Big as a barn, light as a feather, and sixty horses can't pull it.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
This riddle does a great job of combining different shadow-clues!
answer
Wednesday, December 11, 2024
Big as a barn
Big as a barn, light as a feather, and sixty horses can't pull it.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
A man who had a boat
There was a man who had a boat;
he got in the boat and drew off his coat,
and drew off his hat (it was blue),
and drew off one shoe.
I've said his name three times now: tell me what it is.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
I bet there are other names that could provide words for a riddle like this! The name "Andy" could be even easier than "Andrew" since you could just say "and he" to make the riddle.
The end of the rainbow
What's always at the end of the rainbow?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
This can be adapted for anything that is famous for what's at its "end" like the rainbow: "What comes at the end of the year? R." "What comes at the end of a long day? Y." "What comes at the end of a war? R." And so on!
The letter W.
Two lookers, two hookers...
Two lookers, two hookers, four standers, one switcher.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
A brilliant riddle! I'd love to come up with some other funny animal riddles like this one.
A cow.
Luke, Paul, and Miss Sullivan
Luke had it first, Paul had it last; boys never have it; girls have it but once; Miss Sullivan had it twice in the same place, but when she married Mr. Murphy she never had it again.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
I love the innuendo in this one! Luke and Paul makes it sound like a Bible riddle, but then it goes in a different direction. It could also be just a Bible riddle if it went like this: "Luke had it first, Paul had it last, but Peter never did."
The letter L.
Fire and water
What can't be burned in fire nor drowned in water?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
I'm a little dubious about the drowning in water part, but I suppose that since it is water, ice does not drown in water: it just becomes water!
Ice.
Take half, leave nothing
What number can you take half from and leave nothing?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
It's important that the answer be printed in the form of the numeral, not the word "eight."
8.
Fingers and thumbs
Neither fish nor flesh nor feathers nor bone but still has fingers and thumbs of its own.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
Yet another of those great anatomy riddles! People don't wear gloves as often now as they used to, but at least people do still know what gloves are.
Gloves.
Once in a minute
What occurs once in a minute, twice in a moment, and not once in a hundred years?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
You could add on to this one too: What occurs once in a minute, twice in a moment, and every Monday...
The letter M.
Round and high
Scroll down for answer and notes.
This is one of my favorite riddles! It uses every syllable.
Ohio.
Old gentleman asking questions
An old gentleman, bent with age, is asking questions on every page.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
I wonder if there are riddles about other punctuation marks!
Question mark.
The buffalo and the strong men
What can the buffalo do that a dozen strong men cannot?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
This could be retold about the anatomy of any famously strong animal!
Grow horns.
Friday before Thursday
Where does Friday come before Thursday?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
This "in the dictionary" is one of my favorite types of riddles! There are infinite possibilities of course. Let me try to make one up now... "Where does tomorrow come before yesterday?"
In the dictionary.
Dropping an egg
How can you drop an egg ten feet without breaking it?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
Yes, it's a trick question, but I like questions about eggs! Of course, you can change the numbers all you want, and also make it a riddle about other breakable things.
Drop it eleven feet and it will fall ten feet without breaking.
One-fourth of all the people
Who killed one-fourth of all the people in the world?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
There is a long tradition of Bible riddles; they're not for everybody, but I did think this one was ingenious. I also like riddles about Noah's Ark!
Cain, when he killed Abel.
Monday, December 9, 2024
I dance at a ball
Though I dance at a ball, yet I am nothing at all.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
I really like shadow riddles, especially ones that rhyme. And of course it would be possible to combine this with other shadow clues.
A shadow.
Ask a question
Ask a question that must be answered "Yes."
Scroll down for answer and notes.
There are an awful lot of answers to this riddle that would be correct, but this is a good spelling one. I wonder if there is a way to make it point specifically to this answer.
What does Y-E-S spell?
