What Can Fill a Bedroom But Fits in Your Pocket

A father gathered his three sons and told them he would die soon and needed to decide which son would inherit his land. He gave them the following test.

“Go to the market and purchase something that is large enough to fill my bedroom, but small enough to fit in your pocket. Based on what you bring I will decide which of you is wisest.”

All three sons went to the market in search of something to satisfy their father’s demands. When they returned the father gathered them in his bedroom.

The first son put down pieces of cloth that he had bought and laid them end to end across the room, but it barely covered any of the floor.

The second son laid down hay but there was only enough to cover part of the floor.

The third son showed his father what he had purchased and the father announced, “You are truly the wisest and will inherit my land.”

What did the third son bring?

A match.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Fill With Empty Hands

What do you fill with empty hands?

Gloves.

Posted in Riddles

Fall Crop

What three or four-letter word belongs between the word on the left and the word on the right so that the first and second, and second and third words form a compound word or phrase?

For example: FOOT _ _ _ _ PARK would be BALL, or FOOTBALL and BALL PARK.

1. FALL _ _ _ CROP
2. KNEE _ _ _ SIZE
3. BOARD _ _ _ _ WAY

1. OUT – FALLOUT, OUTCROP
2. CAP – KNEECAP, CAPSIZE
3. WALK – BOARDWALK, WALKWAY

Posted in Brain Teasers

More You Take Away, The Bigger I Get

The more you take from me, the bigger I get. What am I?

A hole.

This is quite similar to It Cannot Be Seen and Weighs Nothing.

Posted in Riddles

A Special Something Shared

The numbers 3, 7, 8, 40, 50 and 60 all share something that no other whole number does. What is it?

When spelled out in English they each have exactly five letters.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Three Five Six To One Hundred

Without changing the order of these numbers, how can they equal 100?

3 5 6 2 54 5

= 3 * (5 – 6) + 2 * 54 – 5
= -3 + 108 – 5
= 105 – 5
= 100

Posted in Brain Teasers

Words Ending in GRY

Think of words ending in -GRY. Angry and hungry are two of them. There are only three words in the English language. What is the third word? The word is something that everyone uses every day. If you have listened carefully, I have already told you what it is.

The riddle states, “There are only three words in the English language. What is the third word?” The third word of the phrase “the English language” is of course “language.” Don’t get angry at me, I didn’t make it up :)

xkcd’s take on this riddle

Posted in Riddles

I Am Here, I Am There

I am here, I am there
I am burned into the mind of none
I walk on fire and live on ice
My words are meaningless for I talk not
I hate everyone yet fear no one
I have lived for centuries
Yet I have never existed
What am I?

Nothingness.

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

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