Riddle Game

[Sock Puppet]

The rules are simple: Answer the riddle correctly, and pose your own. Make sure you'll be around to verify the answer, or leave it with somebody else if you're going to be gone for a month or something.

I'll start with a great one I first heard on a 70s cartoon show. Bonus points if you remember that too, but an extra special bonus if you actually figure the riddle out on your own.


What raises up buildings and tears down mountains, makes some people blind but helps others to see?

[Widget]

Sunlight ?

[Sock Puppet]

Nope. Maybe that works in an extremely indirect way for the first part, but that's not the answer.

[cappuccino]

Human ambition?

[Sock Puppet]

Nope. Hint: One word. A physical thing, not abstract.

[lisarea]

Money?

[Crumb]

I think you guys are thinking too metaphorically... not that I know the answer or anything. :chin:

[lisarea]

Yeah. I'm thinking like glass or rocks, but I can't figure out a one word answer. Minerals. Rocks. Stone.

I'm supposed to be working, anyway.

[livius drusus]

Is it sand?

[Leesifer]

I'm thinking like glass

Yeah, I was thinking glass but it doesn't go with the whole riddle.

[lisarea]

I'm thinking like glass

Yeah, I was thinking glass but it doesn't go with the whole riddle.

Yeah, I know. I was just thinking something close. I think liv got it.

[trillian]

Answer prob is sand but I think this one can work too:

dynamite!

(it helps others to see by clearing view obstructions, and the others are more obvious)

[Leesifer]

Where's that :sockpuppet: when you need him?

[Sock Puppet]

Is it sand?
Ding ding ding!

Sand leads to erosion, is used in some building materials, can cause blindness in a sandstorm (or via a malicious urchin in a sandbox), and is ground into glass for spectacles.

Liv, riddle me, baby.

Sorry about the delay, I was hanging up pages and loading only fragments when they finally did load.

[Leesifer]

:cheer: liv :cheer:

Riddle-me-re

[livius drusus]

Okay, but I suck at riddling so don't hate me if it's too easy.

What nine letter-word can stay a perfectly pronounceable and normal English word every step of the way as you remove one letter at a time, until it's down to a single letter?

[cappuccino]

Is the letter removed from the beginning or the end of the word?

[livius drusus]

Neither. You remove the letter necessary to form the next word.

[Leesifer]

Is it anything to do with the letter "w"?

[livius drusus]

Erm... Are you asking me if the letter "w" is in the word in question? I'm not sure if I'm supposed to answer that sort of question. :para:

[Crumb]

Do the letters get mixed up or do they stay in order?

[Leesifer]

Heh! I was trying to think of the letter with the longest syllables that could end up as a word itself, if it was part of another word. That's all.

ETA: I know "w" isn't a word on it's own. Just fishing for clues, I suppose.

[livius drusus]

Do the letters get mixed up or do they stay in order?

They stay in order. One letter gets removed and the letters that remain in place form a new word.

[cappuccino]

Let's see... "a" and "I" are the only one letter words I can think of...

/me mumbles to himself

I'm not feeling very enlightened today.

[Leesifer]

/me mumbles along with capp.

[cappuccino]

Is there a trick that we aren't seeing that makes the whole riddle very simple?

[livius drusus]

You've just gotta think of the word, is all. It's not rare or even unusual. None of the words that are formed when you remove a letter are either.

[cappuccino]

I'm such a bad baaad boy. :unsad:

[Leesifer]

Oh, capp, did you google?

/me is tempted

Did you find it via google?

[cappuccino]

Yes Lees, I googled and found the answer. I just couldn't take the suspense! I just HAD to know! I'm such a horrible cheater. :cry:

[livius drusus]

Aww... :comfort: You're only a cheater if you tell. (And a snitch too, snitchy.)

[Leesifer]

capp: : :pounceglomp:

I haven't done it yet (googled) but I know I will before I go to bed.

And liv's right, you haven't told anybody.

[cappuccino]

:giggles:

I would have never managed to come up with the answer before my patience ran out.

[Ari]

Answer?:
i-in-pin-ping-aping*-raping-rapping-wrapping-wrappings

*apparent this is a word. I basically hit letters till my auto-spell checker didn't red-underline it. Maybe minor cheating, but whatever. :)

[livius drusus]

Oh my god it's a different one! There are two! That's the coolest thing evar. :bow: My answer was:

I-in-sin-sing-sting-string-staring-starting-startling.