What gets wetter
What gets wetter the more it dries?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
I really like the way this plays with the English verb "dry" that can take an object, "to dry (something)," but which can also be intransitive, "to dry (i.e. to dry out, get dry)." There are lots of verbs like this in English, so I'm sure we can make lots of riddles like this.
A towel.
Bow cannot be tied
What kind of bow is impossible to tie?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
It would be good to make a list of compound words like this since they make good, easy riddles (once you get used to recognizing this type of riddle). "I am a lady who can fly! Who am I? A ladybug."
Rainbow.
Six brothers going along
Six brothers going along; two brothers get their first.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
I think this is a brilliant riddle: you can think about it every time you walk, realizing that your eyes are out there in front. There are so many other great riddles about eyes that it would be possible to offer another clue, although this riddle seems pretty good on its own!
Your eyes go before your hands and feet.
White but not milk
As white as milk but milk it's not; as green as grass but grass it's not; as red as a rose but rose it's not; as black as ink but ink it's not.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
Compare this other blackberry riddle and the notes there: First I am as white as snow; then as green as grass I grow; next I am as red as blood; lastly I'm as black as mud.
Blackberry.
Everyone in the world
What is everyone in the world doing at the same time?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
Yes, it's simple, but it's profound: we really do all have this in common! Maybe there could be a fancier rhyming version of this one.
Growing older.
At the end and the beginning
I come at the end of life and at the beginning of everything.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
These riddles are easy to guess once you recognize them, but I sure do like them!
E.
Never planted, it grows
Never planted, still it grows.
What's the answer now: who knows?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
Of course there are lots of possible answers to this riddle, so to make it really work, there needs to be another bit (also rhyming!) that marks out the answer as hair. Maybe: "It grows from roots, yet not a tree; tell me now, who can it be?"
Hair.
Elephants and gorillas
Would you rather an elephant attacked you or a gorilla?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
I love the ambiguity in this riddle: the audience thinks "Would you rather an elephant attacked you or a gorilla (attacked you)?" ... instead of: "Would you rather an elephant attacked you or (attacked) a gorilla?" I'm guessing there are lots of ways to use this linguistic formula: Would you rather a rattlesnake bit you or a tiger? etc. etc.
I'd rather it attacked the gorilla.
Sunday, December 8, 2024
A parrot dancing
A parrot dancing on a shelf made of cowrie shells.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
Parrots and cowrie shells mark this as an African riddle. I am amazed by the variety of riddles around the world about the tongue and teeth! Putting them all together will surely inspire people to invent even more such riddles.
Tongue and teeth.
Seeing a big lion
What should you do when you see a big lion?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
This riddle is easy to vary with anything dangerous! You could also describe the lion in more detail to make him even more dangerous. A big hungry lion!
Hope the big lion doesn't see you.
Legs of a mule
How many legs does a mule have if you call a tail a leg?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
I really like this riddle; I think I've seen it attributed to Lincoln, but I don't know if that's a correct attribution or not. Of course this type of riddle can be told for any animal, or for other countable things too.
Four; calling a tail a leg doesn't make it a leg.
The dead carrying the living
As I was going down the road, I saw the dead carrying the living. What did I see?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
I like riddles about boats made of wood being "dead" as the tree was indeed once alive. It's an eerie way to think about anything made of wood, which could be the basis for other riddles.
People sailing in a boat.
Lions in a cage
How many lions can you put into an empty cage?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
I've seen lots of these "not empty" riddles, but I think I like this one best!
One. After that, the cage is not empty.
Nevada in France
What parts of Nevada are in France?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
This is a silly riddle, but also so easy to adapt in a kind of geography spelling game: what parts of Texas are in Alaska? (A and S) What parts of Oklahoma are Montana? (O A and M)
N, E, and A.
Here and there
What is the difference between here and there?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
Once you get used to these spelling riddles, they are obvious, and it's also fun to look for them, paying attention to how words are spelled. Like the difference between a threat and a treat!
