Planning Out Your Floor

Charlie is helping his family design a sun porch for their house. It will be in the shape of a trapezoid (ABCD), allowing for large windows on several sides. Charlie has labeled the four corners A, B, C, and D. He wants to find out how many 12-inch-square floor tiles he should order if 2 dozen extra tiles are needed for replacements or cutting errors. The tiles come in boxes of 12 tiles per box.

Following is information about the dimensions of the sun porch.

Line BC is 20 feet long and runs along the living room.
Line AB is 8 feet long and is perpendicular to line BC.
Line CD is parallel to line AB but is twice as long as line AB.
Line AD represents the longest wall with the most windows.
Line AE is an imaginary line parallel to line BC.
Point E is on line CD. It is the midpoint of line CD.

How many boxes of floor tiles should Charlie order?

Long Walk for Henry

Henry lives in a city laid out on a grid.  Laid out on a map the vertical streets are A through Q.  The horizontal streets are First through 17th.

Henry began his afternoon walk at 2:45, leaving from his house to visit a friend. For every 5 minutes he walked, he traveled north 2 blocks and east 1 block. He started on the corner of C Street and Second Avenue. He arrived at his friend's house at 3:10 in the afternoon.

Henry then spent 2 hours and 20 minutes at his friend's house. When he left, he walked to the store at the corner of K and Sixth Streets at the same rate as his earlier walk (though in a different direction). He spent 10 minutes at the store before walking home.

If he walked home at the same rate as his other walks, at what time did get home?

Did you know?

Which animals do we get catgut from?

uu Words

Find at least two English words that have "uu" in them.

PETS A

1.
EMPLOY _ _ _ T

2.
1 3 5 7 9 vs U

3.
T _ R N

Wither, Wane and Grow Dry

Close to the words of life stay I,
But I wither, wane, and grow dry.

another 1

1.
sprinG
summEr
autumN
winTer

2.
3. OUT
2. OUT
1. OUT

3.
SYMPHON..

4.
DANUBE
O
L
S



 Answer to the title: One right after another

Why, Yes, There is a Trick to This Answer

If it takes twenty minutes to hard-boil one goose egg, how long will it take to hard-boil four goose eggs?

Laugh or Weep

At the sound of me, men may dream
Or stamp their feet,
At the sound of me, women may laugh
Or sometimes weep.

Who am I?

Black Cat Riddle

What looks and acts exactly like a black cat but is much smaller?

When Seven Eight Nine

How do you make seven "even"?

Swimming in a Waterless Sea

Large as a mountain, small as a pea,
Endlessly swimming in a waterless sea.

Do Not Flag Your Tongue at Me

To you, rude would I never be,
Though I flag my tongue for all to see.

Wax and Wane

Always wax, yet always wane:
I melt, succumbéd to the flame.
Lighting darkness, with fate unblest,
I soon devolve to shapeless mess

If Wishes Were Fishes

A servant lived and worked hard for his master magician for long years.  The magician, appreciating everything he had done for so long, called in the servant and told him we would grant one wish (and one wish only... none of this wishing for more wishes!).  The servant was given one day to think on what he would like to wish for.

The servant headed home and talked to his wife about what he should wish for.  His wife immediately asked him to wish for a child, as they still remained childless.  Happy with this thought, he went to visit with his parents.  His mother, upon hearing about his wish, asked her son to wish for her sight to be returned, as she had gone blind.  On the way out the door, his told him to wish for riches with which he could care for all three them.

Tired and now quite upset since he didn't know what to choose, the servant headed home and slept restlessly.  Upon waking, he knew what he had to wish for.

He immediately went to his master and made one wish, a wish that would make all three (mother, father and wife) happy.  What was that wish?

Drinking Soda is Bad For Your Teeth

Joan likes drinking soda.  She can recycle five empty soda bottles and get a full one at the store.  As part of the town clean up, she found 77 empty bottles.  How many bottles of soda will she be able to drink in total?

Complete a House

What is not inside or outside a house, yet no house would be complete without it?

Zero, Zilch, Nothing

There are two letters of the alphabet that mean zilch, zero, nothing.  Which two are they?

