Josephine is a young, single woman who is gainfully employed. When working at her job, she dresses informally and wears comfortable shoes, including loafers and flats, but she hates clogs. Being single, she wears no wedding ring, but on the job, she carries many rings of various sizes with her. Josephine enjoys music, and to her job, she always brings several tapes with her, but she never listens to any of them. This woman possesses several tools, one of which bears the name of a tree-dwelling animal, and she uses this tool frequently. Finally, as part of her job, Josephine is a snake-handler, and she can proudly say she has never been bitten by one. What exactly is this young woman's occupation?
Think about a profession where rings, tapes, and tools are essential, and snakes are commonly found...
Josephine is a Plumber. She hates Clogs. She carries rubber O-rings to fix faucets. She uses plumbers Tape and a Tape measure. She uses a Monkey wrench. She also uses a Drain Snake to clear clogged pipes.
Ralph is a very controlling person who totally dominates his partner, Sam. When Sam is in Ralph's presence, Sam is never allowed to speak, eat, or drink anything without Ralph's permission. Perhaps this is because Ralph is 6 feet six inches tall, and Sam, being less than 5 feet tall, is intimidated by Ralph's stature. Whatever the cause, most people hearing these facts would think this situation is nearly criminal; but not Sam. In fact, there are certain times when Ralph gives him permission, that Sam speaks some very sarcastic words right to Ralph's face, and sometimes even verbally abuses Ralph. In retaliation, Ralph once again silences Sam, deciding when and if Sam should ever be allowed to speak. Ralph, when in the presence of others with Sam, appears to put on a good front by putting his hand on Sam's back, hoping to show his friendship and concern for Sam. Why hasn't anyone called DCFS on behalf of poor Sam --- and what about Sam's right to free speech; or are things not quite what they appear to be? Just what is going on here?
Think about a situation where someone's "permission" is necessary for another person to "speak, eat, or drink" - but it's not about abuse or control. Consider a context where Ralph's "stature" is relevant, but not just because of his height.
Two male members of the aristocracy are positioned to engage in battle against one another. Their wives, undaunted and loyal, stand beside their husbands, despite the dangers of the impending conflict. The strength of each of the opposing forces is equal, but small, with a mere 14 fighting men for each force, aside from the husbands and their wives. The combat is about to commence, so I ask you ------- Which army will make the first move?
Think about a game, not a real battle...
The White Army. White always is required to make the first move ----- in a game of chess.
A man and a woman are talking to each other. One of them is a brunette, while the other person is blond. The brunette says, "I'm a lady,". And the blond person says, "I'm a gentleman,". Assuming that at least one person is lying, can you guess who's who?
Think about the words "lady" and "gentleman" and how they relate to the hair colors mentioned...
If we suppose that only one person is lying, then the people would either be both ladies or both gentlemen, which contradicts the first statement. Therefore, both people lied; the woman has blond hair, while the man had brunette hair.
Vanessa is a bilingual student; she speaks English and German. However, she hasn't been preparing for her exams. She decides to complete all of her exams in German. When most of her teachers see her exams, they don't understand what she's written and give her the tests back. However, one of Vanessa's teachers figured out what she was doing and gave her an F-. Which teacher was that?
Think about the one teacher who would likely be familiar with the language Vanessa chose to write her exams in...
It was Vanessa's math teacher who failed her. Math is mostly numbers, so the girl's math teacher could understand everything and check the exam.
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?
Two teenagers, covered in tattoos and dressed in black leather jackets with chains around their necks, strutted into a local business. Each of the teens was carrying a long, tapered, hardwood stick. When they entered the room, they arrogantly announced in a loud voice, "We are here to beat everyone in this room, and no one can stop us!" Several of the patrons started to leave out the back door, fearing a confrontation was unavoidable. The two, true to their words, proceeded to beat everyone in the room with their sticks, despite being heavily outnumbered. Everyone who dared to stand up to them was beaten in turn, but no one called the police to stop the beatings, and the owner of the establishment thanked them for coming --- and even welcomed them back! Has society completely fallen to pieces, or is there some rational explanation for these events?
Think "profession" rather than "punk rock" when considering the teenagers' attire and behavior.
The two talented teens had gone to either a local youth center, or to a local pool hall, where they successfully challenged and defeated each of the willing patrons there in the game of pool.
Think about what makes a pin "bad" and what makes a lead pencil "broken"... Both have something in common that makes them useless for their intended purposes.
