A man wanted to enter an exclusive club but did not know the password that was required. He waited by the door and listened. A club member knocked on the door and the doorman said, "twelve." The member replied, "six " and was let in. A second member came to the door and the doorman said, "six." The member replied, "three" and was let in. The man thought he had heard enough and walked up to the door. The doorman said ,"ten" and the man replied, "five." But he was not let in. What should have he said?
Think about the relationship between the numbers the doorman says and the numbers the members respond with...
Three. The doorman lets in those who answer with the number of letters in the word the doorman says.
A king has no sons, no daughters, and no queen. For this reason, he must decide who will take the throne after he dies. To do this he decides that he will give all of the children of the kingdom a single seed. Whichever child has the largest, most beautiful plant will earn the throne; this is a metaphor for the kingdom. At the end of the contest, all of the children came to the palace with their enormous and beautiful plants in hand. After he looks at all of the children's pots, he finally decides that the little girl with an empty pot will be the next Queen. Why did he choose this little girl over all of the other children with their beautiful plants?
The king was not looking for the child who could grow the most beautiful plant, but rather the child who could understand and respect the rules and conditions of the kingdom.
The king gave them all fake seeds; he chose the little girl who was honest and didn't switch seeds.
Three men, three women, and six young children are all seated around a table, staring at a dead body. This is neither a wake nor a funeral, and no one at the table appears to be distressed or sad. In fact, everyone appears to be smiling. The oldest of the three men, an elderly man with a grizzled, white beard, stands up and instructs everyone at the table to lower their heads, as he proceeds to say a few words over the deceased. The old man then says one final word, picks up a long, sharp knife, and plunges it into the corpse on the table --- much to the delight of the onlookers! Will the evils of this world never cease?! Must children be forced to watch these types of twisted, warped proceedings; or are these events less horrid than they appear? What is the one final word said by the old man with the white beard, and just what exactly is going on here?
"Think about a special occasion where people gather around a table, and a ritual is performed with a specific object..."
The family members are all sitting around a table waiting for the man with the white beard to say his prayer of thanks for all of God’s blessings to them. The last word of his prayer is, “Amen”, after which, he proceeds to carve the Thanksgiving turkey, which is the dead body laying on the table.
Little William Dilly, a five-year-old kindergarten student, approached his mother after school one day and related the following story: "Today in school I saw a man-eating lion! Then I saw a man-eating tiger! Then I saw a man-eating panther!" "That’s nice," his mother replied, only half listening to him. William continued; "And then I saw a man-eating camel and a man-eating zebra, and a man-eating sheep!" This caught his mother’s attention. "Did your class go to the zoo today? I sent no permission slip; or is your wild imagination exposing itself again --- because there are no camels, zebras, or sheep that eat people," his mother replied. "Honest, mom! I really did see everything I just told you!" Indeed, young William had seen everything he had reported to his mother. How could it be possible for William to have actually seen all he claimed to see?
Think about a place where you would typically find pictures or representations of these animals, rather than the animals themselves.
Little William’s kindergarten teacher was a man who enjoyed having fun with his students. At lunchtime that day, he took out a box of animal crackers, and holding up one animal at a time he would announce to the class, “You are now seeing a man eating lion, or a man eating sheep,” etc., and then proceed to eat each cracker, much to the children’s amusement. Little William was just reporting what he had seen his teacher doing and saying that day.
Mrs. Tatum assigned a massive summer assignment to her students–they each had to learn a new language. It could be any language they wanted to learn, though. After the summer break, Mrs. Tatum asked her students what languages they had been learning, and how it had been going. Christopher said, "I enjoy learning Mandarin!". Anthony said, "I've been learning Brazilian; it was really difficult but interesting!". Gianna said, "I chose to learn German because my ancestors are from Germany!". Mrs. Tatum did not believe one of her students. Who is lying?
Hint: Pay attention to the language names and their corresponding countries.
Anthony is lying. He couldn't be learning Brazilian because this "language" doesn't exist; people speak Portuguese in Brazil.
A bus driver goes the wrong way on a one-way street. He passes two stop signs without stopping, and he even ignores all of the traffic signs. The driver passes the cops, but they don't arrest him. Why?
Think about the driver's occupation and the circumstances under which he is operating the bus...
Nowhere in this riddle did I say that the bus driver was actually driving a bus; after all, he was walking!