How Much is That Moon in the Window?

How is the moon like a dollar?

Re-Written and Confused

1. Do not traverse a structure erected to afford passage over a waterway until the time of drawing nigh unto it.

2. Perambulate in moccasins, and shoulder a gargantuan wooden rail.

3. That which is acquired without difficulty is dispersed with equal facility

Roman Numeral Formula

Another question from Jim May. Thanks, Jim!


The formula below is made up of individual match sticks. How few number of match stick moves can you make to correct this Roman numeral formula? Please demonstrate.

        XI + I = X


 Do you have a question to ask, please contact me and if it's new, I'll post it here for everyone to enjoy!

Four Wings

I have four wings, but cannot fly, I never laugh and never cry; On the same spot I'm always found, toiling away with little sound.

What am I?

Feathers to Fly

I have many feathers to help me fly. I have a body and head, but I'm not alive. It is your strength which determines how far I go. You can hold me in your hand, but I'm never thrown.

What am I?

Thirteen Crows

There are thirteen crows sitting on a wire. If I shoot one, how many are left? There are at least five defensibly correct answers to this puzzle. Name four of them.


 From Jim May, someone we have all been relying on for daily answers!

Bert Goes to a Party

You are at a logic master's party.  The host has decided to play a game.  He takes 8 stamps, 4 red and 4 green and announces the rules.  He will affix two stamps to each party goers head and then he will place the remaining two in his pocket.  You, Bert, and two others, Al and Casey, can see the other stamps, but don't know your own stamps and cannot see the stamps in the host's pocket.

The host then asks each of you in turn if you know the colors of your own stamps:
A: "No."
B: "No."
C: "No."
A: "No."
B: "Yes."

What color stamps do you have?

Basketball Seating

I found this on the SSQQ page.  It's a great site with over 40 logic puzzles.

At a recent High School basketball game, the incoming freshmen were expected to sit together in one particular section of the bleachers where the teachers could keep an eye on them. Accordingly each of the 20 members of the class was assigned a specific seat in a special area over in the lower corner of the stands. The Freshman seating section consisted of 4 rows, 5 students to a row.

Seats 101 through 105 formed the front row, with 201 through 205 directly behind the first row, 301 through 305 the third row, and 401 through 405 on the fourth row.

From the following clues, can you give the students’ full names and list the exact the seat number where each child sat?

1. The Jefferson child and the Richter child were watching their first-ever basketball game.
2. There were exactly ten boys and ten girls.
3. The first and last names of one student who sat in the front row began with the same letter.
4. Patricia and the Clinton girl sat as far apart as possible; the same was true of the Carter boy and Alice.
5. The Davidson girl sat directly (but not necessarily immediately) behind Theo, who sat immediately behind the Lewis girl.
6. The following four students were in the same row: the Anderson girl, the Bixby boy, Theo, and Janet.
7. Carlton sat immediately behind the Walters girl.
8. Nick and the Langdon girl sat at opposite ends of one row; Patricia and the Forrester girl sat at opposite ends of another row.
9. The Olson boy sat immediately in front of Gerald and immediately behind the Eaton girl, who sat immediately behind William.
10. A boy sat in Seat 403.
11. Beverly sat between two boys; Bailey sat between two girls.
12. The Carter boy sat directly (but not necessarily immediately) in front of the Howland boy, who sat immediately in front of Patricia.
13. Lawrence, Marilyn, Sandy, and the Morrison boy were all in the same row.
14. Diana had wanted to sit with her boyfriend Dave, but was disappointed to find her assigned seat was two rows behind his.
15. Lawrence was not in Seat 105.
16. Louisa Langdon sat two seats directly behind Marilyn.
17. The Sullivan boy and the Tillman girl sat in the same row, which was two rows behind the Ives girl's.
18. Ralph was in Seat 103.
19. Janet sat immediately in front of a boy.
20. Victoria was not in Seat 205.
21. The Ponder boy sat immediately behind Theo.
22. Franklin was not the Olson boy
23. Carlton's last name is not Ashton.
24. The Ashton boy sat two seats directly behind Karolyn.

