History of Riddles

Riddles came from old English poetry. Their literary ancestry dates all the way back to Plato and Aristotle. In ancient Greece, riddles were used as a cunning tool, to demonstrate wit and wisdom. Writers in poetry also began expressing themselves through riddles. When a poem contains a riddle, the readers mind can be stimulated and the writer can successfully get their message across in a more interesting way. Some poetry even has answers to it that you had to riddle out. Theater is another place where riddles show up. Shakespeare was famous for his works, which had a lot of riddles in them. For example, in Romeo and Juliet, Romeo proclaimed his love in a riddle for the audience to interpret. Today, examples of riddles can be found in movies as well. For example, in the movie Saw, Jigsaw the main character engages men and women in a riddle to save their lives. Most of the time the answer is simple, but some are difficult to comprehend. One of his riddles is Do you feel you have enough faith to stick this out, or do you need the help of some higher power? Look around salvation may be right across the room. The answer to that riddle was a cross. Riddles can be used in a contest of wit and skill, sort of like a guessing game. Riddle games have been played since ancient times, and are still being played today.

Defining a Riddle
Riddles can be a question with a quick witty answer. They can be just a sentence that makes you have a sudden realization. Whatever your definition, one thing is clear: riddles will riddle us for years to come. A riddle is a statement, question, or phrase that has a double meaning. A riddle can also be described as a puzzle to be solved. When someone uses a riddle, it can be a thought provoking challenge to figure it out on your own, or it can be a funny comment that makes you laugh. Riddles can be great brain busters or conversation starters to get you think. A riddle is as hard or as simple as you and the person youre telling makes it. The answer can be right in front of your nose and even in the riddle itself, or it can be difficult and hard to comprehend. It depends on how much you open your mind to the possibilities.

Different Types of Riddles

There are two types of riddles, enigmas and conundrums.

An enigma is a problem in which the solution is expressed metaphorically. You have to carefully think about the riddle to come up with the solution. A conundrum is a question that opens either the question or the answer. A riddle, however, doesnt need to be classified as one of these types. As long as it is difficult to figure out and has an answer or a meaning to it, it can be classified as a riddle.

Today riddles arent used as much as they were in ancient times, but they remain a definite way to get your mind working.

Simple and Difficult Riddles

Riddles can be difficult or simple as shown in these examples:

Three eyes have I, all in a row; when the red one opens, all freeze. The answer is traffic light. What animal walks on all fours in the morning, two in the afternoon and three in the evening? The answer is man, since he crawls as a child then walks and uses a cane when he gets older. What does Mill + Walk + Key= The answer is Milwaukee. What gets wetter and wetter the more it dries? A towel of course. No sooner spoken than broken. What is it? It is silence. I am weightless, but you can see me. Put me in a bucket, and I'll make it lighter. What am I? A hole. What is so fragile that when you say its name you break it? Silence. I have a tail, and I have a head, but i have no body. I am NOT a snake. What am I? A coin. What falls, but does not break, and what breaks but does not fall? Night falls and day breaks. You throw away the outside and cook the inside. Then you eat the outside and throw away the inside. What did you eat? An ear of corn. I have holes in my top and bottom, my left and right, and in the middle. But I still hold water. What am I? A sponge. What can run but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, has a head but never weeps, has a bed but never sleeps? A river. I never was, am always to be,/No one ever saw me, nor ever will,/And yet I am the confidence of all/To live and breathe on this terrestrial ball./What am I? Tomorrow. I am the black child of a white father, a wingless bird, flying even to the clouds of heaven. I give birth to tears of mourning in pupils that meet me, even though there is no cause for grief, and at once on my birth I am dissolved into air. What am I? Smoke. Pronounced as one letter,/And written with three,/Two letters there are,/And two only in me./I'm double, I'm single,/I'm black, blue, and gray,/I'm read from both ends,/And the same either way./What am I? An eye. A man is on a trip with a fox, a goose, and a sack of corn. He comes upon a stream which he has to cross, and finds a tiny boat which he can use for the same. The problem though, is that he can only take himself and either the fox, the goose, or the corn across at a time. It is not possible for him to leave the fox alone with the goose or the goose alone with the corn. How can he get all safely over the stream? Answer: Take the goose over first and come back. Then take the fox over and bring the goose back. Now take the corn over and come back alone to get the goose. Take the goose over and the job is done! A boy was at a carnival and went to a booth where a man said to the boy, "If I write your exact weight on this piece of paper then you have to give me $50, but if I cannot, I will pay you $50." The boy looked around and saw no scale so he agrees, thinking no matter what the carny writes

he'll just say he weighs more or less. In the end the boy ended up paying the man $50. How did the man win the bet? Answer: The man did exactly as he said he would and wrote 'your exact weight' on the paper.
http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-riddles.html 1. Q: It has three eyes, all in a row. When the red one opens, all freeze. A: Traffic Light. 2. Q: I am the red tongue of the Earth; I bury cities beneath. A: Volcano. 3. Q: What building has the most stories? A: Library 4. Q: What four letter word can be read upside down, downside up, and up to down? A: |\| 0 0 |\| 5. Q: What goes up a chimney down, and down a chimney up?A: Umbrella http://tl.answers.com/Q/Give_at_least_20_examples_of_riddles
3. What is broken every time its spoken? silence 5. What gets wetter when it dries? Towel 8. When is it bad luck to meet a white cat? when youre a mouse 9. Take away the whole and some still remains. What is it? Donut I'm the part of the bird that's not in the sky. I can swim in the ocean and yet remain dry. What am I? A Shadow I am mother and father, but never birth or nurse. I'm rarely still, but I never wander. What am I? A tree I am weightless, but you can see me. Put me in a bucket, and I'll make it lighter. What am I? A hole I can run but not walk. Wherever I go, thought follows close behind. What am I? A nose The man who invented it doesn't want it. The man who bought it doesn't need it. The man who needs it doesn't know it. What is it? A coffin

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071003020252AAhL5vt

Examples of Riddles
Some of us have the sort of witty mind that can easily think up a riddle for a game or get together. The rest of us need a little help, which is where examples of riddles come in handy. Below are some great samples to use for inspiration, as well as ideas for places to try them.

