Four playing cards

Four playing cards, one of each suit, and one each of Jack, Queen, King, and Ace are laid out in a row.

1. The Heart isn't next to the Club.
2. No card is next to its immediate senior in rank.
3. The colors of the suits alternate.
4. The King and Queen face in opposite directions.
5. The Jack of Diamonds is not in the row.

What are the four cards?

Represent yourself

1) What does this represent?

S U I T

2) Or how about this one?

ABCDEFGHIJKMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Race to the finish

The old king is dying, and wants to leave his kingdom to the wiser of his two sons. He tells them that he will hold a horserace, and the son whose horse is the last to reach the church and come back will inherit the realm. Immediately the younger son jumps on a horse and makes for the church at top speed. The king now knows that this is the wiser son, and leaves him the kingdom. Why?

Film buff?

Rearrange these letters to form the title of a Clint Eastwood movie:

MAYOR'S FILM TYPE

Words in Common

What do the following words have in common?
HOUSE SHANK WOOD FLY HORN


BTW, I apologize, but my posting may be erratic for a week as I am on vacation. Please feel free to look around for some puzzles or riddles in the archives.

Next in line

Hey, I'm taking the holidays off, but feel free to look around and try some of the puzzles. Look in the archives and strain your brain a little. Make sure you enjoy your holidays!

What is the next number in this series?

5 25 61 113 181 ...

Where is the flux capacitor?

How much more available capacity is there is in twenty four-gallon cans that are half full than in twenty-four gallon cans that are half empty?

Complete the words

Complete these words by inserting the same three letters in each.

B---LE R---ENT L---UE

Looking for a good movie?

Rearrange the following letters to give the title of a 1979 movie.

OWN COSY APPEAL

Common Words

What do the following words have in common?
IRISH MASTER ROUSE
CHAMPION VIOLENT

Boxes of Money

Someone shows you two boxes and he tells you that one of these boxes contains two times as much as the other one, but he does not tell you which one this is. He lets you choose one of these boxes, and opens it. It turns out to be filled with $10. Now he gives you the opportunity to choose the other box instead of the current one (and skip the $10 of the first box), because the second box could contain twice as much (i.e. $20).

The Question: Should you choose the second box, or should you stick to your first choice to maximize the expected amount of money?

Read the hint below if you're stuck...



A Hint: If you have $10, and you could double this with a chance of 1/2, or half it with a chance of 1/2, one would expect an average of 1/2 * $20 + 1/2 * $5 = $12.5 (so you would expect to gain $2.5)!...

An old riddle

Bright as diamonds,
Loud as thunder,
Never still,
A thing of wonder.

Which one is true?

Jordan, Justin and Jeff are brothers whose ages are 29, 30 and 31 (in any order). Your job is to determine the brothers' ages from the clues below. There's one catch though....only ONE clue is true. The rest are false. Good luck!

1. Justin is 30
2. Jordan is the youngest
3. Jordan is 31
4. Justin is one year older and one year younger than his brothers.
5. Justin is not the youngest.
6. Jordan is not two years older than Justin.
7. Justin is the oldest
8. Jeff is older than Jordan.

Um... What?

What is represented by these?
1)
mce
mce
mce

2)
NOMMAG

3)
S M
E U
O S
G T
T C
A O
H M
W E

4)
LASE

This is a trick question

Your neighbor has four apple trees in his yard. How many kinds of apples could he be growing?

Odd Balls

You have nine tennis balls and four shopping bags. Your job is to put all the balls in the bags such that there is an odd number of balls in each bag. That is, each bag must contain 1, 3, 5, 7, or 9 balls.

A little bit of baseball trivia

(Not that any of this is true in history)

Let's say that Ty Cobb's seaon batting average is the same as Shoeless Joe Jackson's at the beginning of a late-season double-header. Assume both batters have had hundreds of at bats.

Cobb went 7 for 8 (.875) while Jackson went 9 for 12 (.750). But at the end of the day, Jackson's season average turned out to be higher than Cobb's. How is this possible?

There is an integer

There is an integer whose first digit is 3 having the property that if you take the 3 from the beginning of the number and place it at the end, you will have multiplied the original number by 3/2. What is that number?

Hint 1: it's not a small number.
Hint 2: The logic is hard, but the math is easy.