Talk About Limbo

You are in LImbo. The administrator challenges you to a game. He will think of a natural number, and you can have one guess at it each day. (Once he has thought of his number, he will never change it.) If you guess it, he'll let you out. Will you get out? (Remember - you have eternity...) Explain.

What if he instead told you that he was going to pick an integer - now will you get out? What about if he chose a rational number? A real number?

4 Q in T P

21 G S
1 G L for M
2 4 6 8 W D W A
15 M on a D M C


 In case you're not familiar, these are letter equations. For example, 7 D in a W would be 7 Days in a Week.

It's Raining, It's Pouring

While on a trip Jim and his mom and dad went out in the rain. They had no umbrella, did not stay under the awning (or any other protection), and did not have rain coats. Nor did two of them protect the third. Only two of them got their hair wet. Why?

Give Me a Lever and I Can Move the World

I live yet have no eyes, no legs or ears. Even so, I can move earth. What am I?

Very Large and Very Small

Three oversized men were standing under a very tiny umbrella (think comic sized men and umbrella).  But none of the men got wet.  How is that possible?

Living in an Elevator

A lift is on the ground floor. There are 4 people in the lift including me. When the lift reaches 1st floor, 1 person gets out 3 people get in. The lift goes up to the second floor, 2 people get out 6 people get in. It then goes up to the next floor up, no-one gets out but 12 people get in. Halfway up to the next floor up the lift cable snaps, it crashes to the floor. Everyone dies in the lift.

How did I survive?

Babysitting for Cash

Five young people have been babysitting to earn extra money. Each one is saving for something special. Using the clues given, figure out how much each makes per hour, how much each has earned so far, and what each is saving to buy. 1. Dylan has made the most, although he makes the least per hour. 2. Carson has worked 19 hours, 23 fewer than Wills. 3. Gray makes $4.75 and has worked 35 hours so far. She's saving for the bicycle. 4. The person saving for a computer (not Amelia or Ellis) earns $5.25 per hour and has earned $99.75 so far. 5. The one saving for the clothes is neither Elvin nor Jones. 6. Sands has worked 66 hours so far. 7. The person saving for college has worked 38 hours so far; the one saving for clothes has worked 42. Names: Amelia, Bobby, Carson, Dylan, Elvin, Last Names: Wills, Sands, Jones, Ellis, Gray Money Earned (so far): $264, $166.25, $99.75, $189, $190 $ per Hour: $4, $4.50, $4.75, $5, $5.25 Saving for: trip, bicycle, computer, college, clothes.

Make Your Champagne Bubble

I turn polar bears white And will make you cry. I make celebrities look stupid And normal people look like celebrities. I turn pancakes brown And make your champagne bubble. If you squeeze me I’ll pop. If you look at me. You’ll pop. Can you guess the riddle.

Nobody So Irritating

3325863186 2432 881621163412 3216 24313124331933248826 1932 3216878621163412 53243325 89863232 248833868989242686884286 198834 87163186 3286883286 33251988 5386 25195786. - 341688 258631168934

Friday Rebus

1. PumPkinPie 2. WINEEEE 3. NINE CUMULUS

JANOB

I haven't posted any rebus in a while. 1. PPOD 2. LOV 3. JANOB 4. NIGHT FLY 5. DO(12")OR

100 Floors to a Building

There is a building with 100 floors. You have two identical balls. You know that there is a floor n, such that if you drop one of the balls you have from this floor it does not break, but if you drop it from any higher floor it breaks. If one ball breaks, you can use another one. What is the minimum amount of drops (trials) you have to make at different floors to be sure to find the floor n?

Lots of Possibilities

You're driving off-road in the middle of the desert when you get a flat tire. You take out the spare tire, and then remove the flat one. Unfortunately, you accidentally drop all four lug nuts (the nuts that hold the tire on) down a hole that is ten feet deep and only a few inches wide. You'll die of thirst if you can't find a way to put that spare tire on securely enough to drive out of the desert. Just using what is normally available in any car, can you come up with at least one way to solve this problem?