Charlotte is a runaway criminal. She needs to get a haircut so that the police officers do not recognize her right away. There are only two hairdressers in her town, however; the first salon is run by Thomas–he has a super messy haircut and his shop is super dirty. And the second salon is run by Debbie–she has a super neat haircut and her shop is super clean. Which hairdresser should Charlotte choose for a nice haircut?
Think about what would make Charlotte's new haircut more suspicious to the police...
Charlotte should choose Thomas. Since there are only two hairdressers in her town, they can't cut their own hair; they gave haircuts to each other (Thomas cuts Debbie's hair, and Debbie cuts Thomas' hair). Since Thomas must have been the one to give Debbie a neat haircut, and Debbie must have been the one to give Thomas a messy haircut, Thomas is much more professional, and Charlotte should get her hair done by him.
Billy and Sally set out on a journey to visit a famous castle, but they both forgot to bring any food, water, or money with them. At the onset of their trip, they saw a beautiful rainbow in the sky which they considered to be a good omen. Fortunately for them, along the way, they found some friendly individuals who offered them some high-calorie treats to eat --- gumdrops and peanut brittle being two examples. At one dangerous point in their journey, they had to pass through a swamp, but fortunately, no alligators were seen. Finally, they arrived at the castle, and after a brief visit there, they left the castle, went to a nearby eatery, and had tuna fish sandwiches for lunch. Where in the world was this famous castle located?
Think about the treats they found on their journey and the type of eatery they visited after leaving the castle...
Billy and Sally were children, playing a game of Candy Land.
Miya had a birthday party. She invited three friends over-Derek, Trevor, and Amanda-who each gave her some gifts. In the middle of the party, Miya realizes that someone has stolen all of her gifts. She thinks it is one of the guests, so she questions them. Each guest makes two assertions-one truth and one lie. Derek: "I wasn't in the house when it happened. I know Amanda stole the gifts". Trevor: "Amanda stole them, I saw them. I already have enough gifts". Amanda: "I didn't steal the gifts. Derek tells the truth, he wasn't in the house". Who stole the gifts?
Pay close attention to the statements that mention another person's whereabouts or honesty, as they can be used to verify or contradict each other.
Trevor stole the gifts. If Derek was the thief, both of his assertions would have been false. And if Amanda was the thief, both of Derek's assertions would have been true. Both cases go against the rules, so Trevor is the thief.
What is the missing half of each word pair?
1. Hot and
2. Lock and
3. Black and
4. Scream and
5. Body and
6. Left and
7. Bacon and
8. Cat and
9. Up and
10. Burgers and
Think about things that are often paired together in everyday life, like common phrases or items that go hand-in-hand. The answers might be more obvious than you think!
1. Cold
2. Key
3. White/Blue
4. Shout
5. Soul
6. Right
7. Eggs
8. Mouse
9. Down
10. Fries
Four letters form me quite complete, As all who breathe do show; Reversed, you'll find I am the seat Of infamy and woe. Transposed, you'll see I'm base and mean, Again of Jewish race; Transposed once more, I oft am seen To hide a lovely face.
What are the five words?
Think about words that are closely related to human identity and can be rearranged to convey different meanings or characteristics. The answer is a set of four-letter words that can be anagrammed to reveal distinct aspects of a person.
Whether the weather is hot or cold, I will take you wherever you need to go. The direction you take will determine the place. There may be the most difficult roads, but they often lead to the most beautiful destinations. What am I?
Think about something that can be used in various weather conditions, and its purpose is to guide or direct you to a specific location...
There is a common English word that is nine letters long. Each time you remove a letter from it, it still remains an English word - from nine letters right down to a single letter. What is the original word, and what are the words that it becomes after removing one letter at a time?
Here's a hint: The original word is a type of activity that people often do in their free time.
The base word is Startling - starting - staring - string - sting - sing - sin - in - I
Tom walks into a room and see three monkeys. One monkey holds a banana, another monkey holds a stick, and the last monkey holds nothing. Who is the smartest primate in the room?
Think about who is observing the scene...
Assuming that Tom is a human, then he is the smartest primate in the room because humans are also primates.
King Tut died 120 years after King Eros was born. Their combined age when they died was 100 years. King Eros died in the year 40 B.C. In what year was King Tut born?
Think about working backwards in time...