Finding Good Examples of Riddles

There are plenty of terrible riddles out there, from guessing games to knock-knock jokes youve heard a thousand times. The most difficult part of a good riddle is finding it in the first place, but thanks to the Internet, it is now easier than ever before. There are plenty of riddle books available at your local library or bookstore, however when you need a riddle quickly, the computer is often the best place to go. When searching for riddle examples, there are two things to be on the lookout for humor and degree of difficulty. Remember that riddles do not always have to be hard. In fact, sometimes riddles are so simple in their solution that people will wrestle with the question for hours, convinced it couldnt possibly be so easy. This "too simple to be true" form of riddle can often bring a chuckle, killing two birds with one stone. For example: Q How do you put a polar bear in the freezer? A- Open the freezer, stuff in the polar bear and close the door. Most people tend to overthink this sort of problem (Lure him there with salmon? Use a forklift?) so the "simple" answer is a startlingly humorous surprise. Who could deny the beauty and pure riddle essence of classics like: "Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side, of course." To get a laugh, visit a website such as FunnyRiddles.net, where you can learn plenty of riddles and brain teasers that will warrant either a giggle or groan.

Riddles With Depth

Some riddles involve a little more brain power and thought, and may even have deep solutions. Two examples are found below. These thought-provoking riddles may use allegories or philosophy as part of their constructs. Q What animal walks on all fours in the morning, two in the afternoon and three in the evening? A Man. He crawls as a baby, walks as an adult, and uses a cane when hes elderly. The mind automatically focuses on wild animals, when the answer is found within oneself all along. Q Rich people want it, poor people have it; It Is greater than God but worse than Satan. What is it? A Nothing. Rich people want nothing, poor people have nothing, nothing is greater than God and nothing is worse than Satan. This is a simple answer, and yet it may not be obvious, especially if you are not thinking along the right paths.

Riddle Poems

For children, riddle-poems can be fun as well as challenging. They are easy to write and can exercise your creativity in a whole new way. To create a riddle-poem, you must limit yourself to short stanzas with even shorter answers. Adjust the skill level required to the age of the riddle solver, creating very simple ones for youngsters, and more challenging sets for teens. An example: Q: Three eyes have I, all in a row; When the red one opens, all freeze. A: Traffic light By making it poetic, it adds an aura of mystery to the challenge. The solution, while logical, is also not crystal clear for most people when they first hear it. Nature is also a great subject for riddle poems: Q I am the red tongue of the Earth; I bury cities beneath. A Volcano. The trick to riddle-poems is to convey a mystery while using only a few clues. These two examples, as well as many others, can be found through a simple internet search. After you have challenged some young minds, allow them time to create their own riddle-poems and see if you can guess their creations.

How to Use Riddle Examples

Use examples of riddles to inspire you to create treasure hunt clues, birthday cards or even fun games for adults or children. While you can write your own original riddles, often you can modify classics to use in a fresh way that fits your needs or theme. Also, remember that the "stale" riddles you grew up with sound fresh and new to today's children.

Funny Riddles
Everyone loves a great riddle, and funny riddles mix it up with a clever twist or a play on words. Riddles can be challenging or simple, long or short, and tailored to children or adults, and a sense of humor can be added to any of these riddles. Following youll find some funny and clever riddles to add to your repertoire, broken up into different categories so you can find a great riddle for every occasion!

Easy Funny Riddles

Easy funny riddles are perfect for children, since they dont require too much thought to arrive at an answer. Some of the best riddles for children are funny, since young ones are more apt to appreciate a sense of humor than they are a riddle that is complicated! Look for the answers to these riddles at the end of the page. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. What two things can never be eaten for breakfast? How many times can 5 be subtracted from 25? Most months have 30 or 31 days. How many months have 28 days? What goes up, but cannot come down? How much do you think the moon is worth? If a farmer has 100 cows and all but 99 die, how many cows are left? How many animals did Moses take onto the Ark?

Medium Riddles

Here are a few funny riddles that are a bit more difficult to solve than the ones listed above. Unlike the easier riddles, these brainteasers require more critical thinking. Allow yourself to be surprised by some of the answers! 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. What can you eat that has no beginning, middle, or end? What came first, the chicken or the egg? Name something that is lighter than a feather, but cannot be held by any man for more than a few minutes. Imagine that you are surrounded by hungry bears in the wilderness. How do you survive? What becomes whiter and whiter as it gets dirtier and dirtier? No man wants it, but every man is afraid of losing it. What is it? What must you break before you can use it?

Difficult Riddles
For those who want a true challenge, try out these difficult riddles (http://www.2020site.org/riddles/Very-Hard-Riddles.html) . No matter how smart a person may be, they are sure to be stumped by at least one of these (unless theyve heard them before!). Try them out on parents, teachers, and college students. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. A house has four sides which all face north. A bear walks by. What color is it? What did the monkey say when it ran out of bananas? Two boxers are in a fight. One boxer knocks the other out, yet no man landed a single blow. How is this possible? What is cowhide most commonly used for over all the world? Why is it illegal for a man to marry his widows sister? He who makes it doesnt want it. He who buys it doesnt use it. He who uses it doesnt know it. What is it?

Easy Riddle Answers

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Lunch and Dinner. Only once. All of them do! (This one is great for a child learning his or her months.) Your age. Four quarters. 99 cows. (Try this out on a young math student!) NoneNoah built the Ark. (Sunday school and Christian school students will love this riddle.)

Medium Riddle Answers

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. A doughnut. (Unless its crme-filled, of course.) The egg, unless chickens lived with the dinosaurs! Your breath. Stop imagining, silly! A chalkboard. (Or a car under a tree filled with birds!) His work. An egg. (Tell this one right after the chicken riddle for big laughs.)

Difficult Riddle Answers

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. White. If the houses walls all face south, it must be at the top of the North Pole, and the bear must be a polar bear. Oh, darn! Time to buy more bananas! (This one is just silly!) The boxers were women. To cover cows, of course. Because the man must be dead. A coffin.

