How Can Four Be Half of Five?

How can the number 4 be half of FIVE?

Beginning with FIVE, take away the F and E (half of the letters), leaving IV, which is the Roman numeral for four.

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Five Games of Checkers

Two children were playing checkers and each played five games. Both children won the same number of games yet there were no ties. How is this possible?

They weren’t playing each other.

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Walk On the Living

Walk on the living, they don’t even mumble,
Walk on the dead, they mutter and grumble.

What are they?

Leaves. They’re soft and silent when they’re alive but crunchy when dead.

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Days of Summer

My days are in the summer
When you’ll eat me when I’m hot
In fact I’ll even eat myself
Where battles tough are fought
But when you find me in a fight
‘Twill be high in the sky
And if you catch me napping
I suggest you let me lie
When you’re bad come to my house
From Ma get thoughts profound
Am I big or am I small?
Some say I’m just a pound.

Dog. Dog days, hot dog, dog pound, dog fight.

Posted in Riddles

Complete the Word Square

A word square is a combination of words that can be spelled horizontally and vertically.

The most well known is called the Sator Square (in Latin):

S A T O R
A R E P O
T E N E T
O P E R A
R O T A S

What five words complete this word square?

I T C H E S
T _ _ _ _ _
C _ _ _ _ _
H _ _ _ _ _
E _ _ _ _ _
S _ _ _ _ _

Thrust, Crisco, Hussar, Escape and Stores.

Making this lovely word square below:

I T C H E S
T H R U S T
C R I S C O
H U S S A R
E S C A P E
S T O R E S
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Hot My Entire Life

I have been hot my entire life. Put me in water or in a freezer for days and I will still be hot. My red color should tell you but don’t be deceived, even when I’m green, I’m still hot. What am I?

A red or green laser. Red and green pepper also works.

Technically, the laser beam itself isn’t hot, but lasers can heat up what they’re shining on.

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Tabitha and Ronan’s Age

Tabitha is 13 years old. Her father Ronan is 40 years old. How many years ago was Ronan four times as old as Tabitha?

Four years ago, when Tabitha was 9 and Ronan was 36 (9 × 4 = 36)

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Not a Toy But Used For Pleasure

I am not a toy, though many use me for pleasure. I have a butt but I can not poop. I have been known to kill people. What am I?

A cigarette.

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Balance Twelve Eggs

Suppose you have twelve eggs and a balance scale. All of the eggs are identical except for one whose only difference is its weight. Using the scale only three times, determine which egg is the odd egg out and whether it is heavier or lighter than the other eggs.

Weigh four against four. If they’re equal, weigh three of them against three you haven’t weighed. If they balance too, weigh the last remaining egg against any of the others to see if it is lighter or heavier. If the three suspects are heavier, weigh one of them against another and the one that goes down is it. If they balance the remaining suspect is heavy. Use the same process if they’re lighter. If the initial four vs four don’t balance, weigh two heavy eggs and a light egg against one heavy egg, one light one and a known normal egg. If they balance weigh the remaining two light eggs against each other. If they balance the unweighed heavy egg is the odd one out. If the side with two heavy eggs goes down weigh them against each other. If they balance it is the light egg on the other side. If the other side goes down it is either because of one heavy egg on that side or because the one light egg on the other side is lighter than the rest. Weigh one of them against a known normal egg to determine which is true.

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A Bottle and a Cork

A bottle and cork cost $1.10. If the bottle costs a dollar more than the cork, how much does the cork cost?

Most people guess 10 cents, but $1 more than 10 cents is $1.10, which would mean the total cost would be $1.20, not $1.10.

The correct answer is 5 cents. If the cork costs 5 cents, then the bottle costs a dollar more, or $1.05, making the total cost $1.10.

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