Only Useful When Full

I am only useful when I’m full,
Yet I am always full of holes.

What am I?

A sieve, used for straining food like pasta.

Posted in Riddles

No Thicker Than Your Finger

No thicker than your finger when it folds.
As thick as what it’s holding when it holds.

A sack.

By Sef Daystrom

Posted in Riddles

NDOLA

What does “NDOLA, PAMODZI” mean?

Thanks to the comments, it doesn’t mean anything per se, but it’s a location in Zambia. If that’s all it is, it’s not really a brain teaser, but since we’ve already worked on it, I’m marking it as solved leaving it up for posterity.

Below are former attempts to solve it.

I have yet to figure this one out. NDOLA could mean And lo, or An old, among other things. Pamodzi on the other hand didn’t have any particularly meaningful anagrams. Both words together had over 1,000 anagrams.

I haven’t come up with any other possible meanings.

Posted in Brain Teasers

A Third of the Way But Only Halfway There

You’ve traveled a third of the way, yet you’re only halfway there.

Where are you going?

Hint: The answer applies in the US but not in Europe.

You’re in a build headed to the fourth floor. When you reach the second floor, you’ve gone one floor and have two more floors left, so you’re 1/3 of the way. But at the same time, you’re on the 2nd floor and have two more floors to get to the 4th floor, thus you’re halfway there.

This doesn’t work in Europe, because they typically refer to the “first floor” as the ground floor, and the first floor is one story up.

Thanks to Danny Llinas for submitting this.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Apples for Leather

Apples for leather,
leather for silk,
silk for tobacco,
all to get milk.

Bartering.

By Sef Daystrom

Posted in Riddles

Priscilla and Bruce Exchanging Money

Priscilla gave her brother Bruce as much money as Bruce started with. Bruce gave Priscilla as much money as Priscilla had left. Priscilla then gave Bruce as much as Bruce had left, which left Priscilla broke. Bruce had $80.00.

How much money did Priscilla and Bruce start with?

Priscilla: $50
Bruce: $30

Step 1
Priscilla gives Bruce $30
Priscilla: $20
Bruce: $60

Step 2
Bruce gives Priscilla $20
Priscilla: $40
Bruce: $40

Step 3
Priscilla gives Bruce $40
Priscilla: $0
Bruce: $80

Posted in Brain Teasers

The Start Of What You Might Conceive

I’m the start of whatever you might conceive.
Next I describe a Thanksgiving meal.
Last I transform to a state we all leave.

What am I?

begin, binge, being. Everything has a beginning, Thanksgiving dinner is known for being a meal of excessive consumption and the mortal state of being (or the state of a human being) is one which, for all our efforts to extend, will eventually end.

Posted in Riddles

Two Hours Ago

If two hours ago it was as long after one o’clock in the afternoon as it was before one o’clock in the morning, what time is it right now?

9pm (or 21:00). There are 12 hours between 1pm and 1am, so 6 hours after 1am is halfway. 6 hours + 1pm equals 7pm. In order for 7pm to be 2 hours behind the current time, it must be 9pm.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Made of Ten But Two We Make

Made of ten but two we make,
When assembled others quake,
Five apart and we are weak,
Five together havoc wreak.

What are we?

A fist.

Posted in Riddles

I Drive Men Mad

I drive men mad
For love of me,
Easily beaten,
Never free.

Gold.

Posted in Riddles