Riddle:
I build up castles. I tear down mountains. I make some men blind, I help others to see. What am I?
Answer: Sand.
Riddle:
It keeps something that cannot be kept, And wakes you when you have slept. It may go slow or stop at times, But even then it chimes. What is it?
Answer: An alarm clock.
“It keeps something that cannot be kept”: Time can’t be held; a clock only measures it as it slips by. “And wakes you when you have slept”: The alarm rings to wake you. “It may go slow or stop at times”: Clocks can run slow or stop (dead battery, mechanical hiccup). “But even then it chimes”: Many clocks still chime or ring on the hour/alarm, even if their timekeeping isn’t perfect.
Riddle:
Uncle John, as he likes to be called, can't do the Twist like Chubby Checker did in the 1960s, but he loves to twist just the same. To be open and honest with you all, Uncle John earns his living through twisted ways. He especially enjoys exhibiting his twisted talents in front of young children. To gain their attention, he frequently gives gifts to these little boys and girls --- gifts including bicycles, flowers, and even small animals. He is often out of breath after exhibiting his twisted lifestyle to others. You might think the parents of these children would be repulsed by Uncle John, but instead, they often simply stand by, sometimes even applauding and encouraging this man!!! How can adults be so calloused as to allow this man to gain this type of control over their own children? What exactly is going on here?
Answer: Uncle John is a balloon twister who makes a living performing at children’s birthday parties. He can make almost anything out of balloons which he gives to the children; including bicycles, flowers, and small balloon animals. It’s also the reason he is often out of breath during his performances, as he has to blow up each balloon before he can twist them into the shape he wants.
Riddle:
Dorothy attended her family reunion last summer, but she reported an odd incident during the festivities. She was watching a group of adults and a group of children competing against one another in a race of about 30 yards. Dorothy was surprised to see a child win the race, but Dorothy also noted she was unable to see any of the participant's legs during the race. Dorothy has excellent vision, and her mental faculties are intact, but neither she nor any of the other spectators were able to see any sign of the racer's legs during the brief competition. Since none of the racers were amputees, and Dorothy wasn't imagining things, what do you suppose was the cause of her inability to see any of the racer’s legs during the race?
Answer: The adults and children were participating in a sack race at the family reunion.
Riddle:
Little William Dilly, a five-year-old kindergarten student, approached his mother after school one day and related the following story: "Today in school I saw a man-eating lion! Then I saw a man-eating tiger! Then I saw a man-eating panther!" "That’s nice," his mother replied, only half listening to him. William continued; "And then I saw a man-eating camel and a man-eating zebra, and a man-eating sheep!" This caught his mother’s attention. "Did your class go to the zoo today? I sent no permission slip; or is your wild imagination exposing itself again --- because there are no camels, zebras, or sheep that eat people," his mother replied. "Honest, mom! I really did see everything I just told you!" Indeed, young William had seen everything he had reported to his mother. How could it be possible for William to have actually seen all he claimed to see?
Answer: Little William’s kindergarten teacher was a man who enjoyed having fun with his students. At lunchtime that day, he took out a box of animal crackers, and holding up one animal at a time he would announce to the class, “You are now seeing a man eating lion, or a man eating sheep,” etc., and then proceed to eat each cracker, much to the children’s amusement. Little William was just reporting what he had seen his teacher doing and saying that day.
Riddle:
I hold a thousand voices, yet not one sound I make. I open doors to worlds though I never roam or break. In lines I travel paths, but never take a step— When you seek new places, I am the map you’ve kept. What am I?
Answer: A Book.
Riddle:
This thing all things devours: Birds, beasts, trees, flowers; Gnaws iron, bites steel; Grinds hard stones to meal; Slays king, ruins town, And beats high mountain down. What am I?
Answer: Time!
Riddle:
Even if you don't love me, you probably like me a little bit. Your friends probably feel the same way about me, but I might still drive them away if we spend too much time together. I know I've made you cry, but I never meant to hurt you. Anyway, it should be me who cries. You know how thin-skinned I am. Who am I?
Answer: An onion.
Riddle:
I came to prominence in the world during a time of trouble. I brought people together but helped keep them apart. I sound like I should go fast, but I am well known for taking too long to finish. What am I?
Answer: A Zoom meeting.
Riddle:
A woman was horrified to find a fly in her tea. The waiter took her cup and went into the kitchen and returned with a fresh cup of tea. She shouted, "You brought me the same tea!" How did she know?
Answer: She had already put sugar in it and when she tasted the new tea it was already sweet.
Riddle:
The distance from the Earth to the Sun is about 100 million miles. The speed of light is 186,000 miles per second, and light takes eight minutes to reach the Earth from the Sun. Let's say the Sun rose at 6am this morning, and that by some freak of physics the speed of light is suddenly doubled to 372,000 miles a second.
What time will the Sun rise tomorrow?
Answer: 6am again. After all, what diffrence does the speed of light make to the answer? It's irrelevant- only the speed of the roation of the Earth matters here.
Riddle:
As small as your thumb, I am light in the air. You may hear me before you see me, but trust that I'm here. What am I?
