A Woman in a Boat

There’s a woman in a boat, on a lake, wearing a coat.
If you want to know her name, it’s in the riddle I just wrote.

What’s the woman’s name?

“Theresa” is the woman’s name. (There’s a = Theresa)

An alternative answer is “There”.

Posted in Riddles

At Least One is a Boy

A couple has two children. At least one of them is a boy. Assuming the probability of having a boy or girl is 50%, what is the probability that both children are boys?

If you answered 1/2, you’re not without comrades, but the generally accepted answer by statisticians (though not without debate) is 1/3. This is because there are four possible combinations: boy-boy, boy-girl, girl-boy and girl-girl. Since we are told one of the children is a boy (but we don’t know if it’s the first or second child), we can rule out the girl-girl combination, leaving three remaining options. Only one out of 3 is boy-boy, so we get a 1/3 chance.

This is a well-known problem known as the Boy or Girl paradox. The other variation is this brain teaser.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Forward I’m Heavy

Forward I’m heavy, but backwards I’m not. What am I?

Ton.

Posted in Riddles

The More You Run

The more you run, the harder I am to catch. What am I?

Your breath.

Posted in Riddles

A Neighborly Argument

Two of your neighbors were arguing about if the first man’s peacock laid an egg in the seconds man’s garden, who would own the egg. They asked you to solve their dilemma. What would you tell them?

Peahens lay eggs. Peacocks are males.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Fill in the Blank and Discover the Event

Fill in the missing words to make a phrase with both the left and right hand sides. For instance, if you were given GRAPE __________ FLY, the missing word could be FRUIT, making GRAPEFRUIT and FRUIT FLY.

1. TOP __________ AGENT
2. PROXY __________ OF NO CONFIDENCE
3. SECOND-HAND __________ DETECTOR
4. THE SACK OF __________ APPLE
5. ST. LOUIS __________ SIN

Once you have the words, what event does it represent?

1. SECRET
2. VOTE
3. SMOKE
4. ROME
5. CARDINAL

The event is a Papal conclave, when a new Pope is chosen.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Finley’s Flaky Friends

Finley’s friends all chipped in to buy her a wedding gift. At first, ten friends agreed to contribute the same amount. Then two “friends” dropped out. The remaining eight had to add another dollar each to cover the cost of the gift. How much did the gift cost?

$40.

Let x be the amount the ten friends initially agreed to pay. We can then make the following equation:

10x = 8x + 8

Solving for x gives us $4, thus the gift cost 10 × $4, or $40.

Posted in Brain Teasers

What Toby Likes

Toby likes indigo but not red. He likes onions but not turnips. He likes forms but not shapes.

According to the same rule, does he like tomatoes or avocados?

Toby only likes words that start with prepositions, like his name. Thus he likes tomatoes, not avocados.

Posted in Brain Teasers

BERETT ELTA NATH RENEV

Rearrange the letters of each word in the phrase below to form a well-known saying.

BERETT ELTA NATH RENEV

Better Late Than Never

Posted in Brain Teasers

Hold In Your Left Hand

What can you hold in your left hand and not in your right?

Your right elbow. You can try it yourself if you’re not convinced, but unless you have a broken arm or an incredibly flexible ulna, you won’t reach it.

Posted in Brain Teasers