Mathematical Riddles Try Your Hand

Do you want to give your math skills a flex and try some math based riddles? See if you can figure out the following mathematical riddles. There is something here for all skill levels. The answers are below:

Riddles:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. What number appears the most between 1 and 1,000? What number appears the least between 1 and 1,000? Two moms and two daughters shared three eggs, yet they each ate a whole egg. How could that have happened? Imagine that of five is three. If that were true, what would 1/3 of ten equal? There is a hole that is six and half feet wide, five feet long and eight feet deep. How much dirt is in the hole? How can you make six nines equal 100? You can use any mathematical function to make the nines equal to 100, but you cannot use any other numbers. Imagine you have seven rings, divided into three interlocking sets. One set of rings contains four rings, one set contains two rings and there is one single ring left over to make up the third set. These rings can be used to be pay for a hotel room at the rate of one ring per night. You need to stay for seven nights, but the hotel wont let you pay for any nights in advance, nor can you pay for your entire stay on the last night. How do you use your rings to pay for your room? 8. You have a barrel of oil, a five-gallon container and a three-gallon container. You need to measure out four gallons. How do you do it?

Answers:
1. The number one appears most frequently between 1 and 1,000. In each set of tens between 1 and 1,000, each number zero nine shows up once. (For instance, 30, 31, 32). In the hundreds place, each number one nine shows up an additional time 301, 302, 303 and so on. If you include the initial one in the number 1,000, then one appears most frequently. The number that appears least frequently is zero. Every other number appears in a series (for instance, 22, 222 or 44, 444) and zero does not. One of the women is a grandmother, so she is both mother and daughter. There were only three women total eating eggs. According to that proportion, 1/3 of ten would be four. There is no dirt in the hole otherwise it would not be a hole. 9 + 99/99 = 100 Start by using the single ring to pay for your first night. On the second night, take that single ring back and give the hotel the set of two rings. On the third night, let the hotel keep the set of two rings and give them back the single ring. On the fourth night, take back the single ring and the set of two rings and turn over your set of four rings. On night five, let the hotel keep the set of four rings, and return the single ring to them. On the sixth night, let the hotel keep the four rings, give them the set of two 8. rings and take back the single ring. On night seven, let them keep all the rings they have and return the single ring to them. Start by filling the three-gallon container with oil. Dump those three gallons into the five-gallon container. Refill your three gallon container, and pour as much as will fit into the five gallon container. That leaves you with one gallon left in your threegallon container. Now, empty the five-gallon container and pour the one gallon from the three-gallon container into it. Refill the three-gallon container again and pour the contents into the five-gallon container. You now have four gallons in the five-gallon container.

2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Popular Philippine Riddles

Here are some common Filipino riddles. The trick is to figure out what object is being described in the riddle. See how many you can guess. The answers are below. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Rice cake of the king that you cant divide. My cow is in Manila. You can hear its moo. Roll in the morning. Leaf in the afternoon. Pedro hides but you can see his head. I cant see it in the light but I can see it in the dark.

6. 7. 8.

If you want me to last longer, I must die. I ate one and threw away two. When it was young, it had a tail. When it grew up, it had knees.

9. Cotton that hangs high cannot be wrapped. 10. In the prairie it was stabbed, in the house it was pulled. How many did you guess? Check your answers here: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Water Thunder Mat Nail Star Candle Oyster Frog Clouds

10. Crabgrass

Theme Ideas Photo Scavenger Hunt

The advent of digital cameras has opened up a completely new dimension to scavenger hunts. Until recently, clues were limited to items that participants could pick up and take with them. For a photo scavenger hunt, each team is given a digital camera along with the list of clues, and is instructed to take pictures of the answer. Possible clues for this kind of hunt include:

Marching forth in single file, I travel home to my sand pile (an ant) Wherever you go I am always near, when night comes I disappear (your shadow)

Pirate Scavenger Hunt

Every child loves a pirate party. What pirate day is complete without a treasure hunt? For this theme, write the clues on a battered up piece of cloth or paper, and add a little pirate jargon to create the mood. The website Peppers and Pollywogs (http://www.pepperspollywogs.com/blog/index.php/pirate-treasure-hunt-clues/) offers some helpful tips for planning a pirate party, and a number of pre-piratized riddle clues. Some of the riddles you will find there include:

An old matey could take me down, and make me into a boat to sail around (a tree) If you pull a bunch from the bed, they will flourish and bloom and make our ship move ahead (flowers in a flowerbed)

Princess Scavenger Hunt

For a more girly theme, a princess scavenger hunt is sure to please the elementary-aged girls in your life. Have the party-goers search for items related to their favorite fairy tale princess. For example:

The Prince was in love, he knew not with who, but after the ball, she lost her ____ (shoe) Belle is loved for her kindness and looks, but she would rather spend her time with a ____ (book) Snow White and her prince are off to the chapel, now she's recovered from the poisoned ____ (apple)

Alternatively, you could have your treasure hunters search for the princess's lost jewels, or items she may need to go to the ball. Riddles could give hints to the items' locations, or to the items themselves.

What do you call a duck that gets straight A's in school? A wise quacker. What was the worm doing in the cornfield? Going in one ear and out the other. What goes up but never comes down? Your age.

Sporting a nice collection of animal riddles, AZ Kids Net is mainly a collection from users. Here are a few examples on this page:

What do you call a fish without an eye? A FSH. What do lazy dogs do for fun? Chase parked cars. How could a cowboy ride into town on Friday, stay two days, and ride out on Friday? His horse is named Friday.

At Just Riddles and More, you can build your collection even more. The answers to the riddles are hidden in a drop down menu that automatically opens when you click on the box. Below are three of the riddles you'll read:

What do you call a funny book about eggs? A yolk book. Why was the belt arrested? For holding up the pants. Where is the best place to see a man-eating fish? A seafood restaurant.

A nice selection of categorized riddles exists at Best Family Advice. They aren't easily searched, but as you scroll down, you see categories like Animals, Silly, and Food. Continue to scroll down the main section and you find user submitted jokes that you can rate. At the website of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, you can view riddles and other brainteasers and puzzles. Some of the riddles you'll find here are:

What flies but has no wings? Time. Where does a fish keep their money? In a riverbank. What turns everything around but does not move? A mirror.