Double Trouble

Place the numbers 1 through 9 in the blanks so that the statement is true:

_ _ * _ = _ _ _ = _ _ * _

Diamonds are forever

Of the four suits that make up a deck of cards, only the diamonds are symmetrical, in that a diamond - unlike a club, a heart or a spade looks the same whether it is rightside-up or updside-down.

However, one of the 13 diamond cards is different when you turn it upside-down. Without checking any deck of cards you may have lying around, can you name that one non-symmetrical diamond?

Letter Equations

The picture above has 6 puzzles representing six phrases.
Can you solve them?

Solve the mystery

"We've got a mystery", Grandpa said, "the mystery of the missing tea." He went on to explain to his grandson, Junior, that Grandma made sun tea that she left on an upside down crate in the backyard each morning. About twice a week it disappeared. Grandpa suspected Buz, the kid who lived next door, because he had seen him out in the field behind their house two or three times on days when the tea was missing.

After breakfast that day, they went out back to check on the jar of tea Grandma had put out that morning. It was gone. "There's Buz," Grandpa said, pointing to a boy out in the field walking away from them. Junior followed Buz out into the field.

As Junior got closer, he could see Buz had a jar in his hand. It was empty.

"What are you doing?" Junior asked, trying to sound friendly.

"I'm catching bees for my collection," Buz said, looking around as if searching for a little victim. "I almost got that yellow-jacket," he said, indicating a large black-and-yellow-striped bee several yards out of reach.

"Do you know a lot about bees?" Junior asked.

"Oh, yes. I study them. I just that yellow jacket and I'll have an example of all the kinds you see around here. By the way, my name's Buz. Who are you?"

"I'm Junior, the guy who caught you stealing my grandmother's tea," Junior replied.

Why is Junior so sure Buz stole the tea?

Tight fit

Cut a hole in the center of an index card just large enough for a small coin to pass through. How can you push a large coin through the hole without tearing the index card?

All the king's horses

You are standing on a hard concrete floor and you have no cushioning to use. How can you drop a raw egg 4 feet without breaking it?

I will be nice

I will be nice, if you see pics thrice.
I Bear fruit of trees, sometimes in 3's.
I am but an arm's length in front of you.

What am I?

An unusual book

I saw an unusual book:
The foreword comes after the epilogue;
The end is in the first half of the book;
The Index comes before the introduction.

Where could you see this book also?

Increase your blog traffic

Blogtraffic.org is in beta right now and they're willing to make a deal. While they are in beta testing stage you can get 500 credits per referral! Cheatproof IP checker means we will be packed with genuine surfers within weeks! They have a 1:1 traffic exchange and a 30 second timer.

A little darker than what I usually post

I am the part of the bird that is not in the sky,
who can drown in the ocean and yet remain dry.
A last vestige of Man that refuses to die.
In mourning I am tossed at your feet to lie;
I begin my Job early, devouring your ankles and thighs.
I Work my way up, eating your legs to your waist.
And though around midday away I am chased,
I return quickly to savor the arm of my taste.
As evening Falls I enter your lungs,
spiraling Down past your mouth and your tongue.
I feast on your body, your soul, and your mind,
but as darkness falls you shall find
that away I will go, a relief for some;
At least until tomorrow morning comes.

This maze is so easy

Dsoldiers wrote a review of my site letting me know that this blog doesn't suck. I'm glad to hear it. He also pointed out I've been doing a lot of riddles lately, so today I'm going to do something different.

Also, I have a new renter this week, so check out backwood bob's site. He's a hunter and works hard at the 'aw shucks, what do I know, M'aam' talk. Makes for an interesting read. Now, back to the puzzles:

This maze has been described as the word's easiest. Travel through this maze totaling exactly 100 points. No passage or intersection may be used more than once. Enter and exit at opposite sides.

Guides

Guides travelers, never moves,
Always turning, never looks,
Always shining, never burns,
Looks on blue fields with each of its turns.

Fill my bucket, please

Fill my bucket, spill my bucket,
over a plane of snow.
Black the track as I look back,
my footsteps talk but make no sound.

What am I? What am I?

Houses and Babies

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.

Some old riddles

Riddle 1:
Little trotty hetty coat
in a long petticoat
and a red nose
the longer she stands
the shorter she grows.

RIDDLE 2:
The land was white
the seed was black
it'll take a good scholar
to riddle me that.

RIDDLE 3
Riddle me! riddle me! What is that:
Over your head and under your hat?

