[ToSeek]

Tell me now, if you can,
Who is that highly favored man,
Who though he has married many a wife,
May still be single all his life?


A priest?

Yep. Next one:

I have rivers without water,
Forests without trees,
Mountains without rocks
Towns without houses.

What am I?

[mike alexander]

A map.

[ToSeek]

A map.

Correct. And another:

I turn my head and you may go where you want.
I turn it again, you will stay till you rot.
I have no face, but I live or die
by my crooked teeth

Who am I?

[mike alexander]

Sounds like the old exit gates on the New York subway.

[Pinemarten]

What goes up the chimney up,
Down the chimney down,
But can't go down the chimney up?

An umbrella.

Good memory!

[Roy Batty]

A map.

Correct. And another:

I turn my head and you may go where you want.
I turn it again, you will stay till you rot.
I have no face, but I live or die
by my crooked teeth

Who am I?

A Key.

[mike alexander]

Only trouble is that the teeth aren't crooked. They're straight. :-?

[StarStuff]

Depends on which way you look at the key: if you hold the key out as if you were inserting it into the lock, the 'teeth' are ligned up (straight), but if you look at the key from the side, they're jagged (crooked).

[mike alexander]

But the teeth (the individual cuts on the key) themselves are straight.

And WHY am I worried about it??

[Tranquility]

And WHY am I worried about it??

Because "this riddle is driving me nuts" :)

[ToSeek]

A Key.

That's the official answer. And yet another one:

We are very little creatures;
all of us have different features.
One of us in glass is set;
one of us you'll find in jet.
Another you may see in tin,
and a fourth is boxed within.
If the fifth you should pursue,
it can never fly from you.
What are we?

[AGN Fuel]

A Key.

That's the official answer. And yet another one:

We are very little creatures;
all of us have different features.
One of us in glass is set;
one of us you'll find in jet.
Another you may see in tin,
and a fourth is boxed within.
If the fifth you should pursue,
it can never fly from you.
What are we?

Vowels?

[Tranquility]

A Key.

That's the official answer. And yet another one:

We are very little creatures;
all of us have different features.
One of us in glass is set;
one of us you'll find in jet.
Another you may see in tin,
and a fourth is boxed within.
If the fifth you should pursue,
it can never fly from you.
What are we?

Vowels?

Sounds right.

[ToSeek]

Vowels?

Yes. Next:

I have keys that open no locks, I have space, but there is no room, You can enter, but you can't go in. and I am...

[Tranquility]

A keyboard.

[ToSeek]

A keyboard.

Too easy. Okay, a different sort of riddle:

What do these three things have in common? Dogs, Diamonds, Double Plays.

[AGN Fuel]

What do these three things have in common? Dogs, Diamonds, Double Plays.

Baseball would seem too obvious.... :-k

[ToSeek]

What do these three things have in common? Dogs, Diamonds, Double Plays.

Baseball would seem too obvious.... :-k

It is too obvious. Try again.

[Tranquility]

The letter D would also be too obvious right :D ?

[ToSeek]

The letter D would also be too obvious right :D ?

Way too simple. Keep pondering.

[freddo]

Diamonds are a girls best friend...

Dogs and Double plays are pretty chummy with Man and a Pitcher...

[Maksutov]

A keyboard.

Too easy. Okay, a different sort of riddle:

What do these three things have in common? Dogs, Diamonds, Double Plays.

David Bowie (ugh)?

As well as all starting with the letter "D"?

[ToSeek]

Diamonds are a girls best friend...

Dogs and Double plays are pretty chummy with Man and a Pitcher...

That's it:

Diamonds are a girl's best friend.
Dogs are man's best friend.
Double plays are a pitcher's best friend.

Onward:

A murderer is condemned to death. He has to choose between three rooms. The first is full of raging fires, the second is full of assassins with loaded guns, and the third is full of lions that haven't eaten in 3 years. Which room is safest for him?

[Fra Mauro]

A murderer is condemned to death. He has to choose between three rooms. The first is full of raging fires, the second is full of assassins with loaded guns, and the third is full of lions that haven't eaten in 3 years. Which room is safest for him?

