Difficult Riddles
Riddle: Two cyclists began a training run, one starting from Moscow and the other starting from Simferopol. When the riders were 180 miles apart, a fly took an interest. Starting on one cyclists shoulder, the fly flew ahead to meet the other cyclist. After reaching him the fly then turned around and yet back. The restless fly continued to shuttleback and fourth until the pair met; then settled on the nose of one rider. The flys speed was 30 mph. Each cyclist speed was 15 mph. How many miles did the fly travel?
Answer: The cyclists took 6 hours to meet. The fly traveled 6*30=180 miles.
Riddle: What word starting with BR, that with the addition of the letter E, becomes another word that sounds the same as the first?
Answer: Braking becomes Breaking.
Riddle: I move very slowly at an imperceptible rate, although I take my time, I am never late. I accompany life, and survive past demise, I am viewed with esteem in many women's eyes. What am I?
Answer: I am your hair.
Riddle: Marking mortal privation, when firmly in place. An enduring summation, inscribed in my face. What am I?
Answer: A Tombstone.
Riddle: If you like pretty gems that sparkle and shine, I invite you to dig in my virtual mine. My first is purple, fit for a king, My second is green where Dorothy did her thing. My third is red, July's birthstone as well, My fourth is seen in strings and is found inside a shell. My fifth is hard, pure Carbon, and expensive to buy, My sixth is Crocidolite, striped like the big cat's eye. Seventh is two words, a man-made fake of April's stone, Eighth is very dark and found at Lightning Ridge alone. Now take from each gem, one letter in its turn, And you will find the stuff for which even the gods yearn. What am I?
Answer: Answer: Ambrosia The gems are: Amethyst Emerald ( Emerald City in the Wizard of Oz ) Ruby Pearl Diamond Tiger's eye Cubic Zirconium (Fake diamond) Black Opal Taking the first letter of Amethyst, second of Emerald, etc.. gives Ambrosia - The food of the gods.
Riddle: Using only brackets, parentheses, and these signs +,-, X, /. How can you express 100 with 5 1's and express 100 three ways with five 5's?
Answer: 111-11=100 (5 x 5 x 5)-(5 x 5)=100; (5+5+5+5)x 5=100;(5 x 5)(5-(5/5)=100.
Riddle: I'm one of five, I'm not alive. The one who sent me forth became king, The one who received me died. What am I?
Answer: A Stone from the popular Biblical story, David had five stones. He used one of the stones to kill Goliath.
Riddle: (A) Use two digits to make the smallest possible positive integer. (B) Five 3s can express 37: 37=33+3+3/3 Find another way to do it. (C) Use six identical digits to make 100. (Several solutions are possible.) (D) Use five 4s to make 55. (E) Use four 9s to make 20.
Answer: (A) 1 X 1; 1/1;2/2;ect....;1-0;2-1;and many others. (B) 37=333/3X3; 37=3 X 3 X 3 + 3/.3 (C) 99 + 99/99; 55+55- 5- 5; (666-66)/6 (D) 44 + 44/4=55. (E) 9 + 99/9=20.
Riddle: When I'm used, I'm useless, once offered, soon rejected. In desperation oft expressed, the intended not protected. What am I?
Answer: A poor alibi or excuse.
Riddle: The title of the problem tells you how to approach these four questions. (A). A bus leaves Moscow for Tula at noon. An hour later a cyclist leaves Tula for mosco, moving slower than the bus. When the bus and cyclist meet, which one of the two will be farther from Moscow? (B). Which is worth more: a pound of $10 gold peices or half a pound of $20 gold pieces? (C). At six o'clock the wall clock struck 6 times. Checking with my watch, I noticed the time between the first and last strokes was 30 seconds. How long will the clock take to strike 12 at midnight? (D). Three swallows fly outward from a point. When will they all be on the same plane in space? Now check the answers. Did you fall into any of the traps which lurk in these simple problems?
