A group of about 50 people are anxiously watching a very animated gentleman who stands before them. The man speaks loudly and very rapidly to the group. He is standing behind an elevated table, and waves a wooden object while frequently repeating himself. The man continues to spew forth his manic repetitions while frequently pointing at individual members of the audience, until finally, he shouts out one word, while pointing directly at a specific member of the group --- sometimes even describing their appearance or the clothes they are wearing. After shouting the word, the man instantly becomes less agitated --- but soon, his manic mood returns to sweep over him. Is this man presently experiencing symptoms of manic-depressive illness with symptoms of rapid, pressured speech, or is there some less extreme reason for his behavior? If so, what exactly is going on here, and what is the one word he shouts which calms him?
Think back to a familiar scene, often found in a specific setting, where someone is enthusiastically addressing a crowd, using a particular object to emphasize their points...
The man is an auctioneer trying to get the highest bid for the objects he is selling. The wooden object he waves about is his auctioneer’s hammer. The one word he shouts which calms him for a short time is, “Sold!”
Jade works at a luxury store in the city. One day, a woman came up to her and decided to purchase a $1,000 purse. This customer gave Jade two bills and didn't even need change, but Jade refused to sell the item to the woman and called the police. Why?
The woman's payment method was quite... unusual.
The purse costs $1,000, but the woman gave Jade only two bills and didn't need any change. This means that the two bills were worth $500 each, and those bills don't exist.
I'm tempting, so it's said, I have a shiny coat of red, And my flesh is white beneath. I smell so sweet, Taste good to eat, And help to guard your teeth.
What am I?
Think about something you might find in a kitchen, often associated with oral health, and has a dual-colored appearance...
A man runs along a hall with a piece of paper. When the lights flicker, he drops to his knees and begins to cry. Why?
Think about a specific activity that people often do in a hall with a piece of paper, and how the flickering lights might be a crucial part of that activity...
He is running to deliver a pardon, and the flickering lights indicate the convict to be pardoned has just been electrocuted.
There is a pink single-story house and everything in it is pink. The doors are pink, the windows are pink and the TV is pink. What color are the stairs?
If someone says to you, "I'll bet you $1 that if you give me $2, I will give you $3 in return", would this be a good bet for you to accept?
Think about the transaction, not the bet.
No. This is a situation where you lose even if you win. Assuming the other person is being wise, they would take your $2 and say, "I lose", and give you $1 in return. You win the bet, but you're out $1.
When completed in 1889 the Eiffel Tower was something of a sensation. Designed by the French engineer Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel its height is 492 feet plus half its own height.
How high is the Eiffel tower?
A man had a bar of lead that weighed 40 lbs., and he divided it into four pieces in such a way as to allow him to weigh any number of pounds from one to forty. What are the weights of the four pieces?
Think about the binary number system and how it can be used to represent different weights...
A hunter met two shepherds, one of whom had three loaves and the other, five loaves. All the loaves were the same size. The three men agreed to share the eight loaves equally between them. After they had eaten, the hunter gave the shepherds eight bronze coins as payment for his meal. How should the two shepherds fairly divide this money?
Think about the value of each loaf in terms of bronze coins...
The shepherd who had three loaves should get one coin and the shepherd who had five loaves should get seven coins. If there were eight loaves and three men, each man ate two and two-thirds loaves. So the first shepherd gave the hunter one-third of a loaf and the second shepherd gave the hunter two and one-third loaves. The shepherd who gave one-third of a loaf should get one coin and the one who gave seven-thirds of a loaf should get seven coins.
How many cats are in a small room if in each of the four corners a cat is sitting, and opposite each cat there sit three cats, and a each cat's tail another is sitting?
Think about the phrase "opposite each cat" very carefully...
Four cats, each near a tail of a cat in an adjacent corner.
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.
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.
A magician had a water glass that was filled to the top. Holding the glass above his head he let it drop to the carpet without spilling a single drop of water. How could he manage to drop the glass from a height of six feet and not spill any water?
Where does tomorrow come before yesterday, and where does today come before yesterday?
Think about a place where words are arranged in a specific order, and the answer might become clear!
