A Sign in Japan

This sign was seen in Japan. What does it mean?

A sign seen in Japan

It’s a glass sign containing instructions on a glass door.
It says PULL on one side and PUSH on the opposite side.

Posted in Brain Teasers

As Heavy As Man’s Golden Greed

A metal neither black nor red,
As heavy as man’s golden greed.
What you do to stay ahead,
With friend or foe or arrow and steed.

What am I?

Lead. Lead is a metallic gray, is very heavy and in order to stay ahead of someone, you need to be in the lead.

Posted in Riddles

Nearly A Victory, Quickly I Pass

Nearly a victory,
Quickly I pass,
A request of the chair,
I’m silver, not brass.

What am I?

Second. Second place is next to winning. Seconds, the measure of time, pass quickly. Seconding a motion is requested by the chair of the body in Parliament. And the second place finisher in many sporting events such as the Olympics is awarded the silver medal.

And as for why the unit of time is called a second, it goes back to the days of Ptolemy. A second of time is the second small part, or pars minuta secunda, of an hour. (Thanks to Tim J for researching it).

Posted in Riddles

Easy To Touch

You have one of me and I’m easy to touch,
I’m hard to look at, but you can in a clutch.

Yet you’re told to watch me, or get your friends’.
I’m often referred to when you make amends.

You can throw me out but not away,
I cause many pain, every day.

What am I?

Your back. You have one and it’s easy to touch but hard to look it. A common phrase is to “watch your back” and it’s common to “have your friend’s back.” When apologizing, you often want to take back what you said. You can throw out your back, but you can’t throw it away. And back pain causes people pain every day.

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The Lonely King

King Ferdinand has no immediate living relatives and decides to hold a contest to find a worthy successor when he dies. He gives a seed to every contestant and explains that the person with the healthiest and most beautiful plant will win the throne.

When the final day of the contest arrives, the king finds hundreds of plants of all shapes and sizes. However, he ignores them and awards the throne to a girl holding a pot with only moist dirt.

Why did she win?

King Ferdinand was a kind and trusting man and wanted to be sure he found an honest heir. He gave small pebbles to all the contestants, claiming they were seeds. Therefore, any contestant with a plant had switched their “seed” in order to win. Everyone but the girl had been dishonest.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Beam, Shine and Sparkle White

I beam, shine and sparkle white,
I brighten the day with a single light.
I charm and enchant one and all,
I can counter the darkest pall.

What am I?

A smile.

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Jack, George and Anne

Jack is looking at Anne, but Anne is looking at George. Jack is married, but George is not. Is a married person looking at an unmarried person?

A) Yes
B) No
C) Cannot be determined

A. If Anne is married, she’s looking at George, who is unmarried. If Anne is unmarried, Jack is looking at her.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Don’t Speak But No Word I Cannot Make

I don’t speak but there is no word I cannot make. What am I?

The alphabet.

Posted in Riddles

Jim and Wanda’s Apples

Jim and Wanda both have some apples. If Jim gives Wanda an apple, they will both have the same number of apples. However, if Wanda gives Jim an apple, Jim will have twice as many as Wanda. How many apples do Jim and Wanda each have?

Jim has 7 apples and Wanda has 5 apples.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Placed On the Table But Never Eaten

What is placed on the table, cut and passed but never eaten?

A deck of cards. You play card games on a table, cut the deck, then deal (or pass out) the cards, but you only eat the snacks.

Posted in Riddles