In Different Ways It’s Proudly Shown

In different ways, it’s proudly shown,
though many like it to have been sewn.
It’s never torn from being worn,
but when it’s torn, it should be burned.

A flag. They are displayed proudly in a variety of ways and are sewn on shirts. They are discarded from being too worn, but if torn or worn, they’re burned out of respect.

By Sef Daystrom

Posted in Riddles

Secure Spy Transfer

You are a spy and need to send an item to a contact in another country without letting anyone else have access to it. All unlocked items will be opened in transit. How can you send this item securely?

Place a lock on the item and send it to your contact. They will place their own lock on the package and return it to you. You remove your lock and send it back. When they receive it, they can unlock the package and retrieve the item.

Posted in Brain Teasers

A Most Unusual Paragraph

This is a most unusual paragraph. How quickly can you find out what is so unusual about it? It looks so ordinary you’d think nothing was wrong with it – and in fact, nothing is wrong with it. It is unusual though. Why? Study it, think about it, and you may find out. Try to do it without coaching. If you work at it for a bit it will dawn on you. So jump to it and try your skill at figuring it out. Good luck! Don’t blow your cool!

The most common letter in the English language, the letter e, is not found in the entire paragraph.

Posted in Riddles

Ethan’s Grand Night Out

Ethan was going for a night out but his key fob battery had died and the button wouldn’t unlock his car door. How was he able to get in?

He used the key embedded in the key fob.

Posted in Brain Teasers

I Sleep By Day

I sleep by day, I fly by night. I have no feathers to aid my flight. What am I?

A bat.

Posted in Riddles
Tagged with

Stand Take Mine

What does this sentence represent?

Stand   Take  Mine  Taking
  I     You    To     My

I understand you undertake to undermine my undertaking.

Posted in Brain Teasers
Tagged with

Books By Charles Dickens

Pair these words to make nine titles of books by Charles Dickens:

A LITTLE    1 RUDGE
B PICKWICK  2 COPPERFIELD
C EDWIN     3 TIMES
D BARNABY   4 CHUZZLEWIT
E NICHOLAS  5 PAPERS
F HARD      6 HOUSE
G BLEAK     7 DROOD
H DAVID     8 DORRIT
I MARTIN    9 NICKLEBY

A 8 = LITTLE DORRIT
B 5 = PICKWICK PAPERS
C 7 = EDWIN DROOD
D 1 = BARNABY RUDGE
E 9 = NICHOLAS NICKLEBY
F 3 = HARD TIMES
G 6 = BLEAK HOUSE
H 2 = DAVID COPPERFIELD
I 4 = MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT

Posted in Brain Teasers

You Melted My Ice

A full glass of water with a single ice cube sits on a table. When the ice has completely melted, will the level of the water have increased, decreased or remain unchanged?

The water level remains unchanged because the ice cube displaces its own weight. If you’re not convinced, read Archimedes’ Principle, which states that any floating object displaces its own weight of fluid. Still not convinced? Here are a few more sources.

Posted in Brain Teasers

A One Letter Change

At my start I last a mere eleven days,
But change one letter and I’m over 31 years.

What am I?

One million seconds (about 11 1/2 days).

Change the “m” to a “b” to get one billion seconds (about 31.7 years).

It’s rather surprising that a million seconds and a billion seconds differ by such a large duration.

Posted in Riddles
Tagged with

What Once Was Red Is Black Instead

Tear one off and scratch my head, what once was red is black instead. What am I?

A match. You tear a match out of a matchbook and scratch the head to light it, then the red tip turns black from the flame.

This is an exact duplicate of Tear One Off and Scratch My Head but I’m leaving it to avoid broken links.

Posted in Riddles