Riddles

A man was going on a one-way bus trip. He intended to ride for a certain distance, get off the bus and walk back to town. If the bus travels at a rate of nine miles per hour and he was to jog back to town at a rate of three miles per hour, how far would he ride so theat he'd be back in eight hours?

What occurs once in every minute, twice in every moment, yet never in a thousand years?

1. How can you arrange for two people to stand on the same piece of newspaper and yet be unable to touch each other without stepping off the newspaper?

2. How many three-cent stamps are there in a dozen?

3. A rope ladder hangs over the side of a ship. The rungs are one foot apart and the ladder is 12 feet long. The tide is rising at four inches an hour. How long will it take before the first four rungs of the ladder are underwater?

4. Which would you rather have, a trunk full of nickels or a trunk half full of dimes?

5. Steve has three piles of sand and Mike has four piles of sand. If they put them all together, how many do they have?

6. In which sport are the shoes made entirely of metal?

7. If the Vice President of the United States should die, who would be President?

8. How can you throw a golf ball with all your might and--without hitting a wall or any other obstruction--have the ball stop and come right back to you?

There is a word in the English language in which the first two letters signify a male, the first three letters signify a female, the first four signify a great man, and the whole word, a great woman. What is the word?

John had only $2, but he needed $3 for his cab fare home. He went to a pawn shop and pawned his $2 for $1.50. John then bumped into Dan and told him that he would sell him his $2 pawn ticket for $1.50. Dan agreed. Since John started out with $2, and he ended up with $3, who is out the extra dollar and why?

Under what conditions would a rope be most likely to break?

a. 20 men of equal strength with 10 pulling on each end.
b. 10 of the same men pulling on one end and the other end being fastened to a tree.
c. It makes no difference.

Two identical tanks full of water are being drained at the same time. One of the tanks has one -two centimeter circular drain outlet and the other has two -one centimeter circular drain outlets. Will one of the tanks empty faster than the other?

When Ashley was six years old she hammered a nail into her favorite tree to mark her height. Ten years later at age sixteen, Ashley returned to see how much higher the nail was. If the tree grew by five centimeters each year, how much higher would the nail be?

A hunter met two shepherds, one of whom had three loaves and the other, five loaves. All the loaves were the same size. The three men agreed to share the eight loaves equally between them. After they had eaten, the hunter gave the shepherds eight bronze coins as payment for his meal. How should the two shepherds fairly divide this money?

If you have six men and they each had six baskets. Each basket has six cats inside and each cat has six kittens. Assuming all are whole and healthy, how many legs are there?

Five men raced their cars on a racing strip. There were no ties. Will did not come in first. John was neither first nor last. Joe came in one place after Will. James was not second. Walt was two places below James. In what order did the men finish?

I am a word of 11 letters.
My 4, 9, 5 is worn on the head.
My 10, 9, 1, 11 is a narrow road.
My 11, 2, 3, 4, 5 is a number.
My 8, 6, 7 is a spirit.
My whole is an excellent songster.
What am I?

A beggar's brother died, but the man who died had no brother. How could this be?

A group of soldiers were standing in the blistering sun facing due west. Their sergeant shouted at them: Right turn!
About turn!
Left turn!
In which direction are they now facing?

A woman bought a used car for $600 and sold it a friend for $800. She later bought it back for $1,000 and resold it for $1,200. Did she make any profit and if so, how much?

A wealthy man named Richard Ellis had been counting his money.When he finished, he accidentally left a $100.00 bill on his desk. But when he returned for it a short while later, it was gone. Only two other persons could have seen the bill. One was the maid; the other was the butler.

The maid told him that she had hidden it for safekeeping under a green book that was on the desk. But when they looked the bill was not there.

The butler said he had found the bill where the maid had left it. He had placed it inside the book, where he thought there was less chance that somebody would find it. He had written down the page numbers so that he would not forget them. The bill was between pages 35 and 36, he said. But when they looked, there was no money in the book.

After Mr. Ellis had talked to the maid and the butler, he called the police. He was sure he knew who had taken the money. Who was it, and how did he know?

Imagine John, a party magician, is carrying three pieces of gold each piece weighing one kilogram. While taking a walk he comes to a bridge which has a sign posted saying the bridge could hold only a maximum of 80 kilograms. John weighs 78 kilograms and the gold weighs three kilograms. John reads the sign and still safely crossed the bridge with all the gold. How did he manage this?