Cheesy Puzzle

This is the only type of cheese that is made backwards. What kind is it? Hey, do you have a puzzle, riddle, brain teaser I haven't posted here before? Send it along and see if anyone else can answer it.

Hanging Paintings

A painting has a rope that goes around in a loop. You can hang the painting on one nail. If you pull the nail out, the painting will fall. Can you hang the painting on two nails, so that if you pull ANY nail, the painting falls down? How about three nails?

Make 24

Using the numbers 3, 3, 8, and 8, and the four basic operations +,-,/,* make 24.

Math Troubles

fq pqv yqtta cdqsv aqwt fkhhkewnvkgu kp ocvjgocvkeu. k ecp cuuwtg aqw okpg atg uvknn itgcvgt. - cndgtv gkpuvgkp

Passing at High Speed

Why was the man able to pass three cars going 70 miles-per-hour, while he was going only 60 miles-per-hour?

Summer Jobs

Five young people are working over the summer.  Each one is working hard towards their own goal.  Using the clues, find out how many each makes per hour, how much each has earned and what their goal is.  Keep in mind they have a last name and surname.

1. Dylan has earned the most so far, even though he earns the least per hour.
2. Carson has worked 19 hours, 23 less than Wills.
3. Gray makes $4.75 and has worked 35 hours so far.  She's saving for a bicycle.
4. The person saving for a computer (not Amelia or Ellis) earns $5.25 per hour and has earned $99.75 so far.
5. The one saving for clothes is neither Elvin nor Jones.
6. Sands has worked 66 hours so far.
7. The person saving for college has worked 38 hours so far; the one saving for clothes has worked 42 hours.

First name: Amelia, Bobby, Carson, Dylan, Elvin
Last names: Ellis, Gray, Jones, Sands, Wills
Earn per hour: $4.00, $4.50, $4.75, $5.00, $5.25
Earnings: $99.75, $166.25, $189.00, $190.00, $190.00
Goals: bicycle, clothes, college, computer, trip

This puzzle was taken from Kurt Smith's logic book.

Six Seconds to Answer

If a clock takes six seconds to strike six times at six o'clock, how many seconds will it take to strike eleven times at eleven o'clock?

Good Old Fashioned Banking

John needed some small bills because he was traveling. He went into a bank and gave the teller a $100 bill. He told her, "I need some two-dollar bills, ten times as many one-dollar bills, and the rest in five-dollar bills. Assuming she didn't tell him to try his request online instead, how many of each did the teller give him?

How is This Different

One of these words is not like the others. Which one, and how is it different? Race... borrow... taste... suspect... drive... dive.

An Unplowed Field

A harvest sown and reaped on the same day
in an unplowed field,
which increases without growing, remains whole
though it is eaten within and without,
is useless yet the staple of nations.

One Coin Only

There are three clay containers. One of them has only pennies from the year 2005 in it, one has only pennies from the year 1975 in it, and the third has an equal number of each. They are labeled "2005," "1975" and "mixed," however, you know that the labels have been switched, so that each container is marked incorrectly. Can you properly label the containers without looking in them, and only pulling one coin out from one container?

Rain Dries Everything

The thunder comes before the lightning; the lightning comes before the clouds. The rain dries everything it touches.

Two Cent Stamps

How many two cent stamps are there in a dozen?

Covered With Wisdom and Wit

Often we are covered with wisdom and wit,
and oft with cloth where the dinner guests sit;
In beauty around you and over your head,
we are countless,
though numbered when bound to be read

I Do Not Speak My Mind

I talk, but I do not speak my mind
I hear words, but I do not listen to thoughts
When I wake, all see me
When I sleep, all hear me
Many heads are on my shoulders
Many hands are at my feet
The strongest steel cannot break my visage
But the softest whisper can destroy me
The quietest whimper can be heard.

Water That Cures No Thirst

"My first, tho’ water, cures no thirst,
My next alone has soul,
And when he lives upon my first,
He then is called my whole."

Riddle Poetry is Faithful

I’m faithful and steadfast through twist and through turn -
Your friend in the dark without star or sun.
The Earth is my mother; for her I still yearn,
And point to the place where all times are one.