Riddles for Spring

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. April showers bring mayflowers, but what do Mayflowers bring? Whats the best day of the year to monkey around with your friends? Can February March? What spring flowers can be found on peoples faces? Why is spring a great season to start a gardening business? Do you know what happens on April 1? What did the big flower say to the little one? How is the letter A like a spring flower? What is a spring chick after it is five months old?

ANSWERS:
1. 2. 3. 4. Pilgrims! The Mayflower was the ship that brought the first pilgrim settlers to Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts. After a journey of over two months, the settlers finally made it to their destination in the New World in November (not in the springtime). Ape-ril Fools Day, of course. No but April May! This silly joke is simply a bit of wordplay using the names of the spring months. Two lips (tulips). When you tell this springtime riddle, make sure that you say the punch line clearly enough so that the meaning is understood.

5. 6.

Because its the season when you can really rake in the cash! To rake in money simply means to make a lot of it all at one time. If a friend says what? or that they dont know, you should respond, Im surprised youre not fool-ly aware of it! If a friend says, April Fools Day, respond by saying Im glad to know youre fool-ly aware of it!This is a great joke for April Fools Day. Youre really growing, bud! A bud is a shoot that eventually blooms into a full-grown flower. Both of them are followed by bees (Bs)! Six months old. (What did you think the answer was?)

7. 8. 9.

Different Kinds of Riddles

Here are some examples of hard riddles grouped by type from Tricky Riddles. They are grouped by: logic, math, and what am I? What is it? Who am I? words and letters, and miscellaneous.

Logic
Question: Jackie's mom has 7 kids. They are Maddie, Madeleine, Madison, Magdalena, Marion, and Monica. What is the 7th child's name? Answer: Jackie Question: There were two girls born in the same hospital that looked exactly the same and were born into the same family. However, they were born in different years. How is that possible? Answer: They were born on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

Math
Question: I am a three-digit number. My tens digit is five more than my ones digit. My hundreds digit is eight less than my tens digit. What number am I? Answer: 194 Question: How do you add eight 8's to get 1,000? (Using addition) Answer: 888+88+8+8+8 = 1,000

What Am I?
Question: What remains dark when all else is light? Answer: A shadow. Question: I have seas without water, forests without wood, deserts without sand, and houses without bricks. What am I? Answer: A map.

What Is It?
Question: The person who builds it doesn't want it. The person who buys it doesn't need it either. The person who uses it doesn't even know he is. What is it? Answer: A coffin.

Who Am I?
Question: I am not my sister, I am not my brother, but I am still the child of my mother and father. Who am I? Answer: I am myself.

Words And Letters

Question: How do you make 7 even? Answer: Drop the S.

Question: What starts with an E ends with an E and has 1 letter in it? Answer: An envelope.

Miscellaneous
Question: A horse is tied to a rope five meters long. There is a barn filled with hay 6 meters away yet the horse can get up and eat the hay whenever he wants. How can that be? Answer: The rope is only tied to the horse and is not tied to anything else.

Question: You have a barrel of oil, and you need to measure out just one gallon. How do you do this if you only have a three-gallon container and a five-gallon container? Answer: Fill the 3-gallon container with oil and pour it into the 5-gallon container. Then fill the 3-gallon container again and use it to fill the 5-gallon container the rest of the way. One gallon will be left in the 3-gallon container. Question: If it has a quart capacity, how many pennies can you put into an empty piggy bank? Answer: Only one, because after that it won't be empty. Question: What is broken every time it is spoken? Answer: Silence.

http://www.2020site.org/riddles/

Examples and Observations:

Question: Why do birds fly south? Answer: It's too far to walk.

Question: What walks on four feet in the morning, two feet at noon, and three feet in the evening? Answer: A man (as infant, adult, and elder). (The riddle of the Sphinx in Oedipus the King by Sophocles)

"When referring to his own struggles against the seemingly insoluble problem of South African apartheid, Bishop Tutu quoted a favorite riddle: 'How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.'" (A. Colby and W. Damon, Some Do Care. Simon and Schuster, 1994) Homographic Riddles:

Why is a polka like beer? Because there are so many hops in it.

What's a frank frank? A hot dog who gives his honest opinion.

How do pigs write? With a pigpen.

Why was the picture sent to jail? Because it was framed.

Why would a pelican make a good lawyer? Because he knows how to stretch his bill.

http://grammar.about.com/od/rs/g/riddleterm.htm

Riddles from the Net

To see the answer to each riddle, drag your mouse over the text to the right of where it says "Answer".
#1 from Guy Steele <gls@east.sun.com>, 26 Jun 1995: Riddle: A slow, solemn square-dance Of warriors feinting. One by one they fall, Warriors fainting, Thirty-two on sixty-four. Answer: A chess game. #2 from Guy Steele <gls@east.sun.com>, 26 Jun 1995: Riddle: I am always at your side. To a slab my tail is tied And my eyes are both inside my belly. Tickle my back, one/two/three! Wisdom and folly are yours to see. Answer: A computer mouse. #3 from Eric S. Raymond <esr@thyrsus.com>, 27 Jun 1995: Riddle: Twigs but no roots / leaves but no shoots; Faring forever / over the sand. Filmmakers love me / but ranchers, they hate me. I came here from Russia / isn't life grand? Answer: Tumbleweed, aka Russian thistle. #4 from Guy Steele <gls@east.sun.com>, 27 Jun 1995: Riddle: Gold in a leather bag, swinging on a tree,