T.
Flies high, low, everywhere
Flies high, low, everywhere, but hasn't got any wings.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
I had to laugh at this riddle because dusting is my least favorite household task! Now at least I'll have a riddle to make me laugh when I dust.
Dust.
My first is in bottle
My first is in bottle but isn't in milk,
my second's in satin but isn't in silk,
my third and my fourth are both in a pair,
my fifth is in hope and also despair,
my last is in yellow but isn't in pink,
my whole contains liquid for people to drink.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
This belongs to a world where there were indeed barrels: that is not true so much anymore, but I think this is still a very elegant riddle. The word pairs are meaningful AND it rhymes! Plus I like how it lets you know that the third and fourth letters are the same, along with "pair" being the clue word. Very nice!
Barrel.
The first to pity
There is a thing is the first to pity and the last to help.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
I really like this first/last model for an alphabet riddle! Like "the first to rejoice and the last to despair"... that works! It doesn't have the bite of this "P" riddle, but I think it's good enough.
P.
A pair of children
A pair of children who know everything.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
By itself, I'm not sure this is enough for a riddle, but it could be combined with other riddle clues about the eyes.
Eyes.
I have a mouth
I have a mouth and do not speak;
I have a bed and do not sleep.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
There are lots of variations on this river riddle, but I especially like this one because of the rhyme.
A river.
From house to house I go
From house to house I go,
sometimes narrow, sometimes wide,
and whether there is rain or snow
I always stay outside.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
I've heard lots of riddles about the path, but this is the most elaborate, and I like all the details! It's a great example of how a simple riddle can be made into something fancy like this.
Path.
White as snow, green as grass
First I am as white as snow; then as green as grass I grow; next I am as red as blood; lastly I'm as black as mud.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
I'm not sure people are aware of blackberries as they grow and ripen, but it's a great riddle if you know blackberries. Of course, the comparisons can be all kinds of objects, but I like the green-white-red-black in this riddle because they rhyme: snow/grow and blood/mud.
Blackberry.
Always before you
What is always before you yet you can never see it?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
The ways of mapping time onto space are complicated; the future is before us, but the past is what came before! For this riddle, though, you can imagine yourself walking into the future, sight unseen.
The future.
Getting off a bus
What must you always do first before getting off a bus?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
This kind of puzzle about logical sequence can be retold in so many ways. It would work for getting on and off, and getting in and out of something, like getting out of bed.
Get on it.
Elephants and fleas
What is the difference between an elephant and a flea?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
Normally I am not a fan of "difference" riddles (there are lots of them), but for some reason I really liked this one, maybe because it is about animals!
An elephant can have fleas, but a flea cannot have elephants.
Loses its head by day
What usually loses its head by day but gets it back at night?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
This is unlike other things that have a "head" because this head is actually a head! I wonder if it would be possible to make a riddle about hats like this.
Bedpillow.
Fish surrounded by warriors
I am a fish in a pool of water surrounded by warriors carrying spears.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
The poor fish-tongue! The mouth is a dangerous place, as other riddles about the mouth attest.
Tongue and teeth.
Traveling letter
What letter travels the greatest distance?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
I suppose there are all kinds of ways to answer this riddle, but I like this one.
The letter D because it goes to the end of the world.
Friday, December 6, 2024
Eyes that cannot see
What has eyes but cannot see?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
A needle has an eye, and a hurricane has an eye, but the key here is "eyes," because one potato can have multiple eyes. Do people even know that anymore? I wonder if everybody just eats French fries and buys powdered mashed potatoes, maybe they don't know about potatoes and eyes! So to help people out, it might be good to add a little more, like "Before you turn me into fries, you need to first remove my eyes" or something like that!
Potato.
I come out of the earth
I come out of the earth; I am sold in the market. He who buys me cuts my tail, takes off my suit of silk, and weeps beside me when l am dead.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
I've seen other riddles based on onions making you cry, but the best part of this is the suit of silk. It's silkiest for red onions, ha ha.