Shopping Logic

A group of friends met up at the mall and started comparing purchases they had made.  They had each gone to a different store and bought a different item.  The four friends were Peter, Camille, Michael, and Shawna.  They had bought their items at the Buy Now, Home for the Holidays, Fearless, and Shop-a-Lot.  They bought a shop vac, iTouch, GPS, and a Notebook.

1. The Notebook was not sold at Fearless,.
2. Neither Peter nor Michael bought at Shop-a-Lot or Buy Now.
3. Camille didn't buy a GPS or a Notebook.
4. Either Peter or Camille bought the shop vac at Home for the Holidays.
5. The iTouch was not bought at Shop-a-Lot.

Camping Spaces

Four couples decided to go camping to the state forest one weekend. Each couple traveled in a different van and each chose a separate camping spot. The camping sites were all labeled with a space number and while they were in the same area, the sites were not touching.

Determine the full name of each couple, the color of their van, and the number of their camping space.

1. Bill, who is not married to Laura, didn't drive a black van.
2. Chuck and his wife Brenda were not camped in space #35.  Brenda's last name is not Forrest.
3. The Lewis couple, who drove a tan van, camped in space #31.
4. Tom camped in a space numbered lower than the one Cindy camped in but higher than the couple who drove in the red van did.
5. Tom isn't married to Mary Tread. Steve Branch didn't drive a blue van.
6. The couple driving the black van camped in space #43.

Husband Names: Bill, Chuck, Tom and Steve.
Wife Names: Laura, Brenda, Cindy, Mary
Last Names: Forrest, Lewis, Tread, Branch
Van Colors: black, tan, red, blue
Spaces: #35, 31, 43, and 29.

Puzzles for Friends

Four friends met for lunch at the local diner. They each ordered a sandwich, one side, and one dessert. Each one ordered something different. Who ordered what?

1. Peter Wish didn't have french fries with his sandwich, which was not roast beef.
2. The man who had the rice pilaf also had chocolate cake.
3. Mr. Tummel, whose first name is not Tim, didn't order the garden salad or the apple pie.
4. Walter didn't order a tuna sandwich or baked potato.
5. Sam thought the hot fudge sundae looked a lot better than his dessert, but he agreed that his side dish was better than Tim's salad.
6. Mr Summer and Peter didn't order a dessert with ice cream.
7. Sam didn't order the baked potato, but he did get the turkey sandwich.
8. The man who got vanilla ice cream, and it wasn't Walter, ordered fries with his sandwich.
9. Mr Wayvern, whose first name wasn't Walter, ordered a ham sandwich but didn't order apple pie.

First Names: Peter, Sam, Tim, and Walter.
Last Names: Summer, Tummel, Wayvern and Wish.
Sandwich: Ham, roast beef, tuna and turkey.
Side dish: Baked potato, french fries, garden salad, and rice pilaf.
Dessert: Apple pie, chocolate cake, hot fudge sundae, and vanilla ice cream.

Monopoly Madness

On a recent Saturday evening in Winchester, the Hastons invited the Pleachers and three other couples over for a barbecue and a round of Monopoly. After dinner, the board was set up, and all five couples voted to play as teams.

When all the property was bought and all the trading finished, each team owned two complete blocks of property with not a single odd property left over. (The railroads and the utilities are each considered a block of property).

• George, who is not Mr. Muller, threw four 10's in a row and paid Ann Dunn each time. 
• Art, his wife, and the Lowes owned the only properties on which you cannot build hotels. 
• Bob is not Mr. Haston, and Sue is not Mrs. Pleacher. 
• Peg and her husband - who owned the utilities -- and the Dunns owned the only street properties whose name does not include "Avenue" or "Place." 
• Bev and her husband owned both properties with "Saint" in their names. 
• Tom and his wife owned only four pieces of property, but won the game because they owned the most expensive hotels. 
• The Hastons placed second because they owned most of one side of the board; third place went to Ben and his wife; fourth to Art and his wife; and the losers were the Pleachers. 
• Ben and his wife owned five pieces of property. 
• Dot and her spouse owned the block of three properties immediately following Ben's block of two. 
• Dot and her spouse also owned the block directly across from their block of three.