RIDDLE 4

George walked for thirty minutes in the pouring rain without getting a single hair on his head wet. He didn't have a hat or an umbrella and his coat had no hood. How did he do that?

I'm going to count this as my Sunday puzzle/riddle, so we'll be back on schedule on Monday when I post the answer to these four.

Compound Words

I just wanted to let everyone know I'll be off for the holiday. But, I'll be back in a few days. In the meantime, take a look at today's puzzle, and then search through the archives. You've probably missed a puzzle or two.

By using each set of letters below, create a compound word out of two separate words. Each of the separate words has a letter in common and that letter is given in the correct position for each word. Use the letters provided only once. The compound word may begin with either of the two separate words.

1. DILUER
B _ _ _
B _ _ _

2. LERPWPL
_ A _ _
_ A _ _ _

3. LENPIR
_ _ A _ _
A _ _

4. FRACSIB
_ _ _ E
_ _ _ E _

5. CIRONT
_ _ A _
_ A _ _

6. MEENS
O _ _
_ O _ _

7. BACODAD
_ _ _ R _
_ _ R _

8. RAGELIFI
N _ _ _
_ _ N _ _ _

9. CEPLUSEP
A _ _ _ _
_ A _ _ _


Example: Answer
1. BLUEBIRD

Can you solve the sequence?

Explain why these words were put in the following sequence:

moral, friend, port, feet, race

Letter Equations

1) 1= R per Y of a T's L
2) 42 = O M of the L of N
3) 4=N of Y in an A P T
4) 130 = S in the S A

Example: 1) 1 Ring per Year of a Tree's Life

Holly Jolly Man

You will know that I am coming
From the jingle of my bell,
But exactly who I am is not an easy thing to tell.

Children, they adore me
for they find me jolly,
but I do not see them when the halls are decked with holly.

My job often leaves me frozen,
I am a man that all should know,
But I do not do business in times of sleet or ice or snow.

I travel much on business,
But no reindeer haul me around,
I do all my traveling firmly on the ground.

I love the time of Christmas,
But that's not my vocational season,
And I assure that is because of a sound economic reason.

The Pope has it

The Pope has it but he does not use it.
Your father has it but your mother uses it.
Nuns do not need it.
Arnold Schwarzenneger has a big one,
Michael J. Fox's is quite small.
What is it?

This is not a riddle

I've recently put in a feedblitz e-mail delivery system (find it in the syndication section). If you're interested, please sign up and let me know if it's worth having. If you're not interested in having these posts delivered to your e-mail, then please let me know by commenting here.

I think it's a good idea for several reasons. Perhaps you don't have access to the web, say at work? But you still want to expand your brain a little bit by thinking through a riddle. It also lets me know that there are people who are interested in this site (making it worth my while to post everyday). I know there are some 'regulars' who try to answer the question each day, but I think there are more people who get here later in the day and don't want to post after the answer has been given.

BTW, I've implemented this across my blogs, so if you like to read info on Boston Sports, games on the web, etc... please head on over and sign up there as well.

Take some time and sign up. I'd appreciate it.

While I'm at it, if you have another site to recommend for a syndication button, let me know about it. I want to make your experience here as easy and pleasant as possible.

Going to the zoo?

What is the next animal in this series:

Quail, Weasel, Emu, Racoon, -?-

Choose from:
Yak
Turkey
Bumblebee
Ostrich
Tiger
Eland

It's my unbirthday!

The birthday cake must be cut into eight equally sized pieces. However, you are allowed to make only 3 straight cuts.

The Question: How can the cake be cut into eight pieces with only 3 straight cuts?

Gerrie and Hans

Hans is standing behind Gerrie and at the same time Gerrie is standing behind Hans.

whole numbers: m and n

Two whole numbers, m and n, have been chosen. Both are unequal to 1 and the sum of them is less than 100. The product, m × n, is given to mathematician X. The sum, m + n, is given to mathematician Y. Then both mathematicians have the following conversation:

X: "I have no idea what your sum is, Y."
Y: "That's no news to me, X. I already knew you didn't know that."
X: "Ahah! Now I know what your sum must be, Y!"
Y: "And now I also know what your product is, X!"

The Question: What are the numbers m and n?