What common English verb becomes its own past tense by rearranging its letters?

There was a shipwreck at sea and Buck, Lance and Jack were washed ashore on a small island. Reaching the shore, exhausted, they all fell asleep. Buck woke first and saw that a box of bananas had been washed ashore. He ate one third of the bananas and went back to sleep. Next, Lance woke up an seeing the box of bananas, ate one third of what was left and fell asleep. Jack woke up next and assumed that the other two hadn't eaten any bananas, so he ate one third of what remained. When Jack had finished, there were eight bananas left over. How many bananas were in the box originally?

In cubic feet, how much dirt is in a hole 3 feet long, 3 feet deep, and 3 feet wide?

Before airplanes were invented, a suspension brides was being planned to span a violent river. There was no way a boat could carry the suspension cables across the violent water, and the bridge could not be built until the cables were in place. The builders decided to hold a contest to solve the problem. The contest was won by a young boy. Shortly thereafter the cables spanned the water. What contest could have been used to solve this problem?

What is the value of 1/2 of 2/3 of 3/4 of 4/5 of 5/6 of 6/7 of 7/8 of 8/9 of 9/10 of 1,000?

Elmer Johnson went to the hardware store to make a purchase for his house. He asked the store clerk, "How much will one cost?" The clerk thought for a moment and said, "Three dollars." Elmer Johnson, who looked a little puzzled said, "Well then, how much will twelve cost?" "Six dollars," replied the clerk. Elmer Johnson scratched his head and said, "If I were to purchase two hundred, how much would that cost?" "That," said the clerk, "will cost you nine dollars." What was Elmer Johnson buying?

When can you add two to eleven and get one as the correct answer?

Four men were in a boat on the lake. The boat turns over, and all four men sink to the bottom of the lake, yet not a single man got wet! Why?

Note: this riddle must be done in your head and not using pencil and paper. Take 1000 and add 40 to it. Now add another 1000. Now add 30. Now add another 1000. Now add 20. Now add another 1000. Now add 10. What is the total?

A magician, had a water glass that was filled to the top. Holding the glass above his head he let it drop to the carpet without spilling a single drop of water.
How could he manage to drop the glass from a height of six feet and not spill any water?

A rich man's son was kidnapped. The ransom note told him to bring a valuable diamond to a phone booth in the middle of a public park. Plainclothes police officers surrounded the park, intending to follow the criminal or his messenger. The rich man arrived at the phone booth and followed instructions but the police were powerless to prevent the diamond from leaving the park and reaching the crafty villain. What did he do?

How many times can you subtract the number 5 from 25?

My first is a number, my second another,
And each, I assure you, will rhyme with the other.
My first you will find is one-fifth of my second,
And truly my whole a long period reckoned.
Yet my first and my second (nay, think not I cozen),
When added together will make but two dozen.
How many am I?

Dave and Brad, two popular politicians, met at a club to discuss the overthrow of their party leader. They each ordered a vodka on the rocks. Brad downed his and ordered another. He then drank his second in a gulp and decided to wait before he ordered a third. Meanwhile, Dave, who was sipping his drink, suddenly fell forward dead. Both men were setup for an assassination. Why did Dave die and Brad live?

You have 9 golf balls. 8 of which are equal in weight. The ninth is slightly heavier then the rest. You also have a balancing scale. Can you use this scale two times and only two times in order to tell which ball is heavier?

While playing with a metal washer shaped like a ring, Dave accidently pushed it on his finger too far and couldn't get it off. Trying to remove it using soap and water didn't work. The hospital sent him to a service station thinking they could cut the metal. Since the ring was made with a specially hardened steel, it couldn't be cut. Just then Brad arrived on the scene and suggested an easy way to remove the washer in just a few minutes. What was his solution?

What lives in winter, dies in summer, and grows with it's roots upward?

Forward I am heavy, but backward I am not. What am I?

During WWII, there was a bridge connecting Germany and Switzerland, and on the German side, there was a sentry tower with a guard in it. He would come out every three minutes to check on the bridge, and he had orders to turn back anyone who tried to get into Germany, and shoot anyone trying to escape without a pass.