A hiker comes to a fork in the road and doesn't know which way to go to reach his destination. There are two men at the fork, one of whom always tells the truth while the other always lies. The hiker doesn't know which is which, though. He may ask one of the men only one question to find his way. Which man does he ask, and what is the question?
Think about asking a question that will give you the same answer from both the truth-teller and the liar...
Either man should be asked the following question: "If I were to ask you if this is the way I should go, would you say yes?" While asking the question, the hiker should be pointing at either of the directions going from the fork.
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.
There are 2 cops parked along a one-way street looking for traffic violations. They spot a taxi driver going in the wrong direction, yet they do nothing.
Why?
Think about the situation from a different perspective... Are the cops really "looking" at the taxi driver?
The taxi driver wasn't driving at the time, he was walking.
A woman who lived in Germany during World War II wanted to cross the German/Swiss border in order to escape Nazi pursuers. The bridge which she is to cross is a half mile across, over a large canyon. Every three minutes a guard comes out of his bunker and checks if anyone is on the bridge. If a person is caught trying to escape from the German side to the Swiss side they are shot. If caught crossing the other direction without papers they are sent back. She knows that it takes at least five minutes to cross the bridge, at which time the guard will see her crossing and shoot her. How does she get across?
Think about the guard's routine and how the woman can use it to her advantage. Consider what would happen if she started crossing the bridge, but not necessarily from the German side...
She waits until the guard is inside his hut, then walks halfway across before starting to walk back. The guard, seing she has no papers, sends her "back".
You have two coins, and their total value is 11¢. One of the coins is not a penny. What are the two coins?
Think about the possibilities for the non-penny coin...
The two coins are a dime and a penny. I said "ONE of the coins is not a penny"; if one of the coins is not a penny, then the other coin IS a penny. The coin that is not a penny has to be a dime because the total value should be 11¢.
As I traveled up and down our great glorious country, I found myself in a place where the tempature goes up sharply in the day and down at night. This had an effect on my watch, I noticed it was 1/2 a minute faster at nightfall, but at dawn it had lost 1/3 minute, making it only 1/6 minute fast.
One morning- May 1- my watch showed the right time. By what date was it 5 minutes faster?
In 24 hours the watch gained 1/2-1/3= 1/6 minute. It would seem it would be 5 minutes fast in 5 X 6= 30 days; that is,the morning of May 31. But already on the morning of May 28 the was 27/6= 4 1/2 minutes fast. At the close of the day the watch gained 1/2 minute more, so it was 5 minutes fast on may 28.
Two blondes were going to Disneyland and came to a fork in the road. One way said Highway 93 right and the other said Disneyland left.
Why did the blondes go home?
Think about the typical characteristics associated with Disneyland...
Because they thought that Disneyland actually left.
A young, meek woman travels to a foreign land but accidentally kills an older woman when she arrives there. The young woman is very surprised to hear only cheers and praise from the large group of witnesses to the older woman's death ------ in fact, the entire group honors and thanks her for the killing. But the story doesn't end there, as the young woman later teams up with three males who agree to assist her in attempting to murder the sister of the dead woman. Having developed a taste for blood, the young woman, with the help of her gang of three males, manages to murder the second sister, much to the delight of an oddly dressed battalion of soldiers. This young woman is never tried for either of the killings and eventually, she returns home. What kind of warped justice is this? Two killings ------ one a definite murder, and not even an indictment? What in the world is going on here?
Think about a game, not a real-life scenario...
Your questions will all be answered by watching the classic movie, "The Wizard of Oz".
I'm as small as an ant, as big as a whale. I'll approach like a breeze but can come like a gale. By some, I get hit, but all have shown fear. I'll dance to the music, though I can't hear. Of names, I have many, of names I have one. I'm as slow as a snail, but from me, you can't run. What am I?
I am a word of six; my first three letters refer to an automobile; my last three letters refer to a household animal; my first four letters is a fish; my whole is found in your room. What am I?
I have no voice and yet I speak to you, I tell of all things in the world that people do. I have leaves, but I am not a tree, I have pages, but I am not a bride or royalty. I have a spine and hinges, but I am not a man or a door, I have told you all, I cannot tell you more. What am I?
Think about something you might find in a library or a bookshelf, something that conveys information and stories, but isn't a living thing...
A thousand colored folds stretch toward the sky, Atop a tender strand, Rising from the land, 'Til killed by maiden's hand, Perhaps a token of love, perhaps to say goodbye. What am I?
Think delicate, think fragile, think something often associated with emotions and gestures...