Only four blocks to solve

Molly has a set of four alphabet blocks. Each side of these blocks is printed with a different letter, making 24 in total. Molly notices that by rearranging the blocks, she can spell each of the following words:

BOXY, BUCK, CHAW, DIGS, EXAM, FLIT,
GIRL, JUMP, OGRE, OKAY, PAWN, ZEST

The Question: Which letters are on each block?



This should take just about forever to solve.

Any bird watchers out there?

Abel, Mabel, and Calib went bird watching. Each of them saw one bird that none of the others did. Each pair saw one bird that the third did not. And one bird was seen by all three. Of the birds Abel saw, two were yellow. Of the birds Mabel saw, three were yellow. Of the birds Calib saw, four were yellow. How many yellow birds were seen in all? How many non-yellow birds were seen in all?

Smells like a rose

All of my flowers except two are roses. All of my flowers except two are tulips. All of my flowers except two are daisies. How many flowers do I have?

A strange place for a walk

A man goes out for a walk. He walks south one mile, east one mile, and north one mile, and ends up in the same place he started. He didn't start out at the north pole -- so where did he?

A caning?

Four gentlemen (Adam, Bill, Chuck, and Dan) went to an expensive restaurant to dine. They checked their coats, hats, gloves, and canes at the door (each of the gentlemen had one of each). But when they checked out, there was a mix up, and each of the men ended up with exactly one article of clothing (a pair of gloves is considered a single article of clothing) belonging to each one of the four. Adam and Bill ended up with their own coats, Chuck ended up with his own hat, and Dan ended up with his own gloves. Adam did not end up with Chuck's cane. State whose coat, hat, gloves, and cane each of the gentlemen ended up with.

Anyone have change for a dollar?

What's the largest amount of money you can have in change and still not have change for a dollar?

Who won?

Isaac and Albert were excitedly describing the result of the Third Annual International Science Fair Extravaganza in Sweden. There were three contestants, Louis, Rene, and Johannes. Isaac reported that Louis won the fair, while Rene came in second. Albert, on the other hand, reported that Johannes won the fair, while Louis came in second.

In fact, neither Isaac nor Albert had given a correct report of the results of the science fair. Each of them had given one correct statement and one false statement. What was the actual placing of the three contestants?

Last and hardest Series

1) 18, 14, 12, 11, ?, 10.25


2) 11, 12, 26, 79, 81, 163, 491, 492, ?

More Series

I suppose I should start by saying hello.
23 5 12 3 15 13 ?

Sometimes numbers are no more than they appear to be.
3 3 5 4 4 3 5 5 4 ?

Series

1) A patriotic series
w a j m m a j

2) A number was left out of this series, what was it and why?
2 3 5 7 13 17

Add the right word

Fill in the blanks with a word that can be added to the end of the first word and to the front of the second word to make new words. For example, the answer to 1) below is KEY

1. Master, Ring
2. Kick, Side
3. Hat, Off
4. Blank, Point
5. Worth, Away
6. Side, Side
7. Slippery, Stick
8. Ghost, Hall
9. Holiday, Wife
10. Fire, Hole

Complete the words

Below are 10 words which have had their beginnings and endings removed. In each case, the same two letters can be found at the beginning and the end, for example REspiRE. What are the words?

1. ..QUI..
2. ..YLI..
3. ..GIB..
4. ..SUL..
5. ..LIV..
6. ..IFI..
7. ..RMI..
8. ..ALG..
9. ..GRA..
10. ..STO..

Miss me?

Until I am measured
I am not known,
Yet how you miss me
When I have flown.

Which number comes next?

Which number comes next in this sequence: (hint: it is smaller than 19)

1 - 4- 7 - 11 - 15 - 19 - ?

Between 2 and 3

Between 2 and 3 o'clock yesterday, I looked at the clock and mistook the minute hand for the hour hand, and the hour hand for the minute hand. Consequently, the time appeared to be 55 minutes earlier than it actually was. What was the correct time?

AEIOU-Y

The word 'FACETIOUSLY' contains the six vowels, A-E-I-O-U and Y, in their alphabetical order. Can you find another English word that does the same?

QWERTYUIOP

QWERTYUIOP are the letters on the top row of letters on a standard typing keyboard. What is the longest word that can be typed using just those letters? Pepper is one but you should be able to come up with a longer one ( or several longer ones).

How many am I?

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?

