Unsolvable Riddles - Solved! Page 4 of 5
Seemingly unsolvable riddles that are now solved thanks to the help of many of our visitors who gave us plausible solutions.
1. From Audrey: I can't walk, but I can run, and I am always close behind you
What am I?
ANSWER: A most creative answer - I may be wrong on this one, but I was thinking this one could possibly be solved by considering the meaning of 'I can run' in the sense that a liquid runs, and as for the 'I am always close behind you', this could be taken as always behind the letter 'U' in the alphabet, therefore the solution to this riddle could be tea.
A run in your stocking; and time; and Youth - all good suggestions.
And from Paul - I'm from Sweden and here we often say that the shadow is running, but never that it walks. The shadow will always be close to me, maybe not only behind. So my answer would be the shadow.
2. A quest of love ends with me
yet I am made endlessly
if I drop I say my name
if I touch rock freedom gain
ANSWER: The answer is ring. Many of you sent in great explanations for "ring" being the answer including that a ring is a sign of love given in marriage; a ring is endless -no beginning or end; a ring makes a "ringing sound" when dropped. That last line is what threw all of us off -- until several savvy solvers noted that this riddle came from a computer game and that the player in the game has to hit a rock with a ring to gain freedom in the game. So that's it- we're calling this one solved!!
3. These riddles are the kind in which the numbers and letters are the clues for the answer. Example: 7 D of the W is solved - 7 Days of the Week. These have us stumped:
30 p in a S and S
ANSWER: 30 pence in a shilling and sheckle.
Also- 30 Points in a Strike and Spare
3 = L in a PC
ANSWER: 3 = Loops in a Paper Clip
28 H J F
ANSWER: 28 Has Just February
8 sr of sf
ANSWER: 8 is the square root of sixty four
4. What is the difference between a sailor doing a sewing job and a man posting a letter?
ANSWER: From John- One mends his sail, the other sends his mail.
5. My work is based on give and take
I can make a difference by a hand shake
The older I get the smaller I grow
And my best friend is my worst foe ????
ANSWER FROM Donna - an hourglass timer. The "hand shake" is when it is turned over to start the flow of sand. The "older I get the smaller I grow" is the sand in the top decreasing as it flows into the bottom, and that flow is also the "give and take" referred to in the first line. Time is the "best friend" and "greatest foe", since it measures time (friend) but the sand eventually runs out of the top completely (foe).
Other answers, almost as good, are: soap and a loan.
6. From Jamie: The person who told this riddle to me has been pondering it for 3 years and the person who told him won't give the answer. I would like to open it up for others to consider. It is as follows:
One hundred by fifty divided, the cipher rightly applied, gets one from nine.
ANSWER: From Willow - " CLIO "
a hundred = C,
one = I,
by fifty divide = L (between them)
cipher rightly applied = O (add zero to right)
one from nine = CLIO, one of the nine muses.
And this could be a mathematic puzzle using Roman Numerals. 100=C, and 1=I, Divided by 50=L. That makes CLI. A Cipher is Zero in this case and rightly applied could mean Correctly applied or applied to the Right. SOOOO
CLI0. There are nine Greek Muses. Clio was the Greek Muse of History.
And Adrian writes:
you divide 100 by 50; can't do it in the tens column (can't divide 10 by 50), got to put a zero, subtract and you get 10. drop the remaining zero down, now you've got 100, 2 x 50 is 100, put the two up top, subtract, you've got zero. the cipher they're referring to would be the zero in front of the 2, up top. you have to add that cipher because we put a zero in the tens column: 0 x 50 = 0.
now you've got the math right... one from nine would refer to the number of zero's you get (one, the remainder) from the number of zero's in the numbers above (nine). count em, you'll see. I believe that would be the answer
Keith wrote to say that the riddle was worded incorrectly and should read as follows:
One Hundred and One by Fifty Divide then if a cipher be rightly applied, and your computation agrees with mine, the answer will be one taken from nine.
7. No twins could ever with us compare,
So like in shape and size;
Our bodies white like ermine fair,
As black as jet our eyes:
But tho' so like in every feature,
We rival brothers be;
Yet so obdurate is our nature,
We often disagree."
ANSWER: From John and others: a pair of dice - They're identical, but because of their random nature, they often don't match. The colors are a dead-on hit.
8. Take an indoor sport that is 7 letters long, take off the 4th letter and switch the 5th and 6th letters to get a 6 letter outdoor sport
ANSWER: tenpins to tennis
Also: the indoor sport of seven letters is jai alai; the outdoor sport of six letters is jai ali essentially the same game but outdoors.
9. We are finally giving up on this one - From Joe: There are 2 words in the English language where the letter "f" is pronounced like the letter "v". "Of" is one of the words, what is the other?
Many of our visitors have suggested that this riddle is another riddle similar to the famous GRY riddle (...three words in the English language....) and therefore the answer would be "language" or "what". However, I am pretty sure that there really is a word that fits the requirements for this riddle. The only word that has surfaced here is a proper noun: Fafnir in which the f has the V sound. But being a proper noun, well, that opens all kinds of possibilities as names are pronounced many different ways. But after many, many weeks, Fafnir is the only word we have so, for the moment, this one is solved. However, we're always looking........but folks are tired of seeing this one.
10. From Patti - I sit on a rock whilst raising the wind.
But the storm once abated, I'm gentle and kind.
I've kings at my feet who await but my nod
To kneel in the dust on the ground I have trod.
Though seen to the world , