A man is late for an appointment and, in his haste, takes a corner so fast that only two wheels were on the pavement. A policeman is standing on the corner, but he did not give him a ticket. Why?
Think about the type of vehicle the man is driving...
Ty has four frogs-Lily, Hoppy, Croaky, and Icky–and he needs you to identify their colors. One of the frogs is black and blue, while the other three and black and orange. Assuming that both of the following statements are true, can you guess which frog is black and blue? 1) Lily and Hoppy are of the same color. 2) Croaky isn't black and blue.
Pay attention to the statement "Lily and Hoppy are of the same color" and think about what it means if they are not black and blue...
Icky is black and blue. If Lily and Hoppy are of the same color, then both of them must be black and orange because only ONE of the frogs is black and blue. And if Croaky isn't black and blue, then he is black and orange. Therefore, Icky is the only black and blue frog among the four frogs.
Mrs. Beverly has three daughters–Sally, Gianna, and Emma. She is about to have another daughter. What will she name her–Victoria, Alyssa, or Amanda?
Think about the names of Mrs. Beverly's existing daughters... do you notice a pattern or connection between them?
Mrs. Beverly will name her next daughter Alyssa; the names of her other three daughters each contain a double letter. Alyssa's name has a double letter ("s"), unlike the other two.
Which word is the odd one out: BAIL, FAIL, PAIL, RAIL, SAIL, TAIL?
Think about the words in a different context, like a physical object or a situation...
FAIL is the odd one out because it does not have a homophone. BAIL has BALE (like a bale of hay), PAIL has PALE, SAIL has SALE, TAIL has TALE, and RAIL has RALE. FAIL has FALE, which is not a real word, and therefore cannot be a homophone.
Ainsley was having breakfast at her favorite café. She went to the bathroom, leaving her smartphone near her food. When Ainsley returned to her seat, she realized that her device was gone; she also looked just in time to see a man rushing out of the café. When she reached the man, Ainsley asked him to give her her device, but the man said, "I know nothing about your smartphone!". As soon as Ainsley heard these words, she took her device back and called the police. Why?
The hint is: Pay attention to the man's words, literally.
How did the man know that Ainsley's device was a smartphone?
Peter likes tomatoes, but not potatoes; he likes cucumbers, but can't stand carrots; Peter also enjoys grapes, but not lettuce. And he likes squash, but not onions. Would Peter like pumpkins or apples more?
Think about the characteristics of the foods Peter likes and dislikes, and how they relate to the words themselves...
Peter would like pumpkins more, because he only likes fruits and vegetables that grow on vines. Pumpkins grow on vines, while apples do not.
Zack invented a game for him and his friend Dan to play. They would take turns saying numbers between one and 10. The next player would have to say a number that is greater than the previous one by a number between one and 10. The first player to say 50 would be the winner. Zack decides to let Dan start. How can Dan win?
Think about the optimal starting number that would give Dan the most flexibility for his next move...
If Dan wants to say 50, then he needs Zack to say a number between 40 and 49, so right before 50, Dan needs to say 39. If he wants to say 39, then Zack needs to say a number between 29 and 38, so right before 39, Dan needs to say 28. If Dan wants to say 28, Zack has to say a number between 18 and 27, so right before 28, Dan has to say 17. And if he wants to say 17, he has to let Zack say a number between 7 and 16, so right before 17, Dan has to say 6. In order to win, Dan needs to say 6, then 17, then 28, then 39, and finally 50.