Four jolly men

Four jolly men sat down to play,
And played all night till break of day.
They played for cash and not for fun,
With a separate score for every one.
When it came time to square accounts,
they all had made quite fair amounts.
Now, not one has lost and all have gained -
Tell me now, this can you explain?

Looking for Mom?

Johnny's mother had three children. The first child was named April. The second child was named May. What was the third child's name?

Brain teasers -- four of them

These brain plexing words and shapes, and their positions, can be used to derive a word or saying.

o er t o


GR 12" AVE


k k
c c
u u
t t
s s
word word word word



b
a
s
l
e
e
p
g

I've proven 1 = 2

Or have I?

Here is the proof...

(1) X = Y	Given
(2) X2 = XY	Multiply both sides by X
(3) X2 - Y2 = XY - Y2	Subtract Y2 from both sides
(4) (X+Y)(X-Y) = Y(X-Y)	Factor both sides
(5) (X+Y) = Y	Cancel out common factors
(6) Y+Y = Y	Substitute in from line (1)
(7) 2Y = Y	Collect the Y's
(8) 2 = 1	Divide both sides by Y

Can you spot the error?

Poetry, yes that's right... poetry

A 19th Century Paradoxical Poem.

Ten weary, footsore travellers,
All in a woeful plight,
Sought shelter at a wayside inn
One dark and stormy night.

'Nine rooms, no more,' the landlord said
'Have I to offer you.
To each of eight a single bed,
But the ninth must serve for two.'

A din arose. The troubled host
Could only scratch his head,
For of those tired men not two
Would occupy one bed.

The puzzled host was soon at ease -
He was a clever man -
And so to please his guests devised
This most ingeneous plan.

In a room marked A two men were placed,
The third was lodged in B,
The fourth to C was then assigned,
The fifth retired to D.

In E the sixth he tucked away,
In F the sventh man.
The eighth and ninth in G and H,
And then to A he ran,

Wherein the host, as I have said,
Had laid two travellers by;
Then taking one - the tenth and last -
He logged him safe in I.

Nine singe rooms - a room for each -
Were made to serve for ten;
And this it is that puzzles me
And many wiser men.



This poem appeared in Current Literature, vol 2, April 1889. No author was credited.

Consider two round coins of equal size. Imagine holding one still so that it does not move and then rolling the other coin around it, making sure that it does not slip. The rims are kept touching at all times. How many times will the moving coin have rotated after it has completed one revolution of the stationary coin?
Don't try it until you have thought about it.
You may be surprised.

Some literature review, for those who hate math

The paragraph below is most unusual. 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?

"Gatsby was walking back from a visit down in Branton Hill's manufacturing district on a Saturday night. A busy day's traffic had had its noisy run; and with not many folks in sight, His Honor got along without having to stop to grasp a hand, or talk; for a mayor out of City Hall is a shining mark for any politician. And so, coming to Broadway, a booming bass drum and sounds of singing, told of a small Salvation Army unit carrying on amidst Broadway's night shopping crowds. Gatsby, walking towards that group, saw a young girl, back toward him, just finishing a long, soulful oration ... "

The above passage is taken from the book "Gatsby" written by Ernest Vincent Wright in the late 1930's

Looking for money in all the wrong places?

Why are 1898 silver dollars worth more than 1897 silver dollars?

Don't you hate it when the machine won't take your money!

A long, metal slide resembling a sliding board has been constructed with 3 holes spaced out along the length of the slide. Coins are placed at the top of the slide and released one after another. For each coin that approaches the first hole the chances are 50 percent that it will fall through the hole. If it makes it past the first hole the chances are 50 percent that it will fall through the second hole. The third hole has the same chances.

How many coins need to be released so that chances are that one coin will make it all the way down the slide?

What is it?

Glittering points that downward thrust,
Sparkling spears that never rust.
What is it?

Did you do your stairs workout this morning?

What goes up and down the stairs without moving?

Fill me up

When I am filled,
I can point the way;
When I am empty,
Nothing moves me.
I have two skins,
One without and one within.
What am I?

Can you see the answer?

My life can be measured in hours;
I serve by being devoured.
Thin, I am quick; fat, I am slow.
Wind is my foe.
What am I?

You need a key for this one

To unravel me
You need a key.
No key that was made by locksmith's hand,
But a key that only I will understand.
What am I?

Who said it and about what?

There is not wind enough to twirl
That one red leaf, nearest of its clan,
Which dances as often as dance it can.