From the clues given, can you name the couples, name the blocks of property each owned, and rank them in order from winner to loser?

Logical Dating

Steve, Carlos, Jean and Rose want to take seats in a cinema. There is only 1 aisle seat and the rest are in a line next to it. If Rose want to sit in the aisle seat, Jean wants to sit next to Steve, and Carlos doesn't want to sit next to Jean, how will they sit (starting at the aisle)?

53 Bicycles

A man is dead with 53 Bicycles around him. Why is he dead?

Alien Logic Puzzle

Five aliens, each from different planets, were all, coincidently, testing prototypes of UFO; they were all seen by different people from the Earth.

 Which alien tested which UFO, what planet were they from and who was the earthling that saw them?

1. Sidney, who was beyond scared when he saw a UFO piloted by Targon, who happened to stare out of his UFO window at that moment, did not see the alien from the Planet Outer Zog.
2. Zeebo piloted one of the Alpha UFO's, but George, who didn't spot the Bounty 1 UFO, which was piloted by Wildo or Truffid, didn't see this. The Dweeb or Wildo piloted the other Alpha.
3. The planet with the strangely familiar name of The Inner Ear was the home for the Bounty 1 UFO, which wasn't seen by Wesley
4. Burt, who chose to think that he had been watching too much Star Trek on TV, spotted the alien from Loftland.
5. The planet Dorkonia, inhabited mainly by Dorks, is home to Wildo, who was not spotted tracing across the sky in Alpha Y or Rentaship and not by Jeremy or George. Toola was not the planet home to the UFO Zelphod.
6. The home planet to Alpha Y comes alphabetically before the home planet to Alpha X.

The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round

Each of the five students left on the bus live on the street where he or she leaves the bus.  When does each student get off the bus and where do they live?

1. David gets off the bus before Jason and Tim.  Jason leaves before Donna.
2. Heather Avenue is between Candy Street and Evenstar Road.
3. Tim leaves the bus after Bobby.
4. The name of the second person off the bus doesn't begin with D.
5. Donna gets off the bus between Heather Avenue and Milton Junction.  Both of which are before Biddy Street.
6.  The person who gets off the bus next to last lives between Evenstar Road and Biddy Street.

The five students are David, Jason, Tim, Donna, and Bobby.
The five street names are Heather Avenue, Candy Street, Evenstar Road, Milton Junction, and Biddy Street.
The order leaving the bus is 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th.

Logic Bunks

Ethan, Scott, Fernando, Damon, Mark and Hiroshi are sharing a cabin at summer camp.  There are six bunks in each cabin, three upper and three lower.  The bunks are numbered 1, 2, and 3 from left to right.  Which boy ended up in each bunk?

1. The tallest boy has the lower bunk below the shortest boy.
2. Ethan is the youngest boy.  He picked a top bunk on the left.
3. Scott has the bunk below Hiroshi.
4. Fernando is the shortest boy.
5. Damon has a bunk below the youngest boy.
6. Scott and Damon are not tall.
7. Hiroshi has a middle bunk to the right of the youngest boy.

Four Pizzas Watched a Football Game

Four guys are watching a football game.  At the beginning of the game, they defrost and cook four pizzas.  They sliced up the pizzas so that the pepperoni pizza had three slices.  The cheese pizza had five slices.  The sausage pizza had four slices and the vegetarian pizza had four slices.

So, which guy ate which kinds of pizza, and how many slices did they have of each?

1. All four guys had four slices.
2. No one ate more than three slices of any one kind.
3. 1 of the pizza slices, a pepperoni one, was chosen by Hank.  Another 1 that he had was vegetarian.
4. 3 of Peter's choices were just one kind.  1 was vegetarian.
5. Two of the guys ate one of each kind.
6. Jason does not like cheese pizza.

Three Bars for Four Boys

Four boys have three candy bars; a Snickers, a Hershey's chocolate bar and a Mars bar.  They agreed to cut one bar into three pieces, one into four pieces and one into five pieces.  They each took turns to pick one piece of a bar of their choice until everyone had three pieces.  Figure out who got which pieces and each of their last names.