King Tut was born in 20 B.C. There were 120 years between the birth of King Eros and the death of King Tut, but since their ages amounted to only 100 years, there must have been 20 years when neither existed. This would be a period between the death of King Eros, 40 B.C., and the birth of King Tut, 20 B.C.
A man has nine children, born at regular intervals. The sum of their squares of their ages is equal to the square of his own age.
What are the ages of the children?
Think algebraically and consider the pattern of consecutive integers...
An item is made from lead blanks in a lathe shop. Each blank suffices for 1 item. Lead shavings accumulated for making 6 items can be melted and made into a blank. How many items can be made from 36 blanks?
From 36 blanks there are 36 items made. The lead shavings are enough to make 6 blanks. Which make 6 more items. But don't stop here. The new shavings are good for 1 more item. Total: 43.
Robert and David were preparing to have a water balloon fight. "No Fair" cried Robert, "You have 3 times as many as I do!" David said "Fine!" and gave Robert 10 more balloons. "Still not fair!" argued Robert, "You still have twice as many as I do." How many more balloons must David give Robert for them to have the same number?
Think about the ratios of balloons between Robert and David before and after David gives Robert 10 more balloons...
David must give Robert another 20 water balloons, giving them each 60. Robert started with 30 water balloons and David with 90.
Two cops walked into a room with no windows and found a dead man who obviously hung himself from the ceiling, though they couldn't figure out how. There was no chair beneath him that he might have jumped off of, or a table. Just a puddle of water. How'd he do it?
Think about the puddle of water... it's not just a random detail.
Ten men, five women, and 15 three-year-olds are being watched by thousands of cheering people. The men and the women and the three-year-olds are observed slowly entering 15 box-like structures, each having iron bars in the front. The men and women are not related to the three-year-olds, but at times witnesses have reported seeing these adults whip these three-year-olds to force them to obey their commands. Fortunately, the barred doors suddenly spring open and the men, women, and three-year-olds make their escape; however, they are easily tracked, as they always feel compelled to travel to the left, and never to the right. The thousands of people watching these proceedings are all waiting to see who will be the first to meet their end. These circumstances are inexcusable in a civilized society! How can thousands of people just idly sit by and cheer while a group of men and women whip a bunch of three-year-olds before their very eyes? What is wrong with society? Or, is there a simple explanation for these bizarre-sounding events? Just what exactly is going on here?
Think about a popular form of entertainment that involves racing and a specific type of vehicle...
With a maximum of 20 entrants in each race, the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont Stakes feature only three-year-old thoroughbreds racing from their starting gates to their end at the finish line. Not all of the jockeys use whips on their horses, but many still do. By the way, to answer the title question: at the start of every race, they are not on —— They’re off!!!
A boy leaves home in the morning to go to school. At the moment he leaves the house he looks at the clock in the mirror. The clock has no number indication and for this reason, the boy makes a mistake in interpreting the time (mirror-image). Just assuming the clock must be out of order, the boy cycles to school, where he arrives after twenty minutes. At that moment the clock at school shows a time that is two and a half hours later than the time that the boy saw on the clock at home. What time is it?
Think about what happens when you look at a clock in a mirror...
The difference between the real time and the time of the mirror image is two hours and ten minutes (two and a half hours, minus the twenty minutes of cycling). Therefore, the original time on the clock at home that morning could only have been five minutes past seven: The difference between these clocks is exactly 2 hours and ten minutes (note that also five minutes past one can be mirrored in a similar way, but this is not in the morning!). Conclusion: The boy reaches school at five minutes past seven plus twenty minutes of cycling, which is twenty-five minutes past seven!...
I can sizzle like bacon, I am made with an egg, I have plenty of backbone, but lack a good leg, I peel layers like onions, but still remain whole, I can be long, like a flagpole, yet fit in a hole, What am I?
Shiver me timbers! Here's a hint: It's a word that pirates use to express enthusiasm or excitement, and it's often shouted loudly when they discover hidden treasure!
Spelled forwards I'm what you do every day, Spelled backward I'm something you hate. What am I?
Think about a common daily activity that involves a word that can be spelled forwards and backwards, and consider how the reversed spelling might evoke a strong negative emotion...
I weaken all men for hours each day. I show you strange visions while you are away. I take you by night, by day take you back, None suffer to have me, but do from my lack.
What am I?
You're often found in the darkest of places, yet you're a common companion to many...
I have a scent. You use me everyday. The more you use, the more you take away. What am I?