Onion.
Four legs and a foot
Four legs and a foot but it can't walk;
it has a head but cannot see or talk.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
There are lots of these anatomy riddles (you can make them up about all the furniture that has legs, arms, heads, etc. as so much furniture does), and I especially like that this one rhymes. It could be fun as an "I am" riddle:
Four legs and a foot I have, but can't walk;
A head I also have but cannot see or talk.
Bed.
Cat in the cellar
How can a cat go into a cellar with four feet and come out with eight?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
I really like these composite riddles that create new "creatures" with multiple legs, etc. like this eight-legged cat.
When the cat catches a mouse.
My first is in riddle
My first is in riddle, but not in little;
my second is in think, but not in brink;
my third is in thyme, but not in time;
my fourth is in mother, but not in brother;
my last is in time, but not in climb;
my whole is right here,
if you use your ear.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
I added the last line since the version I found didn't have a "my whole" part, and I thought it was so cool that the riddle itself is "showing" the answer. Also, because the clues have similar spelling, it makes it easier to solve than other riddles of this type.
Rhyme.
I saw Esau
I saw Esau sitting on a see-saw: how many s's in that?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
Yes, it's a trick question, but such a fun one, and of course you can invent whatever you want for the first part.
None. There is no s in t-h-a-t.
Baseball game
How can a baseball game end in a score of four to two without a man reaching first base?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
Even now in the 21st century, you can still catch people out with riddles like this. (One of the riddles I remember from when I was little was about a father and on in a car accident; the father is killed, and the son is rushed into emergency surgery but the surgeon says, "I can't operate on this boy; he's my son." How is that possible? The surgeon is a woman.)
When the baseball players are all women.
Who always stands
Who always stands and never sits down?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
The version I read had "tree" as the answer, although there are lots of other possibilities, so there would need to be another clue to help zoom in on the specific answer. Maybe like this: "My arms stretch wide but I embrace no one; I'm always standing, and I never sit down."
Tree.
What can fall down
What can fall down and doesn't get hurt?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
The answer was snow in the version I read, but it seems like the answer could also be rain. Or leaves! So there needs to be one more clue to help zoom in on the specific answer.
Snow.
When you tell him to go
When you tell him to go, he goes, but when you order him to return, he refuses.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
Bows and arrows are not a part of people's lives anymore; I guess a bullet would be the modern equivalent!
Arrow.
Thursday, December 5, 2024
What's in the church
What's in the church but not the steeple? The parson has it, but not the people.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
It's fun to see a set of interrelated words like this, and I'm sure it would be possible to make riddles like this with four related words: The students have it, and so do the teachers, but it's not in the school or in the library (or something like that!).
R.
Finding sympathy
Where can you always find sympathy?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
I love these "in the dictionary" riddles, and there are so many possible variations on this one. I like the implication here that it's hard to find sympathy... but it is definitely always there in the dictionary!
In the dictionary.
My first is in bread
My first is in bread but not in bead,
my second is in dig but not in dug,
my third is in fled but not in flew,
my fourth is in hid but not in hit,
my fourth is in hid but not in hit,
my fifth is in held but not in herd,
my sixth is in step but not in stop.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
This is a perfect example of an easy kind of "my first" riddle because each line has just one possible solution. When I start writing these types of riddles, I will try these easy ones first to get used to the style!
Riddle.
Two mountains
These two mountains stand closely together but cannot stand upright.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
Riddles about the human body obviously can and should include the so-called private parts. I like the idea of breasts as a mountain range!
Breasts.
The greater, the less
The greater it is, the less you see of it.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
The paradox of seeing darkness is a great basis for all kinds of riddles! You could vary this with, "turn on the light, and it's gone!"
Darkness.
The beginning of eternity,
The beginning of eternity,
the end of time and space,
the beginning of every end,
and the end of every race.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
I love how this one is totally obvious because it tells you where to look for the letter, but it is also eerie and mysterious! I hope I can write some riddles like this.