1. Smith did not select a Mars piece.
2. Jeremy took two of the four Mars pieces, but no Hershey's.
3. Jones was the only one who did not get a piece of Snickers.
4. Derek and Smith each had one more Hershey's than Tyler.
5. Jason took no Mars pieces.
6. Greene took no Hershey's.
7. Ozzie took one Mars piece.


To be clear: first names are Derek, Jason, Jeremy, and Ozzie.  The last names are Greene, Jones, Smith and Tyler.

Boxes of Paper Clips

A total of 303 whole paper clips are in 12 boxes.  The box with the fewest has four.   Another box has 39.  Based on the following, how many paper clips are in each box?

Box C contains half as many as Box J.
Box F contains 1/10 as many as Box D.
Box L contains 1/5 as many as Box E.
Box H contains five times more than Box F.
Box L contains two fewer than Box C.
Box I contains three times as many as Box C.
Box A contains half as many as Box K.
Box K contains one fewer than Box I.
Box B contains four times as many as Box F.
Box G contains twice that of Box L.

Joan Did Not Set Up Eric

It was midnight when Joan and Eric arrived home. They had just got out of the car when a man stepped out of the shadows and shot Eric at close range. Eric slumped to the ground. The man fired again, as if to ensure that his victim was dead. He then walked away slowly.

Joan collapsed in shock and was taken to the next house by the man who lived there. She was still there when she was questioned by the police the next morning.

The investigation into the affair produced evidence of Eric's involvement years ago in organized crime. Joan, it turns out, was the sole beneficiary of a substantial insurance policy on Eric's life.

Her relationship with the neighbor was unusually close. Not surprisingly, she was considered a prime suspect in the case. Although Joan gave a very detailed description of the shooter, it turned out to be completely false.

Joan had tried to mislead the police, but she was not involved in the homicide. Joan had been very devoted to her husband. Why then did she mislead the police?

Lose Your Temper

No question today, just a quote from Lewis Carol on Sums


`And you do Addition?' the White Queen asked. `What's one and one and one and one and one and one and one and one and one and one?'

`I don't know,' said Alice. `I lost count.'

`She can't do Addition,' the Red Queen interrupted. `Can you do Subtraction? Take nine from eight.'

`Nine from eight I can't, you know,' Alice replied very readily: `but -- '

`She can't do Subtraction,' said the White Queen. `Can you do Division? Divide a loaf by a knife -- what's the answer to that?'

`I suppose -- ' Alice was beginning, but the Red Queen answered for her. `Bread-and-butter, of course. Try another Subtraction sum. Take a bone from a dog: what remains?'

Alice considered. `The bone wouldn't remain, of course, if I took it -- and the dog wouldn't remain; it would come to bite me -- and I'm sure I shouldn't remain!'

`Then you think nothing would remain?' said the Red Queen.

`I think that's the answer.'

`Wrong, as usual,' said the Red Queen: `the dog's temper would remain.'

`But I don't see how -- '

`Why, look here!' the Red Queen cried. `The dog would lose its temper, wouldn't it?'

`Perhaps it would,' Alice replied cautiously.

`Then if the dog went away, its temper would remain!' the Queen exclaimed triumphantly.

Alice said, as gravely as she could, `They might go different ways.' But she couldn't help thinking to herself, `What dreadful nonsense we are talking!'

`She can't do sums a bit!' the Queens said together, with great emphasis.

My Friend the Test Pilot

I met my friend the test pilot, who had just received a lot of publicity for a record round-the-world flight by hot-air balloon. With my friend was a little girl of about two. "“What’s her name?"” I asked my friend, whom I hadn’t seen in 5 or 6 years and had gotten married four years ago. "“Same as her mother,"” was the reply. "“Hello, Susan",” I said to the little girl. How did I know if I had never seen the wedding announcement?

Margot Likes Knights

Margot likes knights but not battlers; she likes writing but not typing; she likes to listen but not to sing. Does she like an unknown or a famous author?

Trip From Boston

I agreed to meet my sister for lunch in New Haven. She was traveling from New York, while I was traveling from Boston. When we met at New Haven, which of us was further from Boston?

