Often There’s Only a Frown

I torture children and parents
Many people scream and wail in my presence
Parents drag their kids to me
I am supposed to create smiles,
But often there is only a frown.

What am I?

A dentist.

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An Insect And a Half

I am an insect. Half of my name is another insect. What am I?

Beetle. (Bee is the other insect).

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Travel Far Before You Turn It Over

You have to travel far before you turn it over. What is it?

An odometer.

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Samuel the Secretive Scotsman

Fill in the blanks with four, four-letter words that all share the same first three letters.

Samuel the secretive Scotsman was dressed to ____ in his twill woven ____. Little did they know he had a ____ of marijuana stashed away as he innocently warmed his hands by the Scotch ____.

kill
kilt
kilo
kiln

Samuel the secretive Scotsman was dressed to kill in his twill woven kilt. Little did they know he had a kilo of marijuana stashed away as he innocently warmed his hands by the Scotch kiln.

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A Trail of Silver

If you carried my burden, you would be crushed.
Though not rich, I leave a trail of silver.

What am I?

A snail. They carry their homes on their back, and a house would crush a person (even the tiny houses). And the trail of silver is a bit of a stretch, but it’s the slimy, gooey substance snails leave behind them.

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Always Hungry, Must Be Fed

I am always hungry,
I must always be fed,
The finger I touch,
Will soon turn red

Fire

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Humans and Animals

I am important to both human beings and animals. Both search for me but it is hard to find me. I travel to benefit them. What am I?

A scent or smell. A scent is important to both humans and animals and both search for scents (for different reasons). A scent travels through the air to benefit humans and animals, again, for different reasons.

Special thanks to Vavessa for the answer to this one.

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A Dog Running in the Forest

How far can a dog run into the forest?

Halfway. After that it will be running out of the forest.

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 = 100

This equation is incomplete: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 = 100

One way to make it accurate is by adding seven plus and minus signs, like so.

1 + 2 + 3 – 4 + 5 + 6 + 78 + 9 = 100

How can you do it using only 3 plus or minus signs?

123 – 45 – 67 + 89 = 100

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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.

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