I Never Return

What are these three related items? When I am placed somewhere I will never stand up. Whatever you give me I will eat. When I go I never return.

A stove, fire, smoke.

Essentially a duplicate of A Group of Three but I’m keeping it here to avoid broken links.

Posted in Riddles

Ten Men and Women

TEN = 20, 5, 14
MEN = 13, 5, 14

What do WOMEN equal using the same logic?

WOMEN = 23, 15, 13, 5, 14

The number is the letter’s position in the alphabet.

Posted in Brain Teasers

A Duck

There are two ducks in front of a duck, two ducks behind a duck and a duck in the middle. How many ducks are there in total?

Three. They’re all in a row, so ducks 1 and 2 are in front of duck 3, ducks 2 and 3 are behind duck 1 and duck 2 is in the middle.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Take Away All My Letters

Take away my first letter,
Take away my second letter,
Take away all my letters,
and I remain the same.

What am I?

A mail carrier. Even when there aren’t any letters left to deliver, they’re job is still the mail carrier.

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The Sheep’s Will

A farmer dies leaving a will dividing his flock of nineteen sheep with the following ratios:

Half to his oldest son, a quarter to the middle son and one fifth to his youngest son.

Without cutting any sheep up, how did the executor of the will fulfill the farmer’s wishes?

The executor went to the neighbouring farm and asked to borrow a sheep for a few minutes. Then he returned to the sons and said, “Half of the (now) twenty sheep is 10. A quarter of the twenty sheep is 5. A fifth of the twenty sheep is 4. 10 + 5 + 4 = 19. Then the executor took the borrowed 20th sheep back to the neighbour.

Thanks to Annette for sending this in.

Posted in Brain Teasers

A Metal Roof and a Glass Wall

I have a metal roof and a glass wall,
I burn and burn but never fall.

What am I?

A lantern.

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I Prevent Escape

I prevent escape or intrusion,
Yet I also preserve and protect,

Thieves use me to get money,
From me they can often collect.

I’m the practice of a sport, but not on the lawn,
Your friends may get upset when I’m sat upon.

What am I?

Fence. Fences keep ne’er-do-wells out and protect people inside. A fence is a person who buys stolen goods to later resell them for a profit. Those who fence practice the sport of fencing. En garde! And people don’t like it when you sit on the fence in a heated debate. (Believe me, I speak from experience)

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Against the Rules for You to Play Fair

It’s against the rules for you to play fair,
I always win but you don’t care,
I’ve ruined lives and crushed dreams,
But the allure is too much it seems.

What am I?

A casino. If you use methods to make the odds more fair to you, they kick you out. The house always wins, yet people continue to play. Gambling has ruined countless lives and crushed dreams of making millions, but the hope of winning continues to draw people in.

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People Eat Me

I am a word of 5 letters and people eat me. If you remove the first letter I become a form of energy. Remove the first two and I’m needed to live. Scramble the last 3 and you can drink me. What am I?

wheat
heat
eat
tea

Posted in Riddles

Hidden Gems

Find the names of 10 gems or precious stones hidden in the following story. Each one spans at least two words.

Sir Gade rode toward a castle atop a zebra at a steady gallop, a long way from home. He arrived at the gate and the keeper knelt in shame. “Thy steed must be tired.” Sir Gade replied, “I am on direct orders from the King. Let me through.” A cougar, nettled by the noise, emerged from a shrub. “You must save me!” cried the gate man. Sir Gade, eyes filled with rancor, alighted and gazed toward the sky. An item fell from his cloak as drove his sword into the cougar’s spine. “Let me pass!” cried Sir Gade. The gate keeper, stunned from his saga, tentatively opened the gate, then retrieved the fallen item.

1. topaz – “atop a zebra”
2. opal – “gallop, a long”
3. amethyst – “shame. Thy steed”
4. diamond – “replied, I am on direct”
5. garnet – “cougar, nettled”
6. ruby – “shrub. You”
7. coral – “rancor, alighted”
8. kyanite – “sky. An item”
9. spinel – “spine. Let”
10. agate – “saga, tentatively”

Sir Gade rode toward a castle atop a zebra at a steady gallop, a long way from home. He arrived at the gate and the keeper knelt in shame. “Thy steed must be tired.” Sir Gade replied, “I am on direct orders from the King. Let me through.” A cougar, nettled by the noise, emerged from a shrub. “You must save me!” cried the gate man. Sir Gade, eyes filled with rancor, alighted and gazed toward the sky. An item fell from his cloak as drove his sword into the cougar’s spine. “Let me pass!” cried Sir Gade. The gate keeper, stunned from his saga, tentatively opened the gate, then retrieved the fallen item.

Posted in Riddles