E.
Ox in the midst of enemies
This ox lives in the midst of enemies.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
I love these different riddles about the mouth... and if you've ever bitten your tongue, you know what enemies those teeth can be! By putting a bunch of these mouth riddles together, maybe I will get an idea for making one of my own!
Tongue and teeth.
Heavenly bodies in motion
What letter will set a heavenly body in motion?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
I really like this category of spelling riddles, and of course the added letter can go anywhere in the word!
The letter T because it will make a star start.
He makes food for us
He makes food for us but we cannot touch him.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
I really like the "can't touch" part of this riddle, although some of the other things that fire does are even more fascinating than cooking, so I would like to make another riddle about something you cannot touch but which is in your house, keeps you warm, and also cooks your food etc. (of course, this was a much more powerful riddle back when people had to light a fire in their kitchen to cook, in their fireplace to stay warm, etc.)
Fire.
You do not wish to enter
A thing you do not wish to enter but into which you must go by force.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
This would be good to combine with other riddles about graves and coffins, creating a powerful "memento mori" type of riddle!
Coffin.
Wednesday, December 4, 2024
Hands she has
Hands she has but does not hold,
teeth she has but does not bite,
feet she has but they are cold,
eyes she has but without sight.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
Not all dolls have teeth, and that last line could be "eyes she has but cannot see" which would make all kinds of rhymes possible for a different second line that does have teeth. I wonder what other possibilities there might be!
Doll.
19 from 189
How many times can 19 be subtracted from 189?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
Yes, it's a trick question, but I like the way it uses numbers that are hard to work with, although the first substraction is indeed easier. Of course, there are an infinite number of number pairs you could choose to use.
Only once; the next subtraction is from 170.
Without a bridle
Without a bridle or a saddle,
across a thing I ride a-straddle,
and those I ride, by help of me,
though almost blind, are made to see.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
I am one of those people helped by the answer to this riddle! It's a good thing noses are easier to ride than horses.
Eyeglasses.
Once in a minute
What occurs once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a day?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
This one is easy to vary at the end: never in a day, year, decade, century, etc.
M.
Twice in apple
My first is twice in apple but not once in tart;
my second is in liver but not in heart;
my third is in giant and also in ghost;
whole, I'm best when I am roast.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
Poor pig: it seems cruel for him to say he is at his best when he is roast! I think I would change it to: "Whole, I like being muddy the most." I like the way one of these is "and" instead of the usual "not." And of course the "twice" in the first line makes that one a giveaway, and that makes it easy to figure out it must be a vowel second. So, as riddles of this type go, this is a fun and easy one.
Pig.
Big as a dinosaur
What is as big as a dinosaur and doesn't weigh an ounce?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
This riddle is easy to vary: you can choose anything big you like! (One version I've seen was about Big Ben for example.)
The dinosaur's shadow.
Before the sun
What can pass before the sun without making a shadow?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
I like the way this combines two popular riddle themes, shadow AND wind, together in one riddle! Since there are other "wind" riddles, it would be possible to combine this one with another to make something more elaborate, maybe something that rhymes.
The wind.
Losing an eye
What is it that by losing an eye has nothing left but a nose?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
Such a brilliant spelling riddle, playing with the way the letter "I" is also an "eye." There are other spelling riddles like this one, based on the idea that there are things with "eyes" that do not see... like the river Mississippi! I'm sure there are lots more possibilities for I/eye riddles.
Noise.
My teeth are sharp
My teeth are sharp; my back is straight; to cut things up it is my fate.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
This is a nice example of a rhyming riddle. The fact that saws have "teeth" could be the basis of other riddles, or could allow you to add more to this one (the saw, like a comb, is one of those things that has teeth but does not eat).
Saw.
House without a door
Scroll down for answer and notes.
