Take Away All My Letters

Take away my first letter and I remain the same. Take away my last letter and I remain unchanged. Remove all my letters and I’m still me.

What am I?

A mail carrier. Letters in this sense are envelopes rather than the letters of the alphabet.

Posted in Riddles

Twice Four and Twenty Blackbirds

Twice four and twenty blackbirds sitting in the rain.
I shot and killed a quarter of them. How many do remain?

After shooting a quarter of the birds, the rest would fly off, so the remaining birds, brutally shot by you, would be:

(2 × (4 + 20)) / 4 = 12

Posted in Brain Teasers

Snail Up The Wall

A snail creeps 10 feet up a wall during the daytime, then falls asleep. It wakes up the next morning and discovers it slipped down 6 feet. If this happens each day, how many days will it take to reach the top of a 20 foot wall?

Four days.

Day 1: up to 10, down to 4
Day 2: up to 14, down to 8
Day 3: up to 18, down to 12
Day 4: up to 22 (20 really) and done

Posted in Brain Teasers

Two Fathers and Two Sons

Two fathers and two sons go fishing together in the same boat. They all catch a fish but the total catch for the day is three fish. How is this possible?

There are three men: A grandfather, a father (the grandfather’s son) and the father’s son.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Doesn’t Fly Even With Wings

I have four wings but cannot fly,
I’ve never laughed nor will ever cry,
As much as I’d love to leave the ground,
I toil away with nary a sound.

What am I?

A few windmills

A windmill. The typical windmill, like the ones Don Quixote chased, have four vanes or sails. You might even say they look like wings. Windmills don’t have emotions, so they can’t laugh or cry. And since they don’t have actual wings, windmills don’t get off the ground. A well-oiled little bugger won’t make a peep.

Posted in Riddles
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If I’m Ever Gone, Beware

Sometimes you’ll find me hard and cold,
Other times I’m hard to hold,
Always present in the air,
If I’m ever gone, beware.

What am I?

Water. As ice I’m hard and cold, as water vapor I’m hard to hold and I’m always present in the air as humidity (aka water vapor). If the earth ever runs out of water, we’re toast.

Posted in Riddles

One Way I’m Feeling Normal

One way I’m feeling normal,
Another I’m extremely thin,
I could be a punishment,
Or the type who always wins.

I’m free from all impurity,
And you may have divined,
I have a keen edge,
But of course I am refined.

Fine.

The riddle refers to a variety of meanings of the word fine.

Feeling normal refers to when you feel fine.
Extremely thin refers to a fine thread.
A punishment refers to being charged a fee.
The one who wins refers to an athlete who is physically trained and hardened close to the limit of efficiency.
Free from impurity refers to measuring the fineness of precious metals.
A keen edge refers to a knife with a fine edge.
Refined refers to fine manners or elegance.

Posted in Riddles

Oh, Oh, Oh, No

What number do the three letters O, H and N represent in order to make this addition problem correct?

OH
OH
OH
OH +
-----
NO

O = 2
H = 3
N = 9

23
23
23
23 +
-----
92
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

Border Plane Crash

A plane crashed on the border or US and Canada. Where do they bury the survivors?

Nowhere, you don’t bury survivors.

Posted in Brain Teasers