Scrambled Auctioned

What are two other words (anagrams) that can be made from the letters in “auctioned”?

1. Cautioned
2. Education

Posted in Brain Teasers

Famous for the Friendly Folk

I have palms but not on hands,
I offer foods from distant lands,
When at my peak you’ll see me smoke,
I’m famous for my friendly folk,
My flowers grow and yet they lay,
There’s fire where a man will play,
I’m sure you know we’re family,
You’re welcome to come stay with me.

What am I?

Hawaii.

Posted in Riddles

AADFJJ

A A D F J J J M M N ?

What comes next in the series?

O S. The series contains the first letter of each month in alphabetical order (April, August, December, February, January, July, June, March, May, November). O and S represent the remaining 2 months, October and September.

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Up A Hill

Up a hill,
Down a hill,
Over them I may roam,
But after all my walking,
There’s no place like my own.

Your home.

Posted in Riddles

Lives in the Corner

What lives in the corner but travels the world?

A postage stamp.

Posted in Riddles

Show Your Work

Solve this one carefully!

230 – 220 x 0.5 = ?

You probably won’t believe it, but the answer is 5! How can this be true?

The answer is 120, and 5! = 5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1 = 120

Credit to John May for this one.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Sleeping Killer

A man gets ready for bed at 9:45 pm. He makes himself a drink, then turns off the TV and the lights. The night was windy and there was a major storm. The next day he discovers he was the cause of seven deaths. How is this possible?

He lived in a lighthouse as lighthouse keeper. He turned off all the lights by accident, so a ship with 7 passengers couldn’t negotiate the rocky shores. One would think the light switches in a lighthouse would be more clearly marked.

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An Ancient Invention

What ancient invention allows people to see through walls?

A window.

Posted in Riddles

The Age of Three Daughters

I was visiting a friend one evening and remembered that he had three daughters. I asked him how old they were. “The product of their ages is 72,” he answered. Quizzically, I asked, “Is there anything else you can tell me?” “Yes,” he replied, “the sum of their ages is equal to the number of my house.” I stepped outside to see what the house number was. Upon returning inside, I said to my host, “I’m sorry, but I still can’t figure out their ages.” He responded apologetically, “I’m sorry, I forgot to mention that my oldest daughter likes strawberry shortcake.” With this information, I was able to determine all three of their ages. How old is each daughter?

3, 3, and 8. The only groups of 3 factors of 72 to have non-unique sums are “2 6 6” and “3 3 8” (with a sum of 14). The rest have unique sums:

2 + 2 + 18 = 22
2 + 3 + 12 = 18
2 + 4 + 9 = 15
3 + 4 + 6 = 13

The house number alone would have identified any of these groups. Since more information was required, we know the sum left the answer unknown. The presence of a single oldest child eliminates “2 6 6”, leaving “3 3 8” as the only possible answer.

Posted in Brain Teasers

I Go In Hard

I go in hard.
I come out soft.
You blow me hard.
What am I?

Note: This may not be appropriate for younger ages.

Gum. What? You had another guess?

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