Okay, Ari. Your turn to riddle us.

[viscousmemories]

If you didn't know 'aping' was a word, you probably haven't done many crossword puzzles.

[Leesifer]

i-in-pin-ping-aping*-raping-rapping-wrapping-wrappings
I-in-sin-sing-sting-string-staring-starting-startling

:nojustno:

[cappuccino]

startling was the answer I found. But that's so cool you found another one, Ari. :wriggle:

[Ari]

Ok, this may be easy.

Why did an old lady always answer the door wearing her hat and coat?
(and it's not because she's crazy).


VM: Actually I hate crossword puzzles, they annoy me. :)
Before I looked it up I assumed aping was what someone did when they "went ape", such as "What happened to bob? He went aping crazy." or "I couldn't have a calm conversation with bob, he was aping."

[cappuccino]

Because she lived at the North Pole?

[viscousmemories]

She never knew if she was coming or going?

[cappuccino]

I think that would fall under the definition of being crazy.

[Ari]

Cap:Reasonable answer, but nope.

Hint: It's not something everyone would do.

[Ari]

Hint like thing for those who may need it,
Notice I specified I was talking to Cap when I said nope.

[Sock Puppet]

She was always expecting that someone was coming to pick her up?

[viscousmemories]

Specifically, she was expecting the :reaper: ?

[Ari]

Sock: nope but getting slightly closer.

VM: Haha.

[JoeP]

Why did an old lady always answer the door wearing her hat and coat?Because she lived in Antarctica?

Because the chicken had stapled them to her head and body?

Because real men aren't afraid of old ladies in hats and coats?

Forty-two?

[Ari]

Maybe I should have done an easier one. :P
Ok more hints:
It has to do with people coming to her door.
She did it out of convenience to reduce annoyances.

[Leesifer]

She was always pretending to be going out, so the people wouldn't come in?

[Ari]

Yep.
Half way there to the full answer.

[Sock Puppet]

She hated visitors, and appearing at the door with her hat and coat made it clear that they couldn't stick around and chat.

[Ari]

She didn't hate everyone.

[JoeP]

Will somebody get this one so we can move on? I snoogled* the answer so I don't feel comfortable posting it.

* Snooped using google

[cappuccino]

Because people come to her door to tell her there's another funeral to attend?

[Sock Puppet]

I finally cheated too. Figures that it's one of those damned "lateral thinking" puzzles. I suck at those, since my thought processes are more corkscrew-shaped.

[Ari]

Ha, I like the funeral answer.

I like lateral thinking porkchops.

So, a final hint for anyone still not cheating,
She is always pretending to go out incase people she doesn't like want to come in, but she doesn't hate everyone... so...

[Crumb]

The people she likes she is going to go somewhere with anyway and the people she doesn't like she pretends she is on the way out the door? :dunno:

[Ari]

The people she likes she is going to go somewhere with anyway and the people she doesn't like she pretends she is on the way out the door? :dunno:
That will do just fine.
Gives us a Riddle crumb.

The exact answer is that if she likes them, she says she just got in. If she doesn't like them she says she is about to go out.

[Crumb]

oh... I'll have to look for a riddle.

[Crumb]

This is probably too easy. I just went and stole it from someone else. :shifty:

In the dark I am found, without being fetched.
In the day I am lost, without being stolen.
What am I?

[Nightson]

Darkness? The moon?

[Crumb]

Nope. Though I suppose darkness does sort of qualify, it can be seen during the day, just not outside. The moon can be seen during the day.

[Nightson]

The moon can be seen during the day.

Ahh, not the moon but the stars?

[Crumb]

Yes. Hope your riddle is harder than mine. :)

[Nightson]

Yes. Hope your riddle is harder than mine. :)

What word in the english language retains it's pronounciation if you take away the last four letters?

[Crumb]

queue?

[Ensign Steve]

Ooh, good answer.

[Ensign Steve]

Crumb can I post the next riddle for you? I have a cute one, and then you won't have to look another one up.

:innocent2:

[Crumb]

Sure. All yours.

[Ensign Steve]

Aw, thanks. :hug:

What English word changes its pronunciation when capitalized?

[viscousmemories]

a?

[Ensign Steve]

Does it? That's not the word I'm looking for, no.

ETA: It's a six-letter word.

[viscousmemories]

I think so. It's usually long when capitalized and short otherwise, isn't it?