The Lions, they would have starved to death if they hadn’t eaten in 3 years.


Fixed quote

[Irishman]

Answer: An old, skirt-wearing lady with her hair in a bun.

Need a line-by-line explanation, or are you good to go?

A title of tittle and a lot full of rot?
Gander between?
A cincture in time erases what time had has done, ?

Uh, yeah, some explanation please.


I start with the letter e,
I end with the letter e.
I contain only one letter,
Yet I am not the letter e!
What am I?

I was thinking "eye" would also work.

[ToSeek]

I was thinking "eye" would also work.

What about the "contains only one letter" part?

[ToSeek]

A murderer is condemned to death. He has to choose between three rooms. The first is full of raging fires, the second is full of assassins with loaded guns, and the third is full of lions that haven't eaten in 3 years. Which room is safest for him?

The Lions, they would have starved to death if they hadn’t eaten in 3 years.


Yes. That was an easy one.

The higher I climb, the hotter I gauge,
I can not escape my crystal cage.

What am I?

[Jim]

Thermometer.

[ToSeek]

Thermometer.

Well, the mercury in the thermometer, to get picky, but close enough. I'm running out of good ones here.

How about a logic puzzle this time?

A group of campers have been on vacation so long, that
they've forgotten the day of the week. The following
conversation ensues.

Darryl: What's the day? I don't think it is Thursday, Friday or Saturday.

Tracy: Well that doesn't narrow it down much. Yesterday was Sunday.

Melissa: Yesterday wasn't Sunday, tomorrow is Sunday.

Ben: The day after tomorrow is Saturday.

Adrienne: The day before yesterday was Thursday.

Susie: Tomorrow is Saturday.

David: I know that the day after tomorrow is not Friday.

If only one person's statement is true, what day of the week is it?

[Fra Mauro]

A group of campers have been on vacation so long, that
they've forgotten the day of the week. The following
conversation ensues.

Darryl: What's the day? I don't think it is Thursday, Friday or Saturday.

Tracy: Well that doesn't narrow it down much. Yesterday was Sunday.

Melissa: Yesterday wasn't Sunday, tomorrow is Sunday.

Ben: The day after tomorrow is Saturday.

Adrienne: The day before yesterday was Thursday.

Susie: Tomorrow is Saturday.

David: I know that the day after tomorrow is not Friday.

If only one person's statement is true, what day of the week is it?

It has to be Wednesday, otherwise more than one person would be telling the truth.

[ToSeek]

I'll take your word for it. Here's today's problem from my puzzle calendar:

Andrea, Barbara, and Claire are driving around aimlessly. Each one is driving the car of one friend and has a pet monkey belonging to another. The woman who has Claire's monkey is driving Barbara's car. Who is driving Andrea's car?

[SeanF]

I'll take your word for it. Here's today's problem from my puzzle calendar:

Andrea, Barbara, and Claire are driving around aimlessly. Each one is driving the car of one friend and has a pet monkey belonging to another. The woman who has Claire's monkey is driving Barbara's car. Who is driving Andrea's car?
Claire.

Edited to add:

The woman who has Claire's monkey and is driving Barbara's car can't be Claire or Barbara, so she must be Andrea.

Since Andrea is driving Barbara's car, Claire isn't. Claire also can't be driving her own car. The only car left is Andrea's.

[Fra Mauro]

I'll take your word for it.


If only one person's statement is true then;

If it were Mon Darryl, Tracy and David would be true

Tue Both Darryl and David would be true

Thu Ben and David would be true

Fri Susie and David would be true

Sat Melissa, Adrienne and David would be true

Sun Darryl and David Would be true

Wednesday/Darryl is the only day where only one person's statement is true.

[ToSeek]

I did work it out after I wrote that.

A man and his son are in a car accident. The father dies on the scene, but the child is rushed to the hospital. When he arrives the surgeon says "I can't operate on this boy, he is my son!"

How can this be?