There was a woman who desperately needed to get into Switzerland, and she knew she didn't have time to get a pass. It would take her at least six minutes to cross the bridge, but she managed to do it. How?

A young peasant wanted to marry the king's daughter. The king didn't like the idea of his daughter marrying a peasant, but he wanted to appear fair in front of his subjects. The king said that he would put two pieces of paper into a hat, one reading EXILE and the other reading MARRIAGE.

Later that day, the peasant overheard the king saying that both pieces of paper would read EXILE, thus ensuring that the peasant would be out of his way for good.

The peasant remained undaunted and, as arranged, arrived at the king's court where a large crowd gathered for the big event. The peasant then did something that assured him the hand of the king's daughter. What did he do?

This is a most unusual paragraph. How quickly can you find out what is so unusual about it? It looks so ordinary you'd think nothing was wrong with it - and in fact, nothing is wrong with it. It is unusual though. Why? Study it, think about it, and you may find out. Try to do it without coaching. If you work at it for a bit it will dawn on you. So jump to it and try your skill at figuring it out. Good luck - don't blow your cool!

There is a well known story of a famous German mathematician, who showed his brilliance even as a young boy. While in elementary school, he was given the problem of finding the sum of all the whole numbers from one to 100. For most of use it would be a long and difficult task of adding "1=2=3=4 etc." This young lad, however, solved the problem in his head in just a few moments. What is the answer and how did he manage to do it in his head?

A man was found shot dead in his study. He was slumped over his desk and a gun was in his hand. There was a cassette recorder on his desk. When the police entered the room and pressed the play button on the tape recorder they heard, "I can't go on. I have nothing to live for."Then there was the sound of a gunshot. How did the detective immediately know that the man had been murdered?

When asked how old she was, Suzie replied, "In two years I will be twice as old as I was five years ago." How old is she?

Before Mount Everest was discovered, what was the highest mountain on earth?

Here on Earth it's almost always true, that tomorrow will follow today. Yet there is a place where yesterday always follows today. Where is this place?

Dingleberry Dave was driving his semi under an overpass when suddenly he came to a screeching halt. Dave wasn't paying enough attention and inadvertently drove under the overpass that was just barely as high as his truck. The semi was wedged so tightly that he could not go forward or backward. A fellow trucker came by and told him how he could easily get the semi out from under the bridge. What did he suggest?

What five letter word, no matter how you pronounce it, is always pronounced wrong?

If boiling water is poured into a thick drinking glass as well as a very thin wine glass, of the two, which is more likely to crack?

Every Tuesday evening Sam Mann drives up to his cottage to visit his wife. On these weekly visits he drops off his clean clothes and picks up the dirty laundry. Since Mrs. Mann changes her underwear each morning, what is the minimum number of underwear she can own?

Mr. and Mrs. Mustard have six daughters and each daughter has one brother. How many people are in the Mustard family?

Picture an empty wine bottle with a cork secured at the top in the usual way. Inside the bottle a metal ring hangs suspended by a string. How is it possible to make the metal ring drop to the bottom of the bottle without touching the ring, the thread, the cork, or the bottle while leaving the cork in place and intact?

Peter Rabbit was starving! He came to a farmer's lettuce garden but it was surrounded by a picket fence. Peter knew he must eat soon or he would die. He could barely fit through the fence in his present condition and he knew that if he entered and ate the lettuce he would be unable to fit back through the fence. If the farmer happened to come by he could not escape. The lettuce was too large too fit through the fence. How could Peter eat the lettuce and still manage to escape if the need arose?

Jack and Joe were on vacation and driving along a deserted country road from the town of Kaysville to the town of Lynnsville. They came to a multiple fork in the road. The sign post had been knocked down and they were faced with choosing one of five different directions. Since they had left their map at the last gas station and there was no one around to ask, how could Jack and Joe find their way to Lynnsville?

While mixing sand, gravel, and cement for the foundation of a house, a worker noticed a small bird hopping along the top of the foundation wall. The bird misjudged a hop and fell down one of the holes between the blocks. The bird was down too far for anyone to reach it and the hole was too small for it to fly out of. Someone suggested using two sticks to reach down into the hole and pull the bird out, but this idea was rejected for fear it would injure the fragile bird. What would be the easiest way to get the bird out of the hole without injuring it?