[Ensign Steve]

Hmm. :chin: I suppose so.

[Julie]

Polish polish

[Crumb]

I pronounce a the same way regardless. Looks like Julie got it.

[Julie]

Three men, members of a safari, are captured by cannibals in the jungle. The men are given one chance to escape with their lives. The men are lined up and bound to stakes such that one man can see the backs of the other two, the middle man can see the back of the front man, and the front man can't see anybody. The men are shown five hats, three of which are black and two of which are white. Then the men are blindfolded, and one of the five hats is placed on each man's head. The remaining two hats are hidden away. The blindfolds are removed. The men are told that if just one of the men can guess what hat he's wearing, they may all go free. Time passes. Finally, the front man, who can't see anyone, correctly guesses the color of his hat. What color was it, and how did he guess correctly?

[Nightson]

He's wearing a black hat. He guessed because of the seven possible scenarios, four have hive wearing a black hat and three have him wearing white. Any of the scenarios in which he wears white allows one of the other men to get the correct answer.

Wearing a white hat scenarios:
#1: The person behind him wears a white hat, the person in the back can easily get the right answer

#2 & #3: If the person behind him is wearing a black hat, then he could guess his color by noting that the man in the far back wasn't getting it right away.

[Julie]

:snoopy: :superlick: You got it.

[Nightson]

:snoopy: :superlick: You got it.

That was fun :)

[Nightson]

A tribute to Bey

With pointed fangs it sits in wait,
With piercing force its doles out fate,
Over bloodless victims proclaiming its might,
Eternally joining in a single bite.
What am I?

[cappuccino]

Fear?

[Nightson]

Nope. :D

[JoeP]

A staple?

[Nightson]

A staple?

Yep :yup:

[JoeP]

Yay! ... Now I have to think of one, right?

From my face I see nothing
With my hands I hold nothing
I'm mostly running, never walking
I tell you something without talking

What am I?

[viscousmemories]

I know but I'm not saying, 'cause I don't have one of my own and I'm too lazy to find one. :P

[Leesifer]

A clock?

[ceptimus]

Lees' answer has got to be right. Hope you've got a riddle ready, Lees.

[JoeP]

I know but I'm not saying, 'cause I don't have one of my own and I'm too lazy to find one.
(a) I made that up on the spot, so you could at least try too :P
but (b) That was too easy :darn:

Lees! It's over to you! The riddle is ticking!

[Ari]

Yay! ... Now I have to think of one, right?

From my face I see nothing
With my hands I hold nothing
I'm mostly running, never walking
I tell you something without talking

What am I?

I would have guessed hotdog.

"From my face I see nothing"
Yeah because it's been ground up.

"With my hands I hold nothing"
They are also ground up.

"I'm mostly running, never walking"
What happens after you eat it.

"I tell you something without talking"
Yeah, that hotdogs suck.

:D

[Leesifer]

What 7 letter word becomes longer when the third letter is removed?

[ceptimus]

lounger

[Leesifer]

Heh! Far too easy.

Your go cep.

[ceptimus]

I'm often at the centre of things.
I'm sometimes kept out of sight, though they claim that's for my own protection.
I'm stable, and I provide support.

[JoeP]

A table?

[ceptimus]

Correct. :winner: Take it away, JoeP.

[Sock Puppet]

Joe?

:crick: :crick: :crick:

Okay, while we're waiting for his riddle, I'll cheat and put one in.


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

[JoeP]

Cheater! I demand a recount! I was waiting for my hand luggage.

OK, here's my riddle.

What is it that people often want when they don't have it, but when they have it, they don't know it?

That's all you get, unless it's too hard, which it isn't.

[JoeP]

Joe?

:crick: :crick: :crick:

Okay, while we're waiting for his riddle, I'll cheat and put one in.


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

Poison, in general?

[Sock Puppet]

Nope. Not poison.

What is it that people often want when they don't have it, but when they have it, they don't know it?
Air?

[JoeP]

Air?
No ... true, you can breathe without thinking about it but it's possible to know it.

[Leesifer]

:scratch: to both your riddles.

ETA! Joe, is the answer to yours "self-esteem"

ETA*2 to put the riddle in
" What is it that people often want when they don't have it, but when they have it, they don't know it?"

[JoeP]

"self-esteem":nope:

[Leesifer]

:shakefist:

[Sock Puppet]

JoeP: Sleep?