Money after honey in its time. Ills of a scurvy crew cured by the sea, Reason in its season but no rhyme. Answer: Orange which has no rhyme in English. #5 from Eric S. Raymond <esr@thyrsus.com>, 27 Jun 1995: Riddle: I march before armies / a thousand salute me My fall can bring victory / but no one would shoot me; The wind is my lover / one-legged am I Name me and see me / at home in the sky. Answer: A flag or banner. #6 from Guy Steele <gls@east.sun.com>, 27 Jun 1995: Riddle: A singular pun: in the plural, impotent, Yet it breathes life into the dead. Fifty thousand wizards are liege to it, Yet it is yours to command. It is storming the gates of the empire! Gates is storming back. Answer: Unix (pun for `Eunuchs'). #7 from Eric S. Raymond <esr@thyrsus.com>, 20 Sep 1995: Riddle: Wings on the water / wonder in motion, A beak of brass / apt for brawling. But fear and foulness / fill my belly, Pity all / who ache inside me; Whip-stung, woeful / weak and weary. Answer: A war galley (classical poets often analogized the oars to wings). #8 from Eric S. Raymond <esr@thyrsus.com>, 23 Sep 1995: Riddle: Billions of my brothers / bathe all things you see; You live in time and space / but time is naught to me. My nature has two faces / two syllables my name; To find the law that binds me / forget your reference frame. Answer: Photon (both wave and particle). #9 from David J. Austin <dj@locke.ccil.org>, 30 Dec 1995: Riddle: It roars like thunder, And rises higher, While breathing fire, This wingless wonder. If it leaves its cave, Drags us in its tail, Over hill and dale, Then you must be brave. Early morning flight, Silently it flies, Slowly in the skies. Hides before the night.

My kingdom at least, To the brave young knight, If you name it right. What is this huge beast? Answer: A hot-air balloon. #10 from Eric S. Raymond <esr@thyrsus.com>, 1 May 1996: Riddle: A hundred brothers lie next to each other; Each white and fine they've only one spine. I am the tongue that lies between two. Remove me to gather their wisdom to you. Answer: Bookmark between the pages of a book. #11 from Eric S. Raymond <esr@thyrsus.com> 21 Oct 1996 Riddle: I am a promise on the night wind, and a warning under red skies. You can make me with electrodes, but my nature is wild. And yet I am your shield against the sun Who am I? Answer: Ozone. #12 from Gunnora Hallakarva <gunnora@bga.com> 11 Sep 1998 Riddle: I have split the one into five. I am the circle that few will spy. I am the path that breaks and gives. I am the bow no man may bend. Answer: The rainbow (the "five" are the spectral colors). #13 from Eric S. Raymond <esr@thyrsus.com> 12 Dec 1999 Riddle: I'm that which is seen only in darkness, Swiftest of all, and near as old as time; Day's distant brother; fire and faintness, I light without shadow can you solve this rhyme? Answer: Starlight. #14 from Andrew Durdin <andy@tavultesoft.com> 11 Oct 2000 Riddle: I'm a twisting path, An endless track; Walk straight on my face You come to my back. Answer: A mobius strip. #15 from Deric Ruhl <latham@yossman.net> 4 May 2001 Riddle: Aged, at ninety, yet healthy and hale, praise be to Moses, my most honored father Seldom I'm called, but more seldom I fail Silent, I am, till I speak for my master.

Answer: The .45ACP pistol, invented by John Moses Browning in 1911. #16 from Anna T. Castiglioni <gwaelaurien@hotmail.com> 13 Jan 2002 Riddle: Oak and hazel are my aunts, though I am not their kin. My cousin grows in pod on vine; I often have a twin. My shape is like the sands of time contained within a glass. I have no legs, instead a shell; I dwell beneath the grass. Answer: A peanut. #17 from Eric S. Raymond, <esr@thyrsus.com>, 20 Nov 2004 Riddle: I am the teeth of the mouth of the earth Darkness and water attended my birth Softly and slowly extended in time Name me and know me, solving this rhyme Answer: Stalactites and stalagmites. #18 from Eric S. Raymond, <esr@thyrsus.com>, 28 Dec 2004 Riddle: I bear the name of clansmen proud and free My saw-edged teeth cut better than a tear From me you take a binding hard to see I spin around a hub that isn't there Answer: A scotch-tape dispenser. #19 from Kate Gladstone <handwritingrepair@gmail.com>, 9 Jul 2008 Riddle: I carry keys that cannot turn To ever open any door Or hidden hoard: yet handled well, I'll help you hunt the whole world o'er. Answer: Keyboard of a computer. #20 from Kate Gladstone <handwritingrepair@gmail.com>, 9 Jul 2008 Riddle: My land is lightless, locked within A stand of sturdy, stony walls. Yet soon I sail a salty tide To help my host when harm befalls. Answer: Leukocytes (white blood-cells) emerging from the bone-marrow into the bloodstream to fight infection. #21 from Kate Gladstone <handwritingrepair@gmail.com>, 9 Jul 2008 Riddle: The more I am clever, the more I am good, The more, as a rule, I am misunderstood. Answer: A riddle. #22 from Kate Gladstone <handwritingrepair@gmail.com>, 10 Jul 2008 Riddle: My kiss is cold. I come to you

To seek and send a signal clear. A buried beatbox booming hard Provides reverb, the vibes I hear. Answer: A stethoscope. #23 from Kate Gladstone <handwritingrepair@gmail.com>, 10 Jul 2008 Riddle: I have one hand, one head, four feet, A tail, some teeth to tear my meat. Three bands I've been in: busted two. Now, is my name yet known to you? Answer: The Fenris wolf. Two of the three attempts to bind him failed. #24 from Kate Gladstone <handwritingrepair@gmail.com>, 16 Jul 2008 Riddle: See them stand, then seated: Skunked and flunked, defeated Hard each word, and wearing: Hopes like ropes are tearing -Shock as for a sharp stake, Shaft abaft from namesake. Answer: Losers at a spelling bee #25 from Kate Gladstone <handwritingrepair@gmail.com>, 16 Jul 2008 Riddle: Found in winding fetters, Four my lore's sole letters. Batching, matching, mending, Building, bending, ending. Answer: DNA #26 from Kate Gladstone <handwritingrepair@gmail.com>, 16 Jul 2008 Riddle: We see and scent. You saunter by. Your eye may mark, your mind ignore What look like bumps on logs afloat. We crave a crunchy treat from shore. Answer: Alligators waiting for a careless traveler. #27 from Eric S. Raymond, <esr@thyrsus.com>, 21 Sep 2010 Riddle:I slip the bonds of earth and travel higher Fragile, bright, and vast I greet the day I roar like a dragon hoarding fire Then silent as a whisper drift away Answer: A hot-air balloon. #28 from Contrapuntal Platypus Riddle: Dipping, glinting, gliding by, Rainbow-fretted, wrought of breath. I live only while I fly Earth's rough kiss my sudden death. Answer: Soap bubbles blown into the air. #29 from Kate Gladstone <handwritingrepair@gmail.com> & ESR, 22 Oct 2010

Riddle:Standing taller We feared no till handled who died ere

/ than the stature of men. blade / forged of metal, well / by our hapless brother dealing / deadly wounds.