The answer is in dictionary. Explanation: Well the logic used to solve this riddle is that in the dictionary, words or letters are organized Alphabetically and hence Today comes before Yesterday because in the alphabet order alphabetically, the letter T comes before the Letter Y. I hope this helps
There was a man who everybody called Batman he knew nothing about bats and thought they were gross. He still loved it when people called him Batman! How could this be?
Think about the name "Batman" and how it might be related to the man's profession or characteristics, rather than his knowledge of or affinity for bats.
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...
A little pool with two layers of wall around it. One white and soft and the other dark and hard, amidst a light brown grassy lawn with an outline of green grass. What am I?
Think about something you might find in a backyard or a park, and consider the different textures and colors mentioned in the riddle...
I do not breathe, but I run and jump. I do not eat, but I swim and stretch. I do not drink, but I sleep and stand. I do not think, but I grow and play. I do not see, but you see me every day. What am I?
Think about something that can be found in nature, is always present, and goes through different stages or forms...
You see me at night, by day you tell everyone about me. I come back looking differently than before. I sometime leave you in the darkness. What am I?
"Think about something that changes its appearance, but its essence remains the same, and it's often discussed during the day, but experienced at night..."
People make jokes about me running. I store items for you so they don't go bad. I light up when you open the door. What am I?
Think about a common household item that's often the butt of jokes about speed, has a specific purpose for preserving things, and has a distinctive feature that illuminates when you interact with it...
I am nothing, I am everything. I am perfect dark, I am the brightest lights. I am hungry, I am full. I am nowhere, I am everywhere. I am unseen, I am watched by millions. What am I?
Think about something that can be both absent and present, and can be perceived in different ways by different people...
They say the eyes are windows to your soul, But yet I had no soul, From time to time I always stand tall, An immortal, Nothing could move me, If I could, I would run as fast as I could, Feeling the wind carry me beneath my feet, But alas, I can not, The Medusa's Curse. What am I?
Here's a hint: Think about something that can be found in a statue...
I was developed during the Manhattan Project. I was conceived by Einstein, and built by a team led by Robert Oppenheimer, in Los Alamos, New Mexico. I was built in 1942. The U.S. was the first to develop me, with the help of German, Italian, and American scientists. I work by converting mass to energy, by splitting Uranium with Neutrons, which creates fission. This creates an explosion. My explosion is the release of nuclear energy. There are four parts to my explosion 1) the blast wave, 2) the thermal radiation, 3) initial nuclear radiation, and 4) residual nuclear radiation. As a single explosion, I destroyed more lives and property and injured more people, than any other explosion during all of World War II. What am I?
"Think big, think powerful, think destructive... and think atomic."
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...
I can kill people, but without me there would be no people. I was born long ago and will someday die. I can cause fire and am a magician with water. I have more brothers than any person. There is very little that can stop me.
What am I?
Think about something that's essential for human existence, yet can also be deadly if not controlled. It's been around since ancient times, and its power can be both creative and destructive.
There is a word. It has five letters. Its last three letters refer to a skill of creating objects. Its middle three letters refer to one of the parts found at either side of your head. Its first two letters signify a male. The first four letters of it is the ability to use its middle three letters to detect sound. Its whole is found in you. What word is it ?
"Listen carefully to the answer, it's in your ear..."
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...
What's the first game in the Bible? If you are an American and you live in America you have to of played it, definitely if you're a boy. Hint: it's a traditional sport in the U.S.
Think about a popular outdoor game that's been around for centuries, often played in backyards and fields, and has a strong connection to American culture...
Baseball Why: because In the big inning, Eve stole first, Adam stole second. Cain struck out Abel, and the Prodigal Son came home. The Giants and the Angels were rained out. Ha ha ha ha ha
What is served, but not by a waiter; and an ace but not a card?
A volleyball: A volleyball serve that drops without the opposing team touching it is called an ace. Also, a tennis ball. In tennis, an ace is a legal serve that is not touched by the receiver, winning the point for the server.
A woman went to visit her bank manager and she took her young daughter with her. The bank manager said that the woman's daughter could stay with his secretary during the meeting. When the woman and her daughter left, the secretary turned to the other secretary and said to her, "That little girl was my daughter." How could that be?