Answer: A hummingbird
Riddle:
Whether the weather is hot or cold, I will take you wherever you need to go. The direction you take will determine the place. There may be the most difficult roads, but they often lead to the most beautiful destinations. What am I?
Answer: A journey.
Riddle:
Marge and Terry are both looking intently at a 4-inch X 4-inch musical symbol, but neither of them is thinking about music. Marge initiates their activity by placing a letter of the alphabet into the upper left quadrant of the symbol. Terry counters by putting a different letter of the alphabet into the lower-right section of the figure. Marge retaliates by inscribing the same letter she used the first time, into the lower-left section of the musical emblem. Terry responds by placing the same letter he just used, into the middle-left area of the image. Marge begins to smile brightly and places the same letter she has been using into the upper-right quadrant of the figure. Terry then grimaces and writes the exact same letter he has been using, placing it in the center of the symbol. Marge then gives a gleeful laugh and puts her same letter into the top-middle of the emblem. She then draws a line and shouts out three words to Terry, which make him feel a bit sad and disappointed. What are the three words Marge shouts at Terry, and exactly what has been going on here?
Answer: Marge and Terry have been playing the game of “Tic-Tac-Toe”, and these are the three words she shouts at him after beating him. The musical symbol called a Sharp, looks just like a Tic-Tac-Toe grid.
Riddle:
What 7-letter word has all 5 vowels and a q in it?
Answer: Sequoia.
Riddle:
How can you make a needle float?
Answer: Take a thin piece of tissue paper and place the tissue paper under the needle before putting the needle in the water. The tissue paper will eventually sink and the needle will remain floating.
Riddle:
A man took a walk in the park. While on his walk, he came across a stray dog who began growling at him and nipped at his heels. The man pulled a crooked stick from his knapsack, told the dog to, "Fetch!", and then threw the stick. The dog made a mad dash for the stick, then suddenly made a u-turn and ran back to the man ----- without the stick. The man laughed loudly. He then said to the dog, "Let's try this again." Throwing the same stick, the man again yelled, "Fetch!", and the dog took off as before, suddenly made a u-turn, and ran back to the man ----- again without having obtained the stick. The man laughed louder. This same series of events happened over, and over, and over again until the dog finally ----- bit the man on the leg. What was going on here that so infuriated the dog to cause him to bite the man?
Answer: The man had tormented the dog in the park in the past by telling the dog to fetch the crooked stick (wooden boomerang) he carried with him in his knapsack. The dog could never catch the boomerang, which always returned to the man after he threw it, thus frustrating the dog who only wanted to play. What goes around comes around, as they say, with boomerangs and in life.
Riddle:
The Mills family had traveled to their vacation cabin which was next to a large, beautiful lake in the mountains. Mr. and Mrs. Mills and their three children, Brock (age 6), Cindy (age 7), and Susan (age 8) had come to the lake to relax for the weekend. They were all looking forward to taking a long, relaxing swim in the lake, and to try out the brand new boat Mr. Mills had just purchased for some family fun. As they were swimming near the middle of the lake, it dawned on Mr. Mills that their son Brock was not in the water with them. Suddenly, with no warning, the family heard motor sounds and saw their newly-purchased boat speeding directly toward them, accompanied by the maniacal laughter of their missing child, Brock. Again and again, Brock drove the boat directly at his vulnerable family, laughing insanely each time it passed near them. "I told Brock not to go near that boat unless I was with him," shouted Mr. Mills, "and now he's trying to kill us with it!" However, Mrs. Mills nonchalantly responded, "Oh, boys will be boys." Considering the circumstances, why was Mrs. Mills so cavalier concerning her son's disobedient and reckless behavior, and why did she seem unconcerned about her six-year-old driving a boat without supervision?
Answer: Mr. Mills had bought the family a new remote controlled boat, but bad boy Brock decided to ignore his father’s instructions, and sent the two-foot long boat on its maiden voyage as a mischievous prank on his family. I don’t envy Brock when his father reaches shore.
Riddle:
Inspector Bradstreet, a highly respected police detective with 25 years of investigative experience on the force, was in a room with four homicide suspects: Joan, Shirley, Dorothy, and Irene. He was in the room with the four of them for at least 15 minutes, but for some reason, he had not started interrogating the suspects, despite the fact that a dead body, which had a knife sticking out of its back, lay on the floor in the room with them. One of the four suspects had called 911 to summon the police at some point. Why hadn't this highly decorated and respected detective started his investigation into the obvious murder by questioning the four suspects? For what reason was he waiting?
Answer: Inspector Bradstreet was dead. It was his body that had the knife stuck in it.
Riddle:
Mrs. Fortini has been married for 10 years. For her 10th wedding anniversary, she got a pair of beautiful diamond earrings. Mrs. Fortini also has two daughters–Beatrice and Ivy–who always touch her stuff. One day, Mrs. Fortini was going to put on the earrings, when she found out that they had been stolen. She concluded that it must have been one of her daughters, so she asked them, "I've told you two so many times to not take my things! Who took my jewelry this time?". Beatrice said, "I never touch your jewelry box!". Ivy also denied taking her mom's stuff; "I don't wear earrings!", she said. Who stole the earrings?
Answer: It was Ivy who stole the earrings. Her mother didn't specify which piece of jewelry was missing.