Answer: Trees -- which would not be endangered by any ax or saw without a handle to wield it by (and the first ax/saw handles were made of wood) Riddle: My step is slow / the snow's my breath I give the ground / a grinding death My marching / makes an end of me Slain by sun / or drowned in sea. Answer: A glacier. Riddle: Screaming, soaring / seeking sky Flowers of fire / flying high Eastern art / from ancient time Name me now / and solve this rhyme Answer: Fireworks. Riddle: Four hang, four walk, Four stand skyward, Two show the way to the field And one comes shaking behind Answer: A cow. Four teats hang, four legs walk, two horns and two ears stand skyward, two eyes show the way to the field and one tail comes shaking (dangling) behind. Riddle: What has roots as nobody sees, Is taller than trees, Up, up it goes And yet never grows? Answer: A mountain. Riddle: Thirty white horses on a red hill, First they champ, Then they stamp, Then they stand still. Answer: Teeth in your mouth. Riddle: Voiceless it cries, Wingless flutters, Toothless bites, Mouthless mutters. Answer: The wind. Riddle: An eye in a blue face Saw an eye in a green face, "That eye is like to this eye" Said the first eye, "But in low place, Not in high place." Answer: Sun on a field of daisies. Riddle: It cannot be seen, cannot be felt Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt.

It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills. It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter. Answer: Darkness. Riddle: A box without hinges, key, or lid, Yet golden treasure inside is hid. Answer: An egg. Riddle: Alive without breath, As cold as death; Never thirsty, ever drinking, All in mail, never clinking. Answer: A fish. Riddle: No-legs lay on one-leg, Two-legs sat near on three-legs, four legs got some. Answer: Fish on a little table, man at table sitting on a stool, the cat ate the bones. Riddle: This thing all things devours: Birds, trees, beasts, flowers; Gnaws iron, bites steel; Grinds hard stones to meal; Slays king, ruins town, And beats high mountain down. Answer: Time. Riddle: Swings by his thigh / a thing most magical! Below the belt / beneath the folds Of his clothes it hangs / a hole in its front end, stiff-set and stout / it swivels about. Levelling the head / of this hanging tool, its wielder hoists his hem / above his knee; it is his will to fill / a well-known hole that it fits fully / when at full length He's oft filled it before. / Now he fills it again. Answer: A key. Riddle: From hand to hand / about the hall I go, Much do lords and ladies / love to kiss me; When I hold myself high / and the whole throng bows before me / their blessedness shall flourish skyward / beneath my fostering shade. Answer: A wooden god-image or crucifix. Riddle: I am fire-fretted / and I flirt with Wind; my limbs are light-freighted / I am lapped in flame. I am storm-stacked / and I strain to fly; I'm a grove leaf-bearing / and a glowing coal. Answer: A beam of wood.

Riddle: Thousands lay up gold within this house, but no man made it. Spears past counting guard this house, but no man wards it. Answer: A beehive. The spears are bee stings.

Riddle: I am the hall-upholder, once crowned in green. Answer: Pillar carved from a tree-trunk. Riddle: I am the yellow hem of the sea's blue skirt. Answer: Sand on a beach. Riddle: I am the red tongue of the Earth, that buries cities. Answer: Lava from a volcano. Riddle: The Moon is my father, the Sea is my mother; I have a million brothers, I die when I reach land. Answer: A wave on the ocean. Riddle: Three eyes have I, all in a row; when the red one opens, all freeze. Answer: A traffic light. Riddle: I drink the blood of the Earth, and the trees fear my roar, yet a man may hold me in his hands. Answer: A chainsaw Riddle: I am the black cloak of the road. Answer: Asphalt Riddle: A hoard of rings am I, but no fit gift for a bride; I await a sword's kiss. Answer: A suit of chain-mail. Riddle: A wonder on the wave / water became bone. Answer: Ice on a lake or seashore. http://www.catb.org/esr/riddle-poems.html

Filipino Riddles Collection

The followiing riddles have been literally translated to English for non- Filipino readers.

Riddles About Fruits

1. May isang prinsesa, nakaupo sa tasa. (A princess sitting in a cup)
2. Ate mo, ate ko, Ate ng lahat ng tao. (My sister, your sister, everyone's sister) 3. Hiyas na puso, kulay ginto, mabango kung amuyin, masarap kung kainin. (Shape like a heart, gold in color, sweet to smell and good to eat.) 4. Butong binalot ng bakal, bakal na binalot ng kristal. (Seed that is wrap in steel, steel that is wrap in crystal). 5. Nag tapis nang nag tapis nakalitaw ang bulbolis. (She wears a skirt, but you can still what is inside). 6. Aling pagkain sa mundo, ang nakalabas ang buto? (What fruit in the world that the seed is out?) 7. Heto na si Ingkong, nakaupo sa lusong. (Here comes Ingkong, sitting in a fish catcher.) 8. Nakatalikod na ang prinsesa, mukha niya'y nakaharap pa. (The princess is on her back, but her head is still facing us) 9. Balat niya'y berde, buto niya'y itim,laman niya'y pula, sino siya? (Her skin is green, her seed is black, her tissue is red, who is she?) 10. Kung tawagin nila'y santo, hindi naman milagroso. (He is called Saint, but with no miracle.) 11. Bahay ni Mang Pedro, punung-puno ng bato. (House of Pedro, full of stone) 12. Baboy sa pulo, ang balahibo ay pako. (An island pig with a hair as hard as a nail.) 13. Nanganak ang birhen, itinapon ang lampin. (The virgin gave birth, but throw the nappy) 14. Nakayuko ang reyna di nalalaglag ang korona. (The queen tilt her head but the crown did not fall) 15. May langit, may lupa, May tubig, walang isda. (There is a sky, there is soil, there is water, but no fish) 16. Kumpul-kumpol na uling, hayon at bibitin-bitin. (A bunch of charcoal, hanging here and there.) 17. Bunga na ay namumunga pa. (A fruit that still bears fruit) 18. Tiningnan nang tiningnan. Bago ito nginitian. (It was look twice before it smile) 19. Hindi prinsesa, hindi reyna. Bakit may korona? (Not a princess, not a queen, but wears a crown). 20. Isang magandang dalaga.Di mabilang ang mata. (A beautiful girl, you can't count her eyes)