I imagine there might be other answers for this one, but of course there are lots of egg riddles that you can use to get some other clues to offer, building this into a bigger riddle. I like the way this is an "I am" riddle.
Egg.
Tuesday, December 3, 2024
The ostrich cannot see
What is it that even the ostrich with its long neck and sharp eyes cannot see?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
This could also be about giraffes with their long necks! Or the eagle with its keen eyesight, etc.
What will happen tomorrow.
Snail and elephant
Why is a snail stronger than an elephant?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
It might be possible to do this as an "I am" type of riddle: I am no bigger than your thumb, but I am stronger than an elephant. Who am I?
The snail can carry its house on its back.
My first in in take
My first in in take but not in give;
my second is in die and also in live;
my third is in go but not in stop;
my fourth is in raise but not in drop;
my last is in where but not in who;
my whole is a beast you see at the zoo.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
I really like the way this one has meaningful pairs AND the rhymes. I wonder if there are other animals from the zoo that could have rhyming riddles of their own like this.
Tiger.
Soft and flat
What is soft and flat but you cannot sleep on it?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
I like the way this makes you imagine trying to lie down on the surface of the water! It would be fun to come up with a rhyming version of this one.
The surface of a lake.
Promise like an egg
Why is a promise like an egg?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
I'm not a big fan of "why is X like Y" types of riddles, but I included this one since "egg" is such a popular riddle answer. You could amplify this by adding other things that are easily broken, like a person's heart.
Because it is so easily broken.
Tommy Tucker took two strings
Tommy Tucker took two strings and tied two turtles to two tall trees. How many Ts in that?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
These kinds of trick questions are fun since of course you can make up whatever you want for the first part with lots of Ts.
Two.
I never sleep
I never sleep.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
There are so many possible answers to this one, so to make sure you get the intended answer, there would need to be more to the riddle, something about falling! "I go down, not up, and I never sleep," or something like that maybe?
Waterfall.
As long as I eat
As long as I eat, I live, but when I drink, I die.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
I really like riddles with the fire-water paradox. It might be fun to do this with "you" in there too: if you give me food to eat...
Fire.
I go on a journey
I go on a journey and never return.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
The answer could also be an arrow (or a gunshot!), so to make sure to get this answer, it would be good to add something that narrows down the options but without making it too obvious!
River.
Yesterday and tomorrow
What will soon be yesterday and was tomorrow?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
It's not a hard riddle to answer, but it still makes you think. It would be fun to do this as an "I am" style riddle!
Today.
Monday, December 2, 2024
Word of three syllables
What word of only three syllables combines in it all twenty-six letters?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
This is another of those very elegant signifying riddles: the word alphabet has just three syllables, but the thing alphabet has all 26 letters! Of course there is no English word, no matter how many syllables, that contains all the letters, but there are pangram sentences; you can see those at Wikipedia: Pangram.
Alphabet.
Grabbing a snake
Which hand should you use to grab a poisonous snake?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
Of course this riddle can be adapted to any dangerous task. (It reminds me of the fable about the cat's paw!)
Someone else's.
Four legs and flies
What has four legs and flies in the air?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
Compare the 100 legs which are pairs of pants! The fun part of this one is that as soon as you start thinking about four legs, you are not thinking about birds. It might be fun to throw in another clue that suggests a specific type of verb.
Two birds.
Empty Carnegie Hall
How many people fit into Carnegie Hall when it's empty?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
The version I found just said "stadium," but I decided it would be more fun to make it about a specific venue, and of course you can adapt it to any venue you want!
Only one; after that, it's not empty.
People and water
It is not afraid of people, but it is afraid of water.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
I think I would vary this one by turning it into an "I am" type of riddle.
Fire.
America and Australia
What is found in the middle of both America and Australia?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
I think this may be the only "in the middle" of letter riddle that I've collected so far. It would be fun to make some more based on other place names.
R.