Remove my forth letter and the first three letters will spell a school subject. My last five letters spell something that happens when swallowing a carrot whole. My whole spells a vegetable. What am I?
Think about a common vegetable that has a strong connection to education...
You use me everyday but let me rest at night. I have an identical twin beside me all the time. For some reason you always cover me up. I am not alive but I have a soul. What am I?
Think about something you use daily, has a "twin" or duplicate part, and is often concealed or protected...
I possess a halo of water, walls of stone, and a tongue of wood. Long I have stood; what am I?
Think about a structure that's often found near a body of water, has a stone foundation, and features a wooden component that "speaks" or provides information...
I have many purposes for everyone, maybe a home, maybe some fun. I grow really tall and live a long time but once I get too old I just fall down and die. What am I?
Think about something that serves multiple purposes, provides shelter, and can be a source of entertainment... and don't forget to consider its life cycle!
My author's uncertain yet my title's the same, I contain random text yet order's my aim. Read me one day and see my pages are totally bare. Try again another day and the words will be there. I'm not a book of magic although it may sound, I can predict the future, and inside, your life can be found. Move my eye, I become involved in lactic extraction. But that's just a clue, a minor distraction.
What am I?
Pay attention to the objects you use daily, especially ones that can change their "content" or "pages" over time, and have a "title" that remains the same.
I am the center of gravity, hold a capital situation in Vienna, and as I am foremost in every victory, am allowed by all to be invaluable. Though I am invisible, I am clearly seen in the midst of a river. I could name three who are in love with me and have three associates in vice. It is vain that you seek me for I have long been in heaven yet even now lie embalmed in the grave. What am I?
"Think about a concept, not a physical object, and consider the multiple meanings of the words used in the riddle, especially those that can be interpreted as both literal and figurative."
This thing runs but cannot walk, sometimes sings but never talks. Lacks arms, has hands; lacks a head but has a face. What is it?
Think about something you might find in a public place, often in a city or town, that has a "face" that shows information, and "hands" that move in a circular motion...
It goes up, but at the same time goes down. Up toward the sky, and down toward the ground. It's present tense and past tense too, come for a ride, just me and you. What is it?
Think about something that can move in opposite directions simultaneously, and consider the dual meaning of a word that can represent both a current and a past action...
What was the biggest island in the world before the discovery of Australia by Captain Cook?
Think about the question carefully... the answer is not a geographical location, but rather a play on words. The "biggest island" is not a physical island at all...
Australia was always the biggest island in the world, even before it was discovered.
If boiling water is poured into a thick drinking glass as well as a very thin wine glass. Which of the two is more likely to crack?
"Think about how the temperature change affects the material, and which one is more prone to sudden stress..."
The thick glass is more likely to crack since glass is a poor conductor of heat. In a thin glass, the heat passes more quickly from the glass into the surrounding air, causing the glass to expand equally. When hot water is poured into a thick glass, the inner surface expands, but the outer surface does not. It is this extreme stress on the glass that causes it to crack.
You use me for my name, I'm not a breeze to tame, I'm fastest when I'm full and when it's cheap it sounds the same. You'll spot a nest near me (although I'm not a tree), the sea is fore, the sea is aft, it's all around, you see. What am I?
"Think about something you might find near the ocean, and consider the multiple meanings of a certain word..."
Four jolly men sat down to play, And played all night till break of day. They played for cash and not for fun, With a separate score for every one. When it came time to square accounts, they all had made quite fair amounts. Now, not one has lost and all have gained - Tell me now, this can you explain?
The four jolly men are members of an orchestra hired to play at a dance.
I am a 5-letter word. Take away the first letter and I am a place's name. Take away the first two letters and I become the opposite of the 5 letter word. What am I?
Think about a common, everyday word that can be associated with a location, and consider the concept of "opposites" in your answer.
Once upon a time there was a happy family in a dome-shaped house the family consisted of a mother, a father, a chef, a maid, a brother, a sister, and a little kitty named Bubbles. The mother and father went out one night and remembered to lock the doors. When they came home the cat had sadly passed. They questioned everyone. The boy said he was playing video games with the girl, the girl also said they were playing video games. The maid said she was dusting the corners in the house and the chef said he was sharpening the knife to cut the freshly baked apple pie. Who killed bubbles?
Pay close attention to the shape of the house...
The maid! There are no corners in a dome shaped house. Mew!
The less of them you have; the more one is worth. Who/What are they?
Think about something that becomes more valuable or precious when you have fewer of them, perhaps something that's often associated with scarcity or rarity...