NASA was considering sending canaries into space to study them under zero gravity. The project was scrapped when someone realized that in spite of having sufficient water supplies, they could die of dehydration within a few hours. Why?

Jack and Jill took turns driving on a round trip using the same route both ways. Jack drove the first 40 miles and then Jill drove the rest of the way. Jack started to drive on the return trip and then Jill drove the last 50 miles. Which of the two drove more miles and how many more did the person drive?

In Jamaica, if you drop a steel ball weighing five pounds from a height of 45 inches, will it fall more rapidly through water at 20 degrees Fahrenheit or water at 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Or will it make no difference?

Tom went to town with $50, but returned at night with $150. He bought a hat at a clothing store and some apples at the market. Then he had his eyes tested. He gets paid every Thursday by check. The banks are only open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The eye doctor is closed on Saturday. The market stays closed on Thursday and Friday. On what day did the man go to town?

What is the largest amount of money you can have in coins and still not be able to make change for a dollar?

If seven people meet each other and each shakes hands only once with each of the others, how many handshakes will there have been?

What do you throw out when you want to use it, but take in when you don't want to use it?

A man lives on the 45th floor of an apartment building. On rainy days, he takes the elevator to and from his apartment, but on sunny days, he will take the elevator from his apartment to the lobby but walks up the 45 flights of stairs when he returns home. Why doesn't he just take the elevator all the time?

There is a two foot long plastic boat in the bathtub, the boat is filled with metal nuts and bolts. The boat tips over, dumping the contents into the water. With the nuts and bolts in the water, will the water level in the bathtub rise, fall or stay the same as it was when the nuts and bolts were in the boat?

A horse is tied to a five meter rope in front of an old saloon. Six meters behind the horse is a bale of hay. Without breaking his rope, the horse is able to eat the hay whenever he chooses. How is this possible?

During WWII, there was a bridge connecting Germany and Switzerland, and on the German side, there was a sentry tower with a guard in it. He would come out every three minutes to check on the bridge, and he had orders to turn back anyone who tried to get into Germany, and shoot anyone trying to escape without a pass.

There was a woman who desperately needed to get into Switzerland, and she knew she didn't have time to get a pass. It would take her at least six minutes to cross the bridge, but she managed to do it. How?

Even though the odds are always in favor of the gambling house, why does the establishment insist on a house limit on stakes?

If a wheel has 64 spokes, how many spaces are there between the spokes?

Brad Doe works for a packaging company. One day, he received four separate orders and accidently mixed up the addresses, so he applied the address labels at random. What is the probability that exactly three packages were correctly labeled?

A woman bought a used car for $600 and sold it a friend for $800. She later bought it back for $1,000 and resold it for $1,200. Did she make any profit and if so, how much?

In cubic feet, how much dirt is in a hole 3 feet long, 3 feet deep, and 3 feet wide?

It has no top or bottom but it can hold flesh, bones and blood all at the same time. What is this object?

Twelve white ponies, On a red hill, Always moving, but standing still. What are we?

Use me well and I am everybody, sratch my back and I am nobody. What am I?

A cowboy rode to an inn on Friday stayed two nights and left on Friday. How could that be?

If you have two coins which total 35 cents and one of the coins is not a dime, what are the two coins?

What is very unusual about the following words? BOUGH COUGH DOUGH ROUGH THROUGH

We are twins, We are close together, But we will not touch, But far apart, We become one. What are we?

Rancher Joe was describing his "grand farm" to everyone at the general store when Cantankerous Sam broke into the conversation saying it was probably just a little two horse farm. Joe straightened his shoulders and said, "I'll have you know that my farm has all horses but two, all cows but two, and all pigs but two." How many animals does Joe own?

There were five men going to church and it started to rain. The four that ran got wet and the one that stood still stayed dry. Why did one stay dry?

Even if you give this to someone else, you still get to keep it. What is it?

I am taken from a mine, and shut up in a wooden case, from which I am never released, and yet I am used by almost everybody. What am I?

In the Smith family, each daughter has the same number of brothers as she has sisters. Each son has twice as many sisters as he has brothers. How many sons and daughters are in the family?

You have 10 trees you need to make 5 rows of 4. How do you do it?

What is the only 15 letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter?