Letter me this?

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?

Tine's up!

My tines be long,
My tines be short
My tines end ere
My first report.
What am I?

What am I?

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?

Head, heart and... leg?

I stand on one leg, with my heart in my head, who am I?

What should the next row be?

What row of numbers comes next?

1
11
21
1211
111221
312211
13112221

Do you know the password?

A man wanted to enter an exclusive club but did not know the password that was required. He waited by the door and listened. A club member knocked on the door and the doorman said, "twelve." The member replied, "six " and was let in. A second member came to the door and the doorman said, "six." The member replied, "three" and was let in. The man thought he had heard enough and walked up to the door. The doorman said ,"ten" and the man replied, "five." But he was not let in.

What should have he said?

This date in history

What happened in 1961 that will not happen again for over 4000 years?

Chicken and an egg

A man was walking down a road carrying a basket of eggs. As he is walked he met someone who buys one-half of his eggs plus one-half of an egg. A little further and meets another person who buys one-half of his eggs plus one-half of an egg. Later he meets another person who buys one-half of his eggs plus one half an egg. At this
point he has sold all of his eggs, and he never broke an egg. How many eggs did the man have to start with?

Carnival

A lady was at a carnival and went to the booth of the Amazing Psychic.

The Amazing Psychic told her, "If I can write your exact weight on this piece of paper then you must give me 20 but if I cannot I will give you 20."

The lady looked around the room. There were no scales or anything else that could be used to find her weight. She agrees to the bet - certain that the Amazing Psychic could never guess her weight exactly.

In the end the lady had to pay the Amazing Psychic. 20. How did he win the bet?

Not a zebra?

I am black and white, but not a zebra
I can be flat as a paper, or sharp as a knife
I flip open and closed, yet I am not a door
I can be quiet as silence, and yet loud as an orchestra.
I often appear in cartoons, killing a few
What am I?

What's so special?

The following number is the only one of its kind. '8,549,176,320' Can you figure out what is so special about it?

What am I?

If you break me
I do not stop working,
If you touch me
I may be snared,
If you lose me
Nothing will matter.

I've seen this one before

What is greater than God, More Evil than the Devil. Poor people have it, Rich people want it. If you eat it you will surely die. Now can you guess, what am I?

Famous Quotes 2

Make me thy lyre, even as the forests are.
What if my leaves fell like its own --
The tumult of thy mighty harmonies
Will take from both a deep autumnal tone.



Who said it, and what are they talking about?

Famous quotes 1

Many-maned scud-thumper,
Maker of worn wood,
Shrub-ruster,
Sky-mocker,
Rave!
Portly pusher,
Wind-slave.



Who said it, and what are they talking about?

Group of Three

I give you a group of three.
One is sitting down, and will never get up.
The second eats as much as is given to him, yet is always hungry.
The third goes away and never returns.

Are you up on your roman numerals?

After teaching his class all about roman numerals (X = 10, IX=9 and so on) the teacher asked his class to draw a single continuous line and turn IX into 6. The only stipulation the teacher made was that the pen could not be lifted from the paper until the line was complete.

Did the Butler do it?

A man was found murdered on Sunday morning. His wife immediately called the police. The police questioned the wife and staff and got these alibis:
The Wife said she was sleeping.
The Cook was cooking breakfast.
The Gardener was picking vegetables.
The Maid was getting the mail.
The Butler was cleaning the closet.

The police instantly arrested the murdered. Who did it and how did they know?

Nice aim

A man is 100 meters due South of a bear. He walks 100 yards due East, then faces north, fires his gun due north, and hits the bear. What color is the bear?

But he lived?

A night shift guard, while on patrol at night, dreams that the king will die in a plane crash. He tells the king so in the morning, but the king tells him not to worry, and flies anyway. When he returns from his trip, he fires the night shift guard. Why does the king fire the night shift guard?

Some classics

1) What has a head like a cat, feet like a cat, a tail like a cat, but isn't a cat?

2) When is a doctor most annoyed?

4) What has five eyes, but cannot see?

6) What has a foot on each end and one in the middle?

If only it was Friday

Harry arrives in a town on Friday and stays three days, leaving on Friday. How does he do it?

Riddle me this

I am something that nothing is, but yet I have a name.

I am sometimes tall and sometimes short.