[MentalAvenger]

The surgeon is his mother.

Stereotyping.

[MentalAvenger]

Three men go to a hotel to register for a room. The clerk says that will be $10 each, which they pay. After they have gone up to the room, the Manager informs that clerk that was a $25 room. The clerk give the bellboy 5 $1 bills to take up to the room. Realizing that he cannot divide $5 equally between three men, the bellboy keeps $2 and gives the men each $1. Since they each paid $10, and got $1 back, they each only paid $9. Three times $9 is $27, and the bellboy has $2. That makes $29.

Where is the other dollar?

[SeanF]

Three men go to a hotel to register for a room. The clerk says that will be $10 each, which they pay. After they have gone up to the room, the Manager informs that clerk that was a $25 room. The clerk give the bellboy 5 $1 bills to take up to the room. Realizing that he cannot divide $5 equally between three men, the bellboy keeps $2 and gives the men each $1. Since they each paid $10, and got $1 back, they each only paid $9. Three times $9 is $27, and the bellboy has $2. That makes $29.

Where is the other dollar?
There is no other dollar.

Three time $9 is $27, and that's $25 to the hotel plus $2 to the bellboy. So if you add the $2 the bellboy has to the $27, you're counting it twice.

The $30 breaks down to $25 to the hotel, $2 to the bellboy, and $3 back to the guests.

[ToSeek]

What is the only word in the English language that when capitalized is changed from a noun or a verb to a nationality?

[SeanF]

What is the only word in the English language that when capitalized is changed from a noun or a verb to a nationality?
Polish.

Which, along with lima and reading, also changes its pronunciation when the first letter is capitalized. :)

[ToSeek]

What is the next number in this sequence?


8 5 4 9 1 7 6

[Irishman]

I was thinking "eye" would also work.

What about the "contains only one letter" part?

eye = I

[SeanF]

What is the next number in this sequence?
8 5 4 9 1 7 6

Well, that depends on how far you go.

It could be 10 3 2.

But I'm guessing 10 is not allowed (since you didn't include 11) and it's 3 2. Followed by 0, then? :)

[ToSeek]

What is the next number in this sequence?
8 5 4 9 1 7 6

Well, that depends on how far you go.

It could be 10 3 2.

But I'm guessing 10 is not allowed (since you didn't include 11) and it's 3 2. Followed by 0, then? :)

The original version I based this on actually has 10, but I thought that was cheating since it didn't have 11 and so dropped it. Another quasi-numeric question:



What is the only English word for a number that when spelled, its letters are in alphabetical order?

[Jim]

What is the only English word for a number that when spelled, its letters are in alphabetical order?

Forty.

(And one, if you allow mirrors.)

[ToSeek]

Yes. Next one:

Follow these instructions : Take one full cup of coffee and drink 1/6 of it. Replace what you drank with milk. Now, drink 1/3 of the coffee/milk mixture. Again, replace what you drank with more milk. Now, drink 1/2 of what is in the cup. Once again, replace what you drank with milk. Now drink the entire cup of mixed coffee/milk.

The questions are:
Have you had more milk or more coffee?
How much of each have you had?

[SeanF]

Yes. Next one:

Follow these instructions : Take one full cup of coffee and drink 1/6 of it. Replace what you drank with milk. Now, drink 1/3 of the coffee/milk mixture. Again, replace what you drank with more milk. Now, drink 1/2 of what is in the cup. Once again, replace what you drank with milk. Now drink the entire cup of mixed coffee/milk.

The questions are:
Have you had more milk or more coffee?
How much of each have you had?
Easy. You've had exactly one cup of coffee and exactly one cup of milk.

[ToSeek]

Yes.

What are three possible responses that correctly fill the blank in the following sentence?

"This sentence has _____ letters."

[SeanF]

Yes.

What are three possible responses that correctly fill the blank in the following sentence?

"This sentence has _____ letters."
How about

"many"
"thirty-one"
"ten"

??

[Parrothead]

22, thirty-one, thirty-three

[SeanF]

Hey, Parrothead and I came up with five! :D

[ToSeek]

22, thirty-one, thirty-three

That's the answer expected, though I like "many."