One day, a famous king and a famous queen each moved to the same small, rural town, and each built their own house there. The king and the queen were not married, but they were related. The report was they were not very fond of one another, despite being related, and in fact, were both well-known for having highly competitive natures. Both the king and the queen sent out invitations to the townspeople to visit their new houses, each secretly hoping the people would come only to see them, and not the other. On the given day, residents of the town lined up outside both the king's and the queen's new houses; but the people showed no outward signs of respect by bowing or curtsying to either of them. In return, the king presented a stone-faced appearance to his visitors, while the queen offered a cold and frosty reception to everyone who entered her place. To top things off, both the king and the queen both provided food and drink to all the people who came to visit them, but the townspeople were all made to pay for everything they ate and drank that day. However, the people all left both houses that day --- satisfied and happy!!! Why did the people show no outward signs of respect to the famous king and queen, and why weren't the townspeople upset and angry about being invited, and then having to pay for their meals?
Think about a different kind of "king" and "queen" that are not royalty, but still have a sense of grandeur and competitiveness. The key to this riddle lies in the type of "houses" they built and the nature of their "hospitality".
The famous king and the famous queen were: The Burger King and The Dairy Queen. Both had just built new franchises in the small town, and each was hoping to gather the most new customers from the townspeople who lived there. Neither franchise was about to give free food away to everyone, so all the people bought their burgers, fries, and ice cream treats at one or the other, and all were happy to have both of these fast-food options available to them in their community.
Terry lives part-time in a mobile home, but it is a most unusual place. Terry's mobile home has no front or back door, so Terry can only enter his home through the roof. His home has no kitchen or basement or attic; and most importantly, his home has no bathroom! Considering all of these basic housing deficiencies, it is no wonder Terry's mental health has again come into question, as he often feels compelled to start shooting at strangers from within the confines of his mobile home. It doesn't seem possible, but the authorities are 100% supportive of Terry's actions! Has Terry snapped mentally? Is he in need of immediate psychiatric treatment, or is his mental health more normal than it appears? And why do the authorities permit Terry to shoot at others? Just what is going on here?
Think about a place where people often gather to watch a specific activity, and the "mobile home" is not a typical residence, but rather a vehicle of sorts...
Terry is a soldier in the U.S. Army. He operates an armored Tank in the service of our country.
Which of the following statements are true, and which are false? 1. Only one of the statements is false 2. Exactly two of the statements are false. 3. Only three of the statements are false. 4. Exactly four of the statements are false. 5. All five of these statements are false.
Think about it like a paradox: if a statement says it's false, is it really false?
The only true statement can be #4. The others are false. #5 can't be true, because it says all the statements are false.
During WWII, there was a bridge connecting Germany and Switzerland, and on the German side, there was a sentry tower with a guard in it. He would come out every three minutes to check on the bridge, and he had orders to turn back anyone who tried to get into Germany, and shoot anyone trying to escape without a pass. There was a woman who desperately needed to get into Switzerland, and she knew she didn't have time to get a pass. It would take her at least six minutes to cross the bridge, but she managed to do it. How?
Think about the direction she was traveling...
When the sentry went into the tower, she would start to cross into Switzerland, and when he came out, she would start to walk back into Germany. When he saw her, he would tell her to turn back into Switzerland.
Rearrange all the letters in each of the sentences to form, in each case, a well-known proverb.
1. I don't admit women are faint.
2. It rocks. The broad flag of the free.
3. Strong lion's share almost gone.
What are the proverbs?
Here's a hint:
Think about phrases that offer advice or words of wisdom, and pay attention to the word order and letter arrangements. You might need to "rearrange" your thinking to uncover the well-known proverbs hidden within!
1. Time and tide wait for no man.
2. Birds of a feather flock together.
3. A rolling sone gathers no moss.
I change color from time to time. Wear me, and I'll tell you your ____. What am I?
Think about something you wear on your wrist that changes color or displays different information at different times, and it might just reveal a personal characteristic...
A logician with some time to kill in a small town decided to get a haircut. The town had only two barbers, each with his own shop. The logician glanced into one shop and saw that it was extremely untidy. The barber needed a shave, his clothes were unkempt, and his hair was badly cut. The other shop was extremely neat. The barber was freshly shaved and spotlessly dressed, his hair neatly trimmed. Why did the logician return to the first shop for his haircut?