Answer: (A). Neither (B). A pound of metal is always more than half a pound of the same metal. (C). Six strokes took 30 seconds, therefore 12 strokes will take 60 seconds. But when the clock struck six, there were only 5 intervals between strokes, and each interval was 30/5=6 seconds. Between the first and twelfth strokes there will be 11 intervals of 6 seconds each, therefore 12 strokes will take 66 seconds. (D). There is always a plane that contains any 3 points 
Riddle: As I traveled up and down our great glorious country, I found myself in a place where the tempature goes up sharply in the day and down at night. This had an effect on my watch, I noticed it was 1/2 a minute faster at nightfall, but at dawn it had lost 1/3 minute, making it only 1/6 minute fast. One morning- May 1- my watch showed the right time. By what date was it 5 minutes faster?
Answer: In 24 hours the watch gained 1/2-1/3= 1/6 minute. It would seem it would be 5 minutes fast in 5 X 6= 30 days; that is,the morning of May 31. But already on the morning of May 28 the was 27/6= 4 1/2 minutes fast. At the close of the day the watch gained 1/2 minute more, so it was 5 minutes fast on may 28.
Riddle: Three pirates, One Eye, Long John, and Peg Leg, were gambling with pieces of gold. All the winnings were piled up on the table. One Eye said, 'I have won 1/2' and took a large handful or two. Long John said, 'I have won 1/3' and took a handful. Peg Leg said, ' I have won 1/6' and took a small handful. One Eye said, ' I have taken too much' and returned a half. Long John said, 'I have taken too much' and returned a third. Peg Leg said, 'I have taken too much and returned a sixth. The money on the table was then shared out equally and they had 42 pieces each. One Eye said, 'I have now 1/2 of the total originally.' Long John said, ' I now have 1/3 of the originally.' Peg Leg said, 'I have now 1/6 of the originally.' How much was on the table originally?
Answer: 282 Pieces.
Riddle: I have ten or more daughters. I have less than ten daughters. I have at least one daughter. If only one of these statements is true, how many daughters do I have?
Answer: If I have any daughters, there will always be two statements which are true. Therefore, I have no daughters.
Riddle: In yon vast field of cultivated space, I there am found with members of my race; Decapitate me - if you've no objection - You then will find what brings me to perfection; Take one more cut, and then you'll plainly see What Iam destined, day by day, to be. What am I?
Answer: WHEAT  HEAT   EAT
Riddle: My first is a creature whose breeding is unclear. My second, a price you must pay. My whole can be found in the river of Time and refers to events of today. What am I?
Answer: Current.
Riddle: Many-manned scud-thumper, Maker of worn wood, Shrub-ruster, Sky-mocker, Rave! Portly pusher, Wind-slave. What am I?
Answer: The ocean!
Riddle: An alarm clock runs 4 minutes slow every hour. It was set right 3 1/2 hours ago. Now another clock which is correct shows noon. In how many minutes, to the nearest minutes, to the nearest minute, will the alarm clock show noon?
Answer: In 3 1/2 hours the alarm clock has become 14 minutes slow. At noon the alarm clock will fall behind approximently an additional minute. Its hands will show noon in 15 minutes.  
Riddle: A student zips on his scooter to ride to the train station to get to college. His home is close to two stops; the first one is a mile from home, and the second is two miles from home in the opposite direction. In the morning, he always gets on at the first stop and in the afternoon, he always gets off at the second one. Why?
Answer: The sations and his home are on a hill, which allows him to ride down easily on his scooter.
Riddle: One sunny afternoon, three men go for a ride on a hot air balloon over the Sahara desert. An hour into the trip, the balloon begins to lose altitude. A month later, someone found one of the ballooners laying on the desert sand dead, naked, and holding half a toothpick. What happened to him?
Answer: As the balloon lost altitude, the men took of their clothes and threw them overboard to decrease the weight of the balloon. The balloon continued to drop so the men drew straws to see who would be forced to jump. The dead man in the desert drew the shortest one (the half toothpick).
Riddle: What number squared = 12345678987654321?
Answer: 111,111,111