If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"?

[ToSeek]

Hey, Parrothead and I came up with five! :D

Yes, but I don't know where the "ten" came from.

[SeanF]

If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"?
I've actually heard this one before, so I'll let it go. :)

Hey, Parrothead and I came up with five! :D
Yes, but I don't know where the "ten" came from.
Ten letters - a, c, e, h, i, l, n, r, s, t. "e" is one letter, even if there are six of them in the sentence.

Just occurred to me, though, that "eleven" adds "v" and "twelve" adds "v" and "w", so those would both work, too. Might be more. :D

[freddo]

If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"?

I never liked the answer to this. I have been told "One Thousand," but how do you spell out:

One Hundred and One?

[ToSeek]

If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"?
I've actually heard this one before, so I'll let it go. :)

Hey, Parrothead and I came up with five! :D
Yes, but I don't know where the "ten" came from.
Ten letters - a, c, e, h, i, l, n, r, s, t. "e" is one letter, even if there are six of them in the sentence.

Just occurred to me, though, that "eleven" adds "v" and "twelve" adds "v" and "w", so those would both work, too. Might be more. :D

I was thinking of it as "This sentence" has x letters, but in that case x is 12.

[ToSeek]

Name 10 body parts with 3 letters each (without violating the rules of this board).

[MentalAvenger]

ear eye toe leg hip rod ova pap paw fin

egg orb gut sac oil

[SeanF]

If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"?

I never liked the answer to this. I have been told "One Thousand," but how do you spell out:

One Hundred and One?
The number after One Hundred is One Hundred One, no "and."

But you do use "and" with fractions, so "one and one-quarter" would use an "a." But, for that matter, so would "one-quarter." Or "one-thousandth." So the question should probably say "integers." :)

I was thinking of it as "This sentence" has x letters, but in that case x is 12.
So 12 works two ways. :)

[ToSeek]

ear eye toe leg hip rod ova pap paw fin

egg orb gut sac oil

The "official" list is:

1 ear 2 lip 3 gum 4 rib 5 hip 6 arm 7 leg 8 toe 9 jaw 10 eye


What word or expression is represented below?

GIVE, GIVE, GIVE, GIVE, GET, GET, GET, GET

[SeanF]

What word or expression is represented below?

GIVE, GIVE, GIVE, GIVE, GET, GET, GET, GET
Forgive and forget.

[ToSeek]

What are the 2 longest words in the English language that can be typed using only your left hand on the keyboard?

[MentalAvenger]

Officially,
Hepaticocholangiocholecystenterostomies
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

Although Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis is longer, it was created specifically to be the longest word and is not necessarily recognized.

[MentalAvenger]

Ok, I cheated, those words can be typed with your left hand, but not using the standard typing method (whatever that is) on a Qwerty keyboard. Those 14 letter words are actually:

Aftercataracts
Tesseradecades
Tetrastearates
Sweaterdresses

[MentalAvenger]

OK: If 9 men can dig a hole in 8 days with 5 shovels, how long would it take 6 men to dig half of a hole with 5 shovels?

[Pinemarten]

OK: If 9 men can dig a hole in 8 days with 5 shovels, how long would it take 6 men to dig half of a hole with 5 shovels?

Not enough parameters.

Is the rate of hole digging dependant on the amount of shovels, or the number of hours a man can work with a shovel? Are the holes the same size?

[MentalAvenger]

The rate of digging is independent of the number of hours a man can work. We will assume a standard 8 hour day. We will assume that each man can dig at exactly the same rate. You now have all the information you need to answer the riddle.

[Pinemarten]

This wording may be less obscure.

If 9 men can dig a hole in 8 hours with 5 shovels, how long would it take 6 of those men to dig half of that hole with 5 shovels?

[Pinemarten]

4 days is your answer, but if you do that math it doesn't work.

[MentalAvenger]

How can you dig half of a hole? :D

[MentalAvenger]

If a man-and-a-half smokes a pack-and-a-half of half-and-half in a day-and-a-half, how long would it take one man to smoke one pack?