[Ari]

Joe?
He who has it doesn't tell about it. He who takes it doesn't know about it. He who knows what it is doesn't want it. What is it?
A Coffin? :coffin:

[Sock Puppet]

Interesting answer, but I don't think it fits the second sentence; "he who takes it" is a somewhat odd way to describe being buried in one.

[JoeP]

JoeP: Sleep?Correct!

And I declare your sneaked-in riddle to be the now-current riddle. You don't get another one.

I still think Rohypnol is a perfect answer...

[Sock Puppet]

And here I was about to ask, what have I got in my pocket? :frodo:

(no Bilbo?) :sadcheer:

[Leesifer]

The current riddle is

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

I have no idea!

[Sock Puppet]

I'm leaving in an hour, and will probably be offline all day tomorrow. Anybody want a PM with the answer behind a spoiler tag?

[Leesifer]

me! Thanks Sock. I promise I won't tell.

[JoeP]

He who has it doesn't tell about it. He who takes it doesn't know about it. He who knows what it is doesn't want it. What is it?
A chilli that's so hot once you take a mouthful you can't speak to warn your fellow diners. (This happened to me once, in a vegetarian indian restaurant in north London.)

[JoeP]

PS Lees, how do you feel about dropping a clue, however subtle, for this one? You know it's hard because you've been on the other side.

[Nightson]

The flu?

[Sock Puppet]

Not the flu.

A clue: Don't spend much time on this riddle, it'll just fake you out.

[JoeP]

A forged painting, forged banknote or other forgery.

[JoeP]

At which point I have to say good night. In the unlikely event that I'm right, you will all have to wait until tomorrow...

[Sock Puppet]

You are so nearly there, I can hardly stand it.

[Nightson]

As much as I hate to steal it from JoeP....

Counterfeit money

The fact that I had a clerk check my money for a watermark helped :P

[Sock Puppet]

teh winnar!!!11!!

Your turn, Nightson.

[maddog]

how is "forged banknote" different from "counterfeit money"?

#954

[Sock Puppet]

Good point, maddog. I don't think of "banknote" as "currency," but I guess that's what JoeP was saying.

[Widget]

While you argue the forged banknote versus counterfeit money.

ponder this one, not really a riddle but more a brain teaser.

Using punctuation as needed, form a sentence with the word 'and' in it 5 times consecutively, ie ....and and, and and and...

[JoeP]

Widget wants a sentence that includes "and and and and and" with some punctuation. There.

On the matter of banknotes vs money, I await Sock's further comments with interest - what is a banknote if not currency and money? Unless he means
Dear Mr Puppet

We note that your account is $21,794.16 overdrawn. Please rectify this matter within 24 hours or we will invade your backyard.

Sincerely,
Bank

Either way we resolve this, the riddle game is with Nightson to pose the next one. I've already posted one and I don't have one to hand right now.

[Nightson]

The more of them you take, the more you leave behind. What are they?

[JoeP]

Idle guesses:
holes
memories
chances

On the grounds that you leave them behind in time:
days/hours
breaths

I'm not getting anything else on this one. :hmm:

[Nightson]

None of those. :)

[Ari]

Glasses of water?

[Nightson]

Nope :)

[JoeP]

Broken hearts?

[ceptimus]

Dear Sir,

The sign you made for our pub, the 'The fox and goose' is useless. You left out two of the spaces so that it reads, 'The foxandgoose'. Please make us a new sign with spaces between 'fox' and 'and', and 'and' and 'goose'.


(you can get even more ands if there is a typo in the above letter, and then the signwriter writes back saying that spaces, commas, or whatever are missing between the ands.)

[Nightson]

Nobodies got it so far, I hope nobody is pacing around trying to figure it out.

[Widget]

Dear Sir,

The sign you made for our pub, the 'The fox and goose' is useless. You left out two of the spaces so that it reads, 'The foxandgoose'. Please make us a new sign with spaces between 'fox' and 'and', and 'and' and 'goose'.


(you can get even more ands if there is a typo in the above letter, and then the signwriter writes back saying that spaces, commas, or whatever are missing between the ands.)


Ceptimus is the man.. very good!

[Widget]

paces or steps?

[JoeP]

gotta be ... I wonder if Legs would have thought of that more quickly? :)

[Nightson]

paces or steps?

Yep, footsteps. :yup:

Widget's turn for a riddle

[Widget]

What's open when it's closed and closed when it's open.