I join your talks; I join your sport,

And I play in every game.

What am I?

What was your school cheer?

Sir, I bear a rhyme excelling
In mystic force and magic spelling
Celestial sprites elucidate
All my own striving can't relate


PS: You are not going to solve this one!!!

Are you up on your geography?

Two people are talking on the phone long distance. One is in an East Coast state of the U.S., the other is in a West Coast state of the U.S. The first asks the other, "What time is it?" He hears the answer and says, "That's funny. It's the same time here!" Neither one of them were mistaken about the time. How is this possible?

Fill in the blank.

What goes in the blank?
_ T T F F
S S E N T
E T T F F
S S E N T

Hint: it's not E

I don't know what the answer is to this one, do you?

Wine anyone?

1)If you were to put a coin into an empty bottle and then insert a cork in the bottle's opening, how could you remove the coin without taking out the cork or breaking the bottle?

2)Speaker: "Brothers and Sisters, I have none. But this man's Father is my Father's son."
Who is the speaker talking about?

Test of news feed

Are boys harder to raise?

An acquaintance tells you she has two children and you remember that one of them is a boy. Assuming every birth has an equal change of being male or female and you have no additional information about the children, what are the chances that the other child is also a male?

BTW, I'll be gone for a few days. In the meantime, please check out the rest of the site for more riddles, puzzles and other math/stat problems.

Twins theory

Amanda and Bob are twins; Amanda is the OLDER twin. Assume they were born immediately after each other, an infinitesimally small - but nonzero - amount of time apart. During one year in the course of their lives, Amanda celebrates her birthday two days AFTER Bob does. How is this possible?

How in the world?

1) A black man, dressed in black, is crossing a road. He's blind and deaf. A truck is speeding towards him, with its lights turned off. The street lamps are also off and there's no moonlight. When the truck is about to hit the man, the driver hits the brakes and manages to stop just a few centimetres from him. How did the driver see the man?

2) A man walks into a bar and says "I want a coffee and a glass of water. But make sure the coffee is boiling hot and the water is ice-cold." The barman says "Sure thing, mr. fireman." The barman had never met him before. How did he know the man was a fireman?

Some more riddles

1) What is it that someone else has to take before you can get it?

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

3) The maker doesn't want it, the buyer doesn't use it and the user doesn't see it. What is it?

Can you shed some light on this problem?

A windowless room contains three identical light fixtures, each containing an identical light bulb. Each light is connected to one of three switches outside of the room. Each bulb is switched off at present. You are outside the room, and the door is closed. You have one , and only one, opportunity to flip any of the external switches. After this, you can go into the room and look at the lights, but you may not touch the switches again. How can you tell which switch goes to which light?

Hint: This one is easier than you think!

Anyone have a shovel?

How much dirt is in a hole 6 and a half feet wide, 8 feet deep, and 5 feet long?

Help me get out of jail free?

You are a prisoner sentenced to death. The Emperor offers you a chance to live by playing a simple game. He gives you 50 black marbles, 50 white marbles and 2 empty bowls. He then says, "Divide these 100 marbles into these 2 bowls. You can divide them any way you like as long as you use all the marbles. Then I will blindfold you and mix the bowls around. You then can choose one bowl and remove ONE marble. If the marble is WHITE you will live, but if the marble is BLACK... you will die."

How do you divide the marbles up so that you have the greatest probability of choosing a WHITE marble?

How hard is it raining outside?

A group of 4 people, Andy, Brenda, Carl, & Dana, arrive in a car near a friend's house, who is having a large party. It is raining heavily, & the group was forced to park around the block from the house because of the lack of available parking spaces due to the large number of people at the party. The group has only 1 umbrella, & agrees to share it by having Andy, the fastest, walk with each person into the house, & then return each time. It takes Andy 1 minute to walk each way, 2 minutes for Brenda, 5 minutes for Carl, & 10 minutes for Dana. It thus appears that it will take a total of 19 minutes to get everyone into the house. However, Dana indicates that everyone can get into the house in 17 minutes by a different method. How? The individuals must use the umbrella to get to & from the house, & only 2 people can go at a time.

What kind of boat service is this?

Two people come to a river. There is a boat, however it can carry one person only. How can they each get to the other side of the river using the boat?


BTW, No they can't swim across... they both need to use the boat!

Anyone thirsty?