[Pinemarten]

If a man-and-a-half smokes a pack-and-a-half of half-and-half in a day-and-a-half, how long would it take one man to smoke one pack?

Simple math:

1.5 x 1.5 x( .5 + .5 )/1.5 = (men x amount x material /time) divided by one.

[ToSeek]

Ok, I cheated, those words can be typed with your left hand, but not using the standard typing method (whatever that is) on a Qwerty keyboard. Those 14 letter words are actually:

Aftercataracts
Tesseradecades
Tetrastearates
Sweaterdresses

The answer given is "stewardesses" and "reverberated."

I Google on your entries, and every item that comes up is "among the longest words that can be typed with the left hand," as if they were coined for that reason.

A Father, son and grandson are walking in the park. A man approaches them and asks for their age. The Father replies, "My son is as many weeks as my grandson is in days, and my grandson is as many months old as I am in years. We are all 100 years together."

How old were each?

[SeanF]

A Father, son and grandson are walking in the park. A man approaches them and asks for their age. The Father replies, "My son is as many weeks as my grandson is in days, and my grandson is as many months old as I am in years. We are all 100 years together."

How old were each?
60, 35, and 5.

[ToSeek]

Forward I am heavy, but backward I am not. What am I?

[SeanF]

Forward I am heavy, but backward I am not. What am I?
"Ton"

[ToSeek]

You own a tractor with a broken steering wheel that cannot turn right. You need to drive around a square patch of cabbages in the middle of your field. How can you drive in a clockwise direction around the patch without ever turning right?

[SeanF]

You own a tractor with a broken steering wheel that cannot turn right. You need to drive around a square patch of cabbages in the middle of your field. How can you drive in a clockwise direction around the patch without ever turning right?
Drive backwards.

[Irishman]

What is the next number in this sequence?
8 5 4 9 1 7 6

I don't get it.
If 9 men can dig a hole in 8 hours with 5 shovels, how long would it take 6 of those men to dig half of that hole with 5 shovels?

Assume shovels are the limiting factor. Each shovel must be used the full time, but the men can be rotated as necessary. This assumes the men don't get tired.

Then the answer is 5 shovels dig half a hole in half the time as 5 shovels dig a whole hole. Ergo, 1/2 of 8 = 4 hours.

But a more standard approach would consider the nine men, and their ability to rest when not using the shovels. But I can't seem to set up the problem.

You own a tractor with a broken steering wheel that cannot turn right. You need to drive around a square patch of cabbages in the middle of your field. How can you drive in a clockwise direction around the patch without ever turning right?

Why must you drive clockwise?

Drive backwards.

But typically you pull something with your tractor. It is difficult to pull backwards. Things that pull do not always push (like a rope).

But it is a square patch, and three lefts make a right. If you have enough room at the corners, you can make a left circle at each corner and drive each side of the square patch in a clockwise pattern.

[ToSeek]

What is the next number in this sequence?
8 5 4 9 1 7 6

I don't get it.

They're in alphabetical order.

[SeanF]

What is the next number in this sequence?
8 5 4 9 1 7 6
I don't get it.
Alphabetical order, by spelling -- Eight, Five, Four, Nine, One . . .

If 9 men can dig a hole in 8 hours with 5 shovels, how long would it take 6 of those men to dig half of that hole with 5 shovels?
Assume shovels are the limiting factor. Each shovel must be used the full time, but the men can be rotated as necessary. This assumes the men don't get tired.

Then the answer is 5 shovels dig half a hole in half the time as 5 shovels dig a whole hole. Ergo, 1/2 of 8 = 4 hours.

But a more standard approach would consider the nine men, and their ability to rest when not using the shovels. But I can't seem to set up the problem.
I think the correct answer to this one, as MentalAvenger pointed out, is that there's no such thing as "half a hole." :)

You own a tractor with a broken steering wheel that cannot turn right. You need to drive around a square patch of cabbages in the middle of your field. How can you drive in a clockwise direction around the patch without ever turning right?
Why must you drive clockwise?