Double Your Money

What coin doubles in value when half is deducted?

3 Bags of Marbles

You have three bags, each containing two marbles. Bag #1 contains two white marbles, bag #2 contains two black marbles, and bag #3 contains one white marble and one black marble.

You pick a random bag and take out one marble. Given that this is a white marble, what is the probability that the remaining marble from the same bag is also white?

Up to 100

Use the numbers 123456789 so that the equation is equal to 100. The numbers must stay in the same order. You can use addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Remember, they have to stay in the same order.

Light Up the Night

Hibernating when it is cold,
But when it is warm I become bold;
I light up the night,
For every child`s delight.
Some people I might annoy
But to others I bring joy.

 What am I?






Note, I find this riddle to be pretty vague.  I wouldn't be surprised to find multiple answers are possible.

Not a Plant

Though not a plant, Has leaves. Though not a beast, Has spine. Though many wouldn't need this thing 'Tis more valuable than wine. What is it?

Stars Awash in a Sheen of Light

Stars awash in a sheen of light
It calls out loud in vile delight.
Listeners endure in fright.
Vicious brute that reigns at night,
Evil whelped of heinous bite,
Renewed by wax, it regains might.

A leading way to slay the beast,
Get the hidden weapon thus released.





Got this one and a couple of others from dan hersam.  The answer is there if you can't wait for someone to post it here.

Flower by any Other Name Becomes a Country

What flower becomes the name of any country by removing the first letter, becomes the name of a city when the last letter is removed and becomes the name of a bird if both first and last letters are removed?

Everyone Needs This Riddle

Everyone needs this, it's great with an 'r' on the end but you're sad when the first letter goes away. What is it?

Emily Dickenson Poem

What was Emily Dickenson referring to in the following poem?

I am, in truth, a yellow fork
From tables in the sky
By inadvertent fingers dropped
The awful cutlery.

Of mansions never quite disclosed
And never quite concealed
The apparatus of the dark
To ignorance revealed.

Logic at the Mall

I got this one from edhelper.com:

Cody, Benjamin, Sean, Cameron, Aaron, and Jordan each had a different amount of money. They all went to the mall and brought their money. At the mall, each person spent a fraction of the money they started out with. They started out with: $72, $24, $66, $18, $48, and $60. At the mall one spent 1/3 of their money, one spent 1/3 of their money, one spent 5/6 of their money, one spent 1/6 of their money, one spent 2/3 of their money, and one spent 1/2 of their money.

How much money did each person spend at the mall? How much money does each person have left?

1. Benjamin spent more than 1/6 of his money.
2. Cameron spent less than 5/6 of his money.
3. Cody did not spend 1/2 of his money.
4. Jordan spent less than 1/2 of his money.
5. Jordan spent $24.
6. Sean has $15 left after spending money at the mall.
7. Cody spent $33.
8. The person that started out with $24, has $8 left after shopping.
9. Cameron has $40 left after spending money at the mall.
10. Cameron did not spend 2/3 of his money.
11. The person that started out with $60, has $40 left after shopping.
12. Benjamin did not spend 1/6 of his money.
13. Aaron did not spend 1/3 of his money.
14. Benjamin has $8 left after spending money at the mall.

A Red Fruit of the Maius Family

It is more desirable to exist in the medium of time which constitutes a later than desirable date than not to exist in the time period at all. A red fruit of the Maius family absorbed into the digestive system every 1440 minutes or 86,400 seconds keeps a medical desciple from entering your home sweet home. Individuals continuing daily functions surrounded by fused sand structures should be forbidden to hurl missles. Refrain from enumerating your poultry precursory to their incubation and emergence from their embryonic habitat.

Some Common Phrases Re-Written

1. The herbage is customarily more verduous on the diametrical selvage of the property barrier. 
2. Taciturnity is aurous. 
3. That which is acquired without difficulty is dispersed with equal facility.

Count Down

10 = Y in a D
9 = G M
8 = N in an O
7 = S in a H
6 = D of S
5 = S in the S C
4 = P on a C
3 = M and a B
2 = B G
1 = the L N


Happy New Year Everyone!