[Sock Puppet]

I await Sock's further comments with interest - what is a banknote if not currency and money?
I've read "banknote" as a synonym for currency, it's just never used in my dialect and it didn't occur to me right off. Sorry.

[maddog]

What's open when it's closed and closed when it's open.
A circuit?

#958

[Widget]

What's open when it's closed and closed when it's open.
A circuit?

#958

Wasn't the answer I was looking for but I would imagine you are somewhat correct.

[maddog]

Good. I don't want to be totally correct, as opposed to somewhat correct, b/c I don't know any riddles.

#961

[Sock Puppet]

A little googling will scare up many pages of riddles, and by skim-reading you can find two or three good riddles per web page, amongst the rest of the crap ones.

I still have no idea about Widget's.

[maddog]

What's open when it's closed and closed when it's open?

a competitive bid?

#962

[JoeP]

I don't want to be totally correct, as opposed to somewhat correctMore vagueness! Sort of.

[maddog]

How come nobody else is guessing? You guys do NOT want me to be the one who gets this correct, whether somewhat, totally or politically.


What's open when it's closed and closed when it's open?
an airlock?


#963

[quiet bear]

What's open when it's closed and closed when it's open?

My first thought was one of those cars on a roller coaster. You know, how the bars go down when you ride it? And when you get off the ride, the bars are all open.
I dunno, that's a reach, I guess.

[Widget]

And I thought you were all well trained at Googling.

[maddog]

wouldn't that be cheating?

or is that supposed to be a hint, Widget?
#965

[Widget]

tis a hint.

[maddog]

a track switch?

a camera? "shutter"?

#966

[Sock Puppet]

A loop?

[Widget]

a track switch?



#966

you are on the right road.

[maddog]

a railroad grade crossing?

#967

[Widget]

Bingo!

Way to go Monica... next batter.

[quiet bear]

Oh, man, I'm finally around for the beginning of one of these things, and maddog isn't here.

[maddog]

Seriously, guys, I don't know any riddles. third grade jokes, yes, but riddles, no.

#968

[Sock Puppet]

Okay, if maddog doesn't have one, here's the next.

What book was once owned by only the wealthy, but now nearly everyone can have it, even though you can't buy it in a bookstore or take it from a library?

[Crumb]

ehhh...checkbook? :shrug:

[Sock Puppet]

Nope. AFAIK, checkbooks evolved in a sort of grassroots fashion.

[quiet bear]

A car owner's manual?

[Crumb]

phonebook?

[balluga]

A book of matches?

[Leesifer]

What book was once owned by only the wealthy, but now nearly everyone can have it, even though you can't buy it in a bookstore or take it from a library?

/me confesses to Googling the answer. Crumb's got it.

Next riddle please, Crumbles.

[Crumb]

A woman lives on the tenth floor of an apartment building. Every morning she takes the elevator all the way down, and goes to work. In the evening, she gets into the elevator, and, if there is someone else in it she goes back to her floor directly. Otherwise, she goes to the seventh floor and walks up three flights of stairs to her apartment. Why?

[Leesifer]

Ooh, I know this one.

She's a midget. So if somebody else is in the elevator with her, they can reach the button but otherwise, she can't.

[Crumb]

Damn. Ok it's all yours.

[Leesifer]

What force and strength
cannot get through,
I with a gentle touch can do,
and many in the streets would stand,
were I not as a friend in hand.

What am I?

[JoeP]

Dammit Lees, how did you manage to get the one about the midget?

Your riddle: a key?

[Sock Puppet]

That's it, JoeP. Lees and I may be using the same riddle page.

[Leesifer]

Dammit Lees, how did you manage to get the one about the midget?

Luckily it was one I'd heard before Joe.

As Sock said you've got the correct answer with "key".

/me goes off to find another riddle page - just in case.

[Sock Puppet]

You got a riddle for us, JoeP?

[JoeP]

I'm a bit short on riddles ... and pretty tired this evening. Someone else needs to take my turn ... Lees, pose another.

[Leesifer]

:sigh: why me?

Oh, alright then.

They have not flesh, nor feathers, nor scales, nor bone. Yet they have fingers and thumbs of their own. What are they?

[Crumb]

Gloves! :happydance:

[Leesifer]

:yup: Your turn Crumblywumbly!

[Crumb]

oh... :think:

[Crumb]

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?

[Leesifer]

Did he write the words "your exact weight" on the piece of paper?

[Crumb]

Yep.