I Have Four Pairs of Letters

I have four pairs of letters,
Leaving two to stand alone.
You’re often doing the opposite,
When playing on your phone.

I help you get things done,
With one big caveat,
If taken to extremes,
I could make you fat.

What am I?

Efficiency. Being efficient helps you get things done, but if you’re extremely efficient with your tasks you get less exercise.

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From Diner to Menus

How can you go from DINER to MENUS, changing one letter at a time and forming another English word in each step?

DINER
MINER
MINES
MINUS
MENUS

Another option is:
DINER
DINES
MINES
MINUS
MENUS

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I Hide In A Dark Tunnel

I hide in a dark tunnel awaiting my time.
I can only be released by pulling back.
Once released, I may do unspeakable damage.

A bullet.

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If I Didn’t Exist, You Wouldn’t Either

I’m a six-letter word. If I did not exist, you wouldn’t either. With my first letter omitted I’m an alternative. The last three letters are feminine. The first four letters make an insect.

Who am I?

Mother

other = an alternative
her = feminine
moth = an insect

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What Can Fill a Bedroom But Fits in Your Pocket

A father gathered his three sons and told them he would die soon and needed to decide which son would inherit his land. He gave them the following test.

“Go to the market and purchase something that is large enough to fill my bedroom, but small enough to fit in your pocket. Based on what you bring I will decide which of you is wisest.”

All three sons went to the market in search of something to satisfy their father’s demands. When they returned the father gathered them in his bedroom.

The first son put down pieces of cloth that he had bought and laid them end to end across the room, but it barely covered any of the floor.

The second son laid down hay but there was only enough to cover part of the floor.

The third son showed his father what he had purchased and the father announced, “You are truly the wisest and will inherit my land.”

What did the third son bring?

A match.

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Your Mother’s Brother’s Brother-In-Law

I am your mother’s brother’s only brother-in-law. Who am I?

I am your father. L-u-u-u-u-u-u-ke!

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A Family of Seven

I’m a family of seven,
Two are bitter and harsh,
Four are twins,
The last is the warmest of all.

What family am I?

The Seven Seas. The first two are bitter and harsh, the north and south ones are the twins, and the Indian Ocean is the warmest of the bunch.

  1. Arctic Ocean
  2. Antarctic Ocean
  3. North Atlantic Ocean
  4. South Atlantic Ocean
  5. North Pacific Ocean
  6. South Pacific Ocean
  7. Indian Ocean
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All Things Devours

This thing all things devours,
Birds, beasts, trees, and flowers.
Gnaws iron bites steel,
Grinds hard stones to meal,
Slays king, ruins town,
And beats high mountain down

Time. Iron, steel, stone and virtually any substance will be worn down given enough time.

(From J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit)

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A Woman Shoots Her Husband

A woman shoots her husband, then holds him under water for five minutes. Finally, she hangs him. Five minutes later they enjoy a wonderful dinner together. How can this be?

She took a photo of him and developed it in the dark room.

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One By One We Fall From Heaven

I can be long, or I can be short.
I can be grown, and I can be bought.
I can be painted, or left bare.
I can be round, or square.
What am I?

Sands in an hourglass.

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