What won't break if you throw it off the highest building in the world, but will break if you place it in the ocean?

A puppy is one, but a dog is not. A kitten is one, but a cat is not. A cookie is one, but a cracker is not. What is it?

What fastens two people yet touches only one?

As I went across the bridge, I met a man with a load of wood which was neither straight nor crooked. What kind of wood was it?

It stands on one leg with its heart in its head. What is it?

There was a green house. Inside the green house there was a white house Inside the white house there was a red house. Inside the red house there were lots of babies. What is it?

I can be written, I can be spoken, I can be exposed, I can be broken, What am I?

Who spends the day at the window, goes to the table for meals and hides at night?

He who has it doesn't tell it. He who takes it doesn't know it. He who knows it doesn't want it. What is it?

There are four brothers in this world that were all born together. The first runs and never wearies. The second eats and is never full. The third drinks and is always thirsty. The fourth sings a song that is never good. Who are they?

There were five men going to church and it started to rain. The four that ran got wet and the one that stood still stayed dry. Why did one stay dry?

How old would this person be......

One evening a grandson was talking to his grandfather about current events. He asked what he thought about the shootings at schools, the computer age, and just things in general. The granddad replied, "Well, let me think a minute ...

I was born before television, penicillin, polio shots, frozen foods, Xerox, contact lenses, Frisbees and the pill. There was no radar, credit cards, laser beams or ball-point pens. Man had not invented pantyhose, air conditioners, dishwashers, clothes dryers, (clothes were hung out to dry in the fresh air), and man hadn't yet walked on the moon.

Your grandmother and I got married first-and then lived together. Every family had a father and a mother, and every boy over 14 had a rifle that his dad taught him how to use and respect. And they went hunting and fishing together. Until I was 25, I called every man older than I, 'Sir'- and after I turned 25, I still called policemen and every man with a title, 'Sir.'

We were before gay-rights, computer-dating, dual careers, daycare centers, and group therapy. Our lives were ruled by good judgment, and common sense. We were taught to know the difference between right and wrong and to stand up and take responsibility for our actions. Serving your country was a privilege; living here was a bigger privilege.

We thought fast food was what people ate during Lent. Having a meaningful relationship meant getting along with your cousins. Draft dodgers were people who closed their front doors when the evening breeze started. Time-sharing meant time the family spent together in the evenings and weekends-not purchasing condominiums.

We never heard of FM radios, tape decks, CDs, electric typewriters, yogurt, or guys wearing earrings. We listened to the Big Bands, Jack Benny, the Lone Ranger, and the President's speeches on our radios. And I don't ever remember any kid blowing his brains out listening to Tommy Dorsey. If you saw anything with 'Made in Japan' on it, it was junk. The term 'making out' referred to how you did on your school exam.

Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and instant coffee were unheard of. We had 5 & 10-cent stores where you could actually buy things for 5 and 10 cents. Ice cream cones, phone calls, rides on a streetcar, and a Pepsi were all a nickel. And if you didn't want to splurge, you could spend your nickel on enough stamps to mail 1 letter and 2 postcards.

You could buy a new Chevy Coupe for $600, but who could afford one? Too bad, because gas was 11 cents a gallon. In my day, 'grass' was mowed, 'coke' was a cold drink, 'pot' was something your mother cooked in, and 'rock music' was your grandmother's lullaby. 'Aids' were helpers in the Principal's office, 'chip' meant a piece of wood, 'hardware' was found in a hardware store, and 'software' wasn't even a word. And we were the last generation to actually believe that a woman needed a husband to have a baby.

No wonder people call us "old and confused" and say there is a generation gap.
How old do you think I am - ????"

Two mothers and two daughters go shopping. They have $21, which they split equally between them. How can this be possible?

The police found a man hanging in an empty room. There was nothing in the room he could have use to reach the ceiling. All they found when they entered the room was a puddle under the hanging man. How did he hang himself?

Mark and Billy have been the best friends ever since they were little kids. They are also very competitive. Throughout the years they have challenged each other to do both physical and mental challenges. And they completed the challenge.

But one day Mark thought of something to challenge Billy to do - somethimg he could start but never finish. The average man could do it and so could Mark and they were both the same sex and the same size. It is a physical challenge.

Can you figure out what it was?

To send me an e-mail, click here.