Think about something you use daily, perhaps in the morning, and its purpose is to remove or take away something, but in doing so, it leaves a pleasant smell behind...
White we are, strong we are; but can be easily shaken and weakened, easily stained and dirtied; None was found at first, then one appeared; afterward, more are seen and thirty-two appear at last, we all stand waiting for our prey. The food you eat is our prey and we all are in you. What are we?
Think about something that starts out pure and strong, but can be affected by external factors. It's related to the human body, and there's a specific number of them that you might find in a healthy adult...
I am an object. I move from left to right. Anytime I move, I bleed on what is below me. I can't move without you. I move only when you uses me. What am I?
Think about something you use to write or draw, and the "bleeding" might make more sense...
I am hewn from Earth and Fire; But to the sky, I aspire. I am nothing but contented; Until my patient rage is vented. What am I?
Think about something that's created through geological processes, involving heat and pressure, and is often associated with calmness, yet can unleash tremendous power when provoked...
One way I'm loose, one way I'm tight;
Out with left, in with right.
What am I?
Think about something you use every day, that has a specific way of being turned or moved, and its "looseness" or "tightness" depends on the direction of that movement...
'Tis found in our troubles, 'tis mixed with our pleasures, 'Tis laid up above with our heavenly treasures; 'Tis whispered in heaven, and 'tis muttered in hell, And it findeth a place in each sybilline spell; In Paradise nestled, 'mid Eden's fair flowers, It has sported with Eve in rose-perfumed bowers; 'Tis muttered in curses, yet breathed in our prayers; From the path of our duty it tempts us in snares. Deep, deep in our hearts you will find it engraved; Though in misery sunk, yet from sin it is saved. 'Tis found in the stream that flows on to the ocean; Though in bustle forever, 'tis ne'er in commotion. 'Tis wafted afar o'er the land in each breath; In the grave 'tis decaying-you'll find it in death. It is floating away on the broad stream of time, Yet it findeth a place in eternity's clime. In the legends of nations it holdeth a place; There's no charm without it to the beautiful face. In thunder you'll hear it, if closely you listen; In moonbeam and sunbeam forever 'twill glisten. In the dew-drop it sparkles; 'tis found in the forest; It whispers in peace when our need is the sorest. What am I?
Pay attention to the words that describe its presence and behavior, such as "whispered", "muttered", "breathed", "wafted", and "sparkles". It's something that can be found in various forms and is often associated with sounds and movements.
It has five wheels, though often think four, You cannot use it without that one more, You can put things in it, you can strap things on top, You can't find it in the market, but you can still go shopping. What is it?
What is the most complex thing man has yet we use it every day?
Think about something that is intricate, made up of many parts, and is essential to your daily life... It's not a device or a machine, but rather something that is uniquely human.
White bird, featherless, flyin' out o' paradise, flyin' over sea and land, dyin' in my hand. What is it?
Think about something that's often associated with paradise, and is typically white, but doesn't have feathers. Also, consider the phrase "dying in my hand" quite literally...
In the olden days, you are a clever thief charged with treason against the king and sentenced to death. But the king decided to be a little lenient and let you choose your own way to die. What way should you choose?
Think about a method of execution that is dependent on the actions of others, rather than your own...
One is very hard to get, yet every man wishes to get one. The other is very easy to get, yet no one wishes to get it. Every man's work is to get one at last. What are they?
Think about two things that are universal human experiences, one that people strive for and another that people try to avoid, yet ultimately, everyone will face...
Success and Failure! Other answers maybe accepted.
I exist, but have no material form. I am made of numbers, but appear square. I build upon other of my own, but do not topple down. I sit still and do nothing, but I'm still useful. What am I?
Think about something you might find in a math textbook or a calculator, and consider the multiple meanings of the word "square"...
If you screw a light bulb into a socket by turning the bulb toward the right with your right hand, which way would you turn the socket with your left hand in order to unscrew it while holding the bulb stationary?
I saw a man in white, he looked quite a sight. He was not old, but he stood in the cold. And when he felt the sun, he started to run. Please answer me.
Who could he be?
Here's a hint: Think about something you might find in your freezer.
A father and son were in a car accident where the father was killed. The ambulance brought the son to the hospital. He needed immediate surgery. In the operating room, a doctor came in and looked at the little boy and said I can't operate on him he is my son.
Who is the doctor?
The hint is: Think outside the traditional family structure.