Each barber must have cut the other's hair. The logician picked the barber who had given his rival the better haircut.
You walk into your house you see three doors you've never seen before. One vampire bats that will suck your blood. Two zombies that will eat your brain. Three a lion that hasn't eaten for over six months. Which one do you go through?
Think about the lion's situation...
Three a lion that hasn't eaten for over 6 months because he would be dead.
A pig cannot be found where the ringmaster and the crowd make a loud sound. A pig cannot be found where lions, tigers, and bears roam around. What are these two places?
Think about where you'd typically find a ringmaster and a crowd making a loud sound, and where you'd typically find lions, tigers, and bears... and consider the words themselves, not just the context.
While playing with a metal washer shaped like a ring, Dave accidentally pushed it on his finger too far and couldn't get it off. Trying to remove it using soap and water didn't work. The hospital sent him to a service station thinking they could cut the metal. Since the ring was made with specially hardened steel, it couldn't be cut. Just then Bob arrived on the scene and suggested an easy way to remove the washer in just a few minutes. What was his solution?
"Think about a common service station tool that can help 'inflate' the situation..."
Bob suggested that Dave hold his finger in the air while someone wound a piece of string tightly around his finger just above the metal ring. The string forced the swelling down. As they unwounded the string from the end nearest the ring, someone else slid the ring up. They continued winding and unwinding the string until the ring could be easily removed.
You want to send a valuable object to a friend. You have a box which is more than large enough to contain the object. You have several locks with keys. The box has a locking ring which is more than large enough to have a lock attached. But your friend does not have the key to any lock that you have. How do you do it? Note that you cannot send a key in an unlocked box, since it might be copied.
Think about sending the box to your friend in multiple stages, with each stage adding a layer of security...
Attach a lock to the ring. Send it to her. She attaches her own lock and sends it back. You remove your lock and send it back to her. She removes her lock.
If you go to the movies and you're paying, is it cheaper to take one friend to the movies twice, or two friends to the movies at the same time?
Think about the number of tickets you need to buy in each scenario...
It's cheaper to take two friends at the same time. In this case, you would only be buying three tickets, whereas if you take the same friend twice you are buying four tickets.
A watchmaker was telephoned urgently to make a house call to replace the broken hands on a clock. He was sik so he sent his apprentice.
The apprentice was thorough. When he finished inspecting the clock it was dark. Assuming his work was done, he attached the new hands and set the clock by his pocket watch. It was sic o'clock, so he set the big hand at the 12 and the little hand at the 6.
The apprectice returned, but soon the telephone rang. He picked up to his angry client:
"You didn't do the job right. The clock shows the wrong time."
Surprised he hurried back. He found the clock showing not much past eight. He handed is watch to the client and showed her that her clock was not even one second late. The client had to agree.
Early the nect morning, the client telephoned to say the clock has apparently gone berserk, hands were moving around the clock at will. The apprentice again rushed over, the clock showed a little past seven. After checking his watch he yelled:
"You are making fun of me! Your clock shows the right time!"
Have you figured out whats going on?
Here's a hint:
Think about the type of clock the apprentice was fixing, and how it might be different from a typical clock.
As the problem says the apprentice mixed up the hands so that the minute hand was short and the hour hand was long.
The first time the apprentice returned to the client was about 2 hours and 10 minutes after he had set the clock at six.The long had moved olny from twelve to a little past two. The little made two whole circles and an additional 10 minutes. Thus the clock showed the correct time.
The next day around 7:o5 a.m.he came a second time,13 hours and 15 minutes after he had set the clock for six. The long had, acting as the hour hand,covered 13 hours to reach 1. The short hand made 13 full circles and 5 minutes, reaching 7, So the clock showed the correct time again.
A woman is walking down a street night at a constant pace. As she passes the street light, she notices that her shadow becomes longer. Does the top of her shadow move faster, slower or the same when the shadow is longer as when it is shorter?
