Old Mother Twitchet Had One Eye

Old Mother Twitchet had one eye
and a long tail that she let fly.
And every time she went through a gap,
she left some tail in the trap

A needle and thread.

Posted in Riddles

Dancing All The Time

Moving to and fro,
Dancing all the time.
Only to be moved by others
To allow them to pass by.

What am I?

A door.

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Which Switch?

You are standing outside a closed door. On the other side of the door is a room that has three light bulbs in it. The room is completely sealed off from the outside. It has no windows and nothing can get in or out except through the door. On the outside of the room there are three light switches that control each of the respective light bulbs on the other side of the door.

Your assignment is to determine which light switch controls which light bulb. You are allowed to enter the room only once, and once you come out, you must be able to state with 100% certainty which light switch controls which light bulb.

Turn one light switch on, wait a few minutes, then turn it off and turn another light switch on. Go into the room and feel the light bulbs. The one that’s still warm is connected to the switch that you first turned on, the one that is on was the second switch you turned on, and the last bulb is controlled by the switch that you didn’t touch.

Posted in Brain Teasers

The Thinner It Grows

You use me from your head to your toes.
The more you use the thinner it grows.
For years I was not often used,
Not using me now is not excused.

Soap.

Posted in Riddles

Born in 1946, Died in 1947

A man is born in 1946 and dies in 1947, yet he was 86 years old. How is that possible?

He was born in room #1946 of the hospital when he was born, and died in room #1947 86 years later.

Posted in Riddles

ABCDE and What?

What comes next in this series?

A B C D E

Hint: It’s not F.

K. The letters represent vitamins, and there is currently no Vitamin F, G, H, I or J.

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Alive Without Breath

Alive without breath,
As cold as death,
Clad in mail never clinking,
Never thirsty, ever drinking

A fish.

Posted in Riddles

Four Walls and a Bird

A man walks out of a house that has four walls all facing north. A bird walks past him. What kind is it?

A penguin. If all four walls face north the house must be at the southernmost point of the earth. Really, any native antarctic bird would work.

This brain teaser is quite similar to the guy whose house walls face south and sees a bear, then you’re asked the color of the bear. The bear would be white (a polar bear) as they’re the only bears indigenous to the north pole. A lawyer would claim it’s all circumstantial evidence and the bear could be an imported brown bear. The lawyer makes a valid point.

Posted in Brain Teasers

The Secret of the Chalk Emerald

A dear old relative passed away recently and her family gathered for the reading of the will. The final item was the Chalk Emerald, a priceless gem. The will bequeathed it to whoever determined where it was hidden. The only clue was it was in a cylinder surrounded by a thousand squares. A young lass of barely six immediately piped up saying she knew where it was hidden and she was correct. Where was the hiding place?

In a roll of toilet paper.

Mark suggested two alternative solutions: A cylindrical chimney or a well, the squares being the bricks. Although most bricks aren’t square, it’s conceivable I guess.

Posted in Brain Teasers

A Synonym of Drag

I’m a five letter word. Remove my last two letters and I’m a synonym of drag. My second and third letters form an exclamation and my first and second letters are a homophone with a number. What am I?

Towel. Tow is a synonym of drag, ow is an exclamation when you’re hurt (and far more appropriate in mixed company than the four-letter alternatives) and to is a homophone of two.

Posted in Riddles