Peas in a pint
How many peas in a pint?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
This one seems a little unfair in writing, but it works fine orally! I think you could do this with other letter-names, like how many bees in a hive? None!
One p.
Money and monkeys
Who can trust his money to a monkey?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
This is a weird riddle, but I like it! I suppose you could tell it about other kinds of animals based on what someone would have to do to catch up with the animal, and their money, later.
The man who can climb trees.
First is in little
My first is in little, but not in stand;
my second is in finger, but not in brand;
my third is in big, but not in bite;
my fourth is in home, but not in mite;
my fifth is in think, but not in hide;
my whole is what you need, at night, inside.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
The word pairs don't work as pairs, but the rhyming is very nice! I also like that "night" is right there as a kind of rhyming clue itself.
Light.
Sunday, December 1, 2024
When life gets really tough
When life gets really tough, what do you have that you can always count on?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
The version I found said "If life gets really tough..." but I figured that life always get touch sooner or later, so I changed it to "When life gets really tough." You could begin the riddle in any way, being more specific rather than just a generic "life gets tough," imagining a more specific problem where you need something to count on.
Your fingers.
England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales
England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales; Monkeys, rats, and wiggle-tails. Spell that with four letters.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
Yes, it's a trick question, but a fun one, and of course the initial two rhyming lines can be replaced with anything at all you want. I'd like to do it with food, as it the lines are raw ingredients for a recipe, so that people will try to think of a four-letter food as the answer.
T-H-A-T
End of everything
What comes at the end of everything?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
This riddle could easily be expanded by another clue, maybe with another word ending in G, or a word that begins with G.
The letter G.
Two brothers bear burdens
Two brothers we are,
great burdens we bear
by which we are bitterly pressed;
in truth we may say,
we are full all the day,
but empty when we go to rest.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
I like the idea of shoes "full" of feet, and thinking of them as brothers is also very charming! It would be fun to invent a rhyming "two sisters" riddle to go with this one.
Pair of shoes.
Leaps without feet
Who can leap and run but has no feet?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
I really like how the riddle makes it seem as if the ball moves on its own, leaping and running. This riddle could be adapted to other things that move without feet!
A ball.
Bed but not for sleeping
What has a bed but never sleeps?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
This is a simple riddle, and it could be expanded into a rhyming form, or maybe combined with other features of rivers (rivers have mouths, for example!).
River.
The largest island
What was the largest island in the world before Australia was discovered?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
This riddle is a great way to poke at the pretensions of scientific/colonial thinking, as if the rest of the world does not exist until it is occupied. This can be varied for any kind of superlative beyond the reaches of Europe, like the tallest mountain, the longest river, etc.
Australia was always the largest island.
Cup handle
On which side of a cup is the handle?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
Compare a similar riddle about fur on a bear (or feathers on a chicken), etc. Anything with an inside/outside can be used for a riddle like this.
On the outside.
Balls of string
How many balls of string would it take to reach the moon?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
This riddle challenges you to think of a really, really big ball of string! Yes, it's a trick question, but it also stretches your mind to think of just how big a ball of string could be. You could vary this riddle for any great distance: crossing an ocean, a continent, etc.
Just one, provided it is a really big ball of string.
To cross the water
To cross the water I'm the way,
for water I'm above:
I touch it not and, truth to say,
I neither swim nor move.
Scroll down for answer and notes.
I like how this riddle reminds us of how a bridge never touches the water as it crosses it; it's like the bridge is flying, not swimming. I'm not a big fan of the above/move lines of this rhyming riddle; if I were to redo it, I would like to try to make better rhymes.
Bridge.
A hundred legs
What has a hundred legs but cannot walk?
Scroll down for answer and notes.
Yes, it's a kind of trick question, but it's still a good example of "anatomy of things" where pants have legs (but no feet, no body, etc. etc.). You can vary this with whatever number you choose: a hundred legs, twenty-four (a dozen pants): whatever you like!
50 pairs of pants
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)