Answers to the Riddles

1. Kasoy (Cashew)
2. Atis (Sugar Apple) 3. Mangga (Mango) 4. Lansones (Lanzones) 5. Mais (Corn) 6. Kasoy (Cashew) 7. Kasoy (Cashew) 8. Balimbing (Star Apple) 9. Pakwan (Watermelon) 10. Santol (Santol fruit) 11. Papaya (Pawpaw) 12. Langka (Jackfruit) 13. Saging (Banana) 14. Bayabas (Guava) 15. Niyog (Coconut) 16. Duhat (Black Plum) 17. Bunga 18. Mais (Corn) 19. Bayabas (Guava) 20. Pinya (Pineapple)
Tagalog Riddle: Isang balong malalim, punong-puno ng patalim. English Translation: A deep well that is full of chisels.

SAGOT:

bibig (mouth)

Tagalog Riddle: Dalawang batong maitim, malayo ang dinarating. English Translation: Two black stones that reach far. SAGOT:
iyong mata (your eyes)

Tagalog Riddle: Dalawang balon, hindi malingon. English Translation: Two wells, which you cannot turn to look at.

SAGOT:

iyong tainga (your ears)

Tagalog Riddle: Naligo ang kapitan, hindi nabasa ang tiyan. English Translation: The captain took a bath without his belly getting wet.

SAGOT:

bangka (canoe)

Tagalog Riddle: Dalawa kong kahon, buksan walang ugong. English Translation: My two boxes are opened without a sound.

SAGOT:

iyong mata (your eyes)

Tagalog Riddle: Limang puno ng niyog, isa'y matayog. English Translation: Five coconut trees, one stands out.

SAGOT:

daliri (fingers)

Aling ibon dito sa mundo ang lumilipad at sumususo ang anak? Which bird in this world flies yet suckles its young?

SAGOT:

kabag (fruit bat)

Nang hatakin ko ang baging, nagkagulo ang mga matsing. When I tugged on the vine, the monkeys went crazy.

SAGOT: Bugtong: Ang paa'y apat, hindi makalakad.

kampana (large bell)

SAGOT:

mesa (table)

Bugtong: Aling malapit ang malayo?

SAGOT:

mata (eye)

Bugtong: Pusong bibitin-bitin, kulay ginto, mabangong hasmin.

SAGOT:

mangga (mango)

Bugtong: Isang bayabas, pito ang butas.

SAGOT:

mukha (face)

Bugtong: Dalawang tindahan na sabay binubuksan.

SAGOT:

mga mata (eyes)

Bugtong: Hindi akin, hindi iyo, ari ng lahat ng tao.

SAGOT:

mundo (the w orld)

Bugtong: Kung bayaa'y nabubuhay, kung himasi'y namamatay.

SAGOT:

makahiya (mimosa plant)

Dalawang magkaibigan, unahan nang unahan.

SAGOT:

Mga Paa (feet)

Narito na si katoto, may dala-dalang kubo.

SAGOT:

Pagong (turtle)

May ulo'y walang buhok, may tiyan walang pusod.

SAGOT:

Palaka (frog)

Nang munti pa'y minamahal, nang lumaki na'y pinugutan.

SAGOT:

Palay (rice plant)

Sariling-sarili mo na, ginagamit pa ng iba.

SAGOT:

Pangalan (name)

Bahay ng kapre, iisa ang haligi.

SAGOT:

Payong (umbrella)

Isang dalagang marikit, nakaupo sa tinik.

SAGOT:

Pinya (pineapple)

http://tagaloglang.com/Philippine-Literature/Filipino-Riddles/

10 Highest Rated Short Funny Riddles: How can this be? A woman shoots her husband. Then she holds him under water for over 5 minutes. Finally, she hangs him. But 5 minutes later they both go out together and enjoy a wonderful dinner together. How can this be? - Riddle Answer The woman is a

10 Newest Short Funny Riddles: Jenn picked a book off the highest shelf in her room. On the spine she read How to Jog. She ran out of the room and opened the book but found it had absolutely nothing to do with jogging. Please Explain. - Riddle Answer

1.

1.

photographer. She shot/took a picture of him, develops it and hang it..

2. What Am I? A skin have I, more eyes than one. I can be very nice when I am done. What Am I? - Riddle Answer

A potato.
3. How many times can you subtract the number 5 from 25? - Riddle Answer 2.

The book Jenn picked up was one of a set of encyclopedias; she picked up the volume containing entries beginning with the letters "HOW" through the letters "JOG".
Take away my first letter and I am unchanged: Take away my second letter and I am unchanged: Take away all my remaining letters and I am still unchanged! What am I? - Riddle Answer

The postman or a mailbox.

Once, because after you subtract it's
3. Why does the stork stand on one leg? - Riddle Answer

not 25 anymore.

Because if he took the other leg off the ground he would fall on the

4.

What is significant about the order of these numbers : 2 3 6 7 1 9 4 5 8 - Riddle Answer

ground!.

They are in reverse alphabetical order.

A babysitter came over one day to babysit 10 children. She decided to give them a snack. In a jar there were 10 cookies. She wants to give each one a cookie, but still keep one in the jar. How will she do it? (WITHOUT BREAKING ANY COOKIES-EACH CHILD HAS TO GET A WHOLE!) - Riddle Answer What am I? I am the black child of a white father, a wingless bird, flying even to the clouds of heaven. I give birth to tears of mourning in pupils that meet me, even though there is no cause for grief, and at once on my birth I am dissolved into air. What am I? - Riddle Answer

4.