How can you measure 1 gallon of juice out of a barrel, if all you have available is a 3-gallon and a 5-gallon pitcher?

Do you know what the time is?

You have two hourglasses: a 7 minute one and an 11 minute one. Using just these hourglasses, accurately time 15 minutes.

Three hats on three men... what could be simpler?

There are 3 black hats and 2 white hats in a box. Three men (we will call them A, B, & C) each reach into the box and place one of the hats on his own head. They cannot see what color hat they have chosen. The men are situated in a way that A can see the hats on B & C's heads, B can only see the hat on C's head and C cannot see any hats. A is asked first if he knows the color of the hat he is wearing, he says no. Then B is asked if he knows the color of the hat he is wearing he says no. Then C is asked if he knows the color of the hat he is wearing he says yes and he is correct. What color hat and how can this be?

Pistols at Dawn

You're in a pistol duel with two others. You have shoot with an accuracy of 33%. The other two shoot with an accuracy of 100% and 50%, respectively. The rules of the duel are one shot per-person per-round. the shooting order is from worst shooter to best shooter. Thus, you go first, the 50% guy goes second, and the 100% guy goes third; repeat until only one is left. If someone is hit, we just skip his or her turn. What should you shoot at in round 1 to maximize your chances of survival over time?

How did I pick these letters?

I saw this on another site, and I bet most of you won't get it!

How did I pick these letters?
AEFHIKLMNTVWXYZ

Instead of these?
BCDGJOPQRSU


All 26 should be there....


Need a hint? A 4th grader would have no problem, while a college student will!

More Riddles

1) Voiceless it cries, wingless it flutters, toothless it bites, mouthless it mutters.


2) 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 fruit does the above describe?

3) The poor have lots of it. The rich don't. Eating it will kill you. What is it?

Can you figure out the common phrase

1 R A in E B
15 M on a D M C
2 S to an A
60 S in a M
12 M in a Y

Multiply or Add?

A customer at a 7-11 store selected four items to buy, and was told that the cost was $7.11. He was curious that the cost was the same as the store name, so he enquired as to how the figure was derived. The clerk said that he had simply multiplied the prices of the four individual items. The customer protested that the four prices should have been ADDED, not MULTIPLIED. The clerk said that that was OK with him, but, the result was still the same: exactly $7.11. What were the four prices?

Riddles

Since I got such positive feedback on the riddle "Attack!", I thought I'd try a few more:

a) What has 4 legs and flies? (Hint: it's not a dead horse!)

b) How many times can you subtract 6 from 30?

c) What number can you subtract half from to obtain a result that is zero?

d) What English word can have 4 of its 5 letters removed and still retain it's original pronunciation?

e) You have 10 bags of gold coins, 10 coins per bag, 10 grams per coin, but one bag of coins weigh only 9 grams per coin (because of low quality). How do you find out which bag contains low quality gold coins? You may use a scale only one time.

f) How can a woman living in New Jersey, legally marry 3 men, without ever getting a divorce, be widowed, or becoming legally separated?

Attack!

Would you rather a shark attack you or an alligator?

This is an old one my dad taught me many years ago...

This is an old one my dad taught me many years ago:

Three people check into a hotel. They pay $30 to the manager and go to their room. The manager suddenly remembers that the room rate is $25 and gives $5 to the bellboy to return to the people. On the way to the room the bellboy reasons that $5 would be difficult to share among three people so he pockets $2 and gives $1 to each person. Now each person paid $10 and got back $1. So they paid $9 each, totalling $27. The bellboy has $2, totalling $29. Where is the missing $1?

Poker Hand

Two part question,
How many different hands are possible in a 52 card deck?
Given that, what's the probability of getting four aces?

I think this is a good question, given how popular poker is right now. Anyone have any good stories or links to share about poker strategies?

How many pizza toppings are there, anyways?

Let's say you're running a pizza shop and you want to advertise how many different types of pizzas you can make. You have 10 different toppings to use, but of course you can combine them with others to make your pizza. How many pizzas can you make?

BTW, don't worry about people who want 'double' pepperoni.

Game Show

Suppose you're on a game show, and you're given the choice of three doors. Behind one door is a car, behind the others, goats. You pick a door, say number 1, and the host, who knows what's behind the doors, opens another door, say number 3, which has a goat. He says to you, "Do you want to pick door number 2?" Is it to your advantage to switch your choice of doors?