Drive backwards.
But typically you pull something with your tractor. It is difficult to pull backwards. Things that pull do not always push (like a rope).
True - whatever you're intending to "pull" with the tractor would have to be mounted on the front instead of the back.

But it is a square patch, and three lefts make a right. If you have enough room at the corners, you can make a left circle at each corner and drive each side of the square patch in a clockwise pattern.
Seems that'd work, too. :)

[ToSeek]

You own a tractor with a broken steering wheel that cannot turn right. You need to drive around a square patch of cabbages in the middle of your field. How can you drive in a clockwise direction around the patch without ever turning right?

Why must you drive clockwise?

Drive backwards.

But typically you pull something with your tractor. It is difficult to pull backwards. Things that pull do not always push (like a rope).

But it is a square patch, and three lefts make a right. If you have enough room at the corners, you can make a left circle at each corner and drive each side of the square patch in a clockwise pattern.

My initial answer was "drive backwards," but the one they want is the latter.

[ToSeek]

Substitute three different digits for A, B, and C to make the following mathematical expression correct. (AB is a two-digit number; A and C are single-digit numbers.)

(AB + A)/C = C

[SeanF]

Substitute three different digits for A, B, and C to make the following mathematical expression correct. (AB is a two-digit number; A and C are single-digit numbers.)

(AB + A)/C = C
A=0, B=4, C=2 - or does that violate the "AB is a two-digit number" requirement? :D

How about A=1, B=5, C=4?]

A=2, B=3, C=5?

A=4, B=5, C=7?

[ToSeek]

Substitute three different digits for A, B, and C to make the following mathematical expression correct. (AB is a two-digit number; A and C are single-digit numbers.)

(AB + A)/C = C
A=0, B=4, C=2 - or does that violate the "AB is a two-digit number" requirement? :D

How about A=1, B=5, C=4?

I don't think the first one qualifies, but the second one does. Now, can you come up with at least three more sets of numbers that alos work?

[SeanF]

Substitute three different digits for A, B, and C to make the following mathematical expression correct. (AB is a two-digit number; A and C are single-digit numbers.)

(AB + A)/C = C
A=0, B=4, C=2 - or does that violate the "AB is a two-digit number" requirement? :D

How about A=1, B=5, C=4?

I don't think the first one qualifies, but the second one does. Now, can you come up with at least three more sets of numbers that alos work?
Already added two to my post.

A=5, B=9, C=8

There should be one more. Gimme a minute. ..

A=7, B=4, C=9

I think that's it . . .

[ToSeek]

Good going! I missed the 7-4-9 one for some reason. (Do you have a lot of free time on your hands right now? ;)

What are the next three letters in the following sequence?

UTO, UNE, NUS, URN, ...

[SeanF]

Good going! I missed the 7-4-9 one for some reason. (Do you have a lot of free time on your hands right now? ;)
Nah. Once I converted the equation to 11A+B = C^2, it was fairly easy to work through values of C. :D

What are the next three letters in the following sequence?

UTO, UNE, NUS, URN, ...
Hmm. I'm heading out to lunch now, so I'll have to think about this one. Nothing jumps right out at me. :)

[ToSeek]

Good going! I missed the 7-4-9 one for some reason. (Do you have a lot of free time on your hands right now? ;)
Nah. Once I converted the equation to 11A+B = C^2, it was fairly easy to work through values of C. :D

I worked through the various squares of C, too, but somehow I missed that one.

What are the next three letters in the following sequence?

UTO, UNE, NUS, URN, ...
Hmm. I'm heading out to lunch now, so I'll have to think about this one. Nothing jumps right out at me. :)

Hints are possible, but I'll leave it for now. ;)

[SeanF]

Hints are possible, but I'll leave it for now. ;)
I'm thinkin' I need one . . . :)

[ToSeek]

Hints are possible, but I'll leave it for now. ;)
I'm thinkin' I need one . . . :)

The next entry in the sequence is "TER". There are several more after that.