This point maintains a constant speed, independent of the lenght of the shadow.
Two travelers spend from 12 o'clock to 6 o'clock walking along a level road, up a hill, and back again. Their pace is 4 mph on the level, 3 mph uphill, and 6 mph downhill.
How far do they walk and at what time do they reach the top of the hill?
A man moved into a new house and decided he was tired after the journey and turned off all the lights and went to bed. The next morning he killed 365 people, he does not sleep walk he slept like a baby. How could this be?
A murderer was condemned to death. He had to choose between three rooms. The first room was full of raging fires, the second room was full of assassins with loaded guns and the third room was full of lions that hadn't eaten in three years. Which room was safest for him?
Think about the phrase "hadn't eaten in three years"...
The third room. Lions that haven't eaten in three years are dead.
My little circle of friends here, getting bumped off one-by-one, reminds me of Agatha Christie's famous murder mystery "Ten Little Indians", where a small group of people are knocked off, one at a time, until only the killer and one person is left. The main difference is that in Christie's novel, the last survivor was to die by hanging, but in my situation, the sole survivor will be given "The Chair"! Should this person call the police? Is there a life-and-death scenario going on here, or is everyone's safety assured? What exactly is happening?
Think about a common, everyday situation where a group of things are gradually eliminated, one by one, until only one remains... and that last one gets "The Chair".
The person, along with a small group of their friends, is engaged in a game of Musical Chairs. "The Chair" is always reserved for the last person left.
A psychologist goes to a village in Africa and decides to compare foot size to intelligence. He notes that in general, as foot size increases, so does intelligence. How can this be?
Think about who is most likely to have the largest feet in the village...
He is measuring everyone's feet, including the feet of the very small children. So the statistics will show that larger feet belong to the smarter people, the adults.
A magician was boasting one day about how long he could hold his breath underwater. His record was 6 minutes. A kid that was listening said, "That's nothing, I can stay underwater for 10 minutes using no type of equipment or air pockets!" The magician told the kid if he could do that, he'd give him $10,000. The kid did it and won the money. Can you figure out how?
Think about the words "underwater" and "no type of equipment or air pockets"... are they being used in the most obvious way?
The kid filled a glass of water and held it over his head for 10 minutes.
I am the beginning of sorrow and the end of sickness. You cannot express happiness without me, yet I am in the midst of crosses. I am always in risk, yet never in danger. You may find me in the sun, but I am never out of darkness. What am I?
Think about a single letter that can be found in many words related to the descriptions given...
When in hot water I get harder. I am only useful once broken. Some people eat only the white part for its low fat, high protein nutritional content. What am I?
Think about something you might find in a kitchen, but isn't always edible in its original form...
I'm the first thing you see in the morning and the last thing you see at night, I'm always there but you choose to ignore me, cross your eyes and you will see me. What am I?
I fly in the air, But I am not always there. I cannot be touched, But I can be felt or held. Think very hard, But if you live near the equator, You may have a tough time seeing me. What am I?
"Look up to the sky, but think about the seasons..."
I am a contained world that you can shake but please don't drop me because I may break. What am I ?
Think about something you can hold in your hand, with contents that can be disturbed by shaking, but are fragile and might shatter if not handled carefully...
Think about something that can be present in a room, yet doesn't occupy any physical area... It's not a living thing, but it can be felt by everyone in the room.
What is Greater than God, worse than evil, the poor have it, the rich require it and if you eat it you die?
Think about something that is often associated with power, yet can be a burden to those who have it, and is desperately needed by those who don't. It's a paradoxical concept that can be both coveted and feared.
Nothing. Nothing is better than God. Nothing is worse than evil. The poor have nothing. The rich don't have anything they have everything. If you eat nothing you die.
When you buy me I am costly, but the only use I have is just hanging.
What am I?
Think about something that is expensive to purchase, but its primary function is simply to be suspended or displayed, often adding aesthetic value rather than serving a practical purpose...