5.

Smoke.
She hands the 10th child the jar with one cookie left in it.

5.

A woman went to visit her bank manager and she took her young daughter with her. The bank manager said that the womans daughter could stay with his secretary during the meeting. When the woman and her daughter left, the secretary turned to the other secretary and said to her, "That little girl was my daughter." How could that be? - Riddle Answer

6.

A woman went to visit her bank manager and she took her young daughter with her. The bank manager said that the womans daughter could stay with his secretary during the meeting. When the woman and her daughter left, the secretary turned to the other secretary and said to her, "That little girl was my daughter." How could that be? - Riddle Answer 6.

The secretary was the girl's father.

A babysitter came over one day to babysit 10 children. She decided to give them a snack. In a jar there were 10 cookies. She wants to give each one a cookie, but still keep one in the jar. How will she do it? (WITHOUT BREAKING ANY COOKIESEACH CHILD HAS TO GET A WHOLE!) - Riddle Answer

The secretary was the girl's father.

What am I? I am the black child of a white father, a wingless bird, flying even to the clouds of heaven. I give birth to tears of mourning in pupils that meet me, even though there is no cause for grief, and at once on my birth I am dissolved into air. What am I? - Riddle Answer

7.

She hands the 10th child the jar with one cookie left in it.
7. What is significant about the order of these numbers : 2 3 6 7 1 9 4 5 8 - Riddle Answer

Smoke. They are in reverse alphabetical

8.

Why does the stork stand on one leg? - Riddle Answer

order.
8. How many times can you subtract the number 5 from 25? - Riddle Answer

Because if he took the other leg off the ground he would fall on the ground!.
Take away my first letter and I am unchanged: Take away my second letter and I am unchanged: Take away all my remaining letters and I am still unchanged! What am I? - Riddle Answer

Once, because after you subtract it's not 25 anymore.

How can this be? A woman shoots her husband. Then she holds him under water for over 5 minutes. Finally, she hangs him. But 5 minutes later they both go out together and enjoy a wonderful dinner together. How can this be? - Riddle Answer

9.

9.

The postman or a mailbox.

Jenn picked a book off the highest shelf in her room. On the spine she read How to Jog. She ran out of the room and opened the book but found it had absolutely nothing to do with jogging. Please Explain. - Riddle Answer 10.

10.

The woman is a photographer. She shot/took a picture of him, develops it and hang it..
What Am I? A skin have I, more eyes than one. I can be very nice when I am done. What Am I? - Riddle Answer

The book Jenn picked up was one of a set of encyclopedias; she picked up the volume containing entries beginning with the letters "HOW" through the letters "JOG".

A potato.

5 Random Short Funny Riddles: A woman went to visit her bank manager and she took her young daughter with her. The bank manager said that the womans daughter could stay with his secretary during the meeting. When the woman and her daughter left, the secretary turned to the other secretary and said to her, "That little girl was my daughter." How could that be? - Riddle Answer Answer:

The secretary was the girl's father.

What am I? I am the black child of a white father, a wingless bird, flying even to the clouds of heaven. I give birth to tears of mourning in pupils that meet me, even though there is no cause for grief, and at once on my birth I am dissolved into air. What am I? - Riddle Answer Answer:

Smoke.

A babysitter came over one day to babysit 10 children. She decided to give them a snack. In a jar there were 10 cookies. She wants to give each one a cookie, but still keep one in the jar. How will she do it? (WITHOUT BREAKING ANY COOKIES-EACH CHILD HAS TO GET A WHOLE!) - Riddle Answer Answer:

She hands the 10th child the jar with one cookie left in it.

Take away my first letter and I am unchanged: Take away my second letter and I am unchanged: Take away all

my remaining letters and I am still unchanged! What am I? - Riddle Answer Answer:

The postman or a mailbox.

Jenn picked a book off the highest shelf in her room. On the spine she read How to Jog. She ran out of the room and opened the book but found it had absolutely nothing to do with jogging. Please Explain. - Riddle Answer Answer:

The book Jenn picked up was one of a set of encyclopedias; she picked up the volume containing entries beginning with the letters "HOW" through the letters "JOG".
http://www.shortfunnyriddles.com/

Riddle 96: How do you put a giraffe in a refrigerator? Solution: Open the door, put him in, close the door Riddle 97: How do you put an elephant in a refrigerator? Solution: Open the door, take the giraffe out, put him in, close the door Riddle 98: All of the animals go to a meeting for the Lion King. One animal doesnt show up.Which animal doesn't come? Solution: The elephant, he's in the refrigerator Riddle 99: You come to a river that aligators live in. There is no boat, raft, bridge, nor material to make them. How do you get across? Solution: Jump in, swim accross, get out. The aligators are at the meeting Riddle 100: When one does not know what it is, then it is something; but when one knows what it is, then it is nothing. Solution: A riddle
http://top-100-riddles-and-brain-teasers.blogspot.com/

Riddle 1: 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? Solution: Because they were all married and not single Riddle 2: what is the end of everything?? Solution: the end of everything is g! Riddle 3: What's full of holes but still holds water? Solution: A sponge! Riddle 4: A woman has 7 children, half of them are boys. How can this be possible? Solution: "Them" refers to the all the people mentioned.... a woman and 7 children. Riddle 5: My voice is tender, my waist is slender and I'm often invited to play. Yet wherever I go I must take my bow or else I have nothing to say. What am I? Solution: violin Riddle 6: I can be cracked, I can be made. I can be told, I can be played. What am I? Solution: I am a Joke. Riddle 7: A basket contains 5 apples. Do you know how to divide them among 5 kids so that each one has an apple and one apple stays in the basket? Solution: give the four kids their respective apples ... for the last kid, give him the basket with the apple in it

Riddle 8: Only two backbones and thousands of ribs. Solution: Railroad Riddle 9: What goes up and down stairs without moving? Solution: Carpet Riddle 10: What can bring back the dead; make us cry, make us laugh, make us young; born in an instant yet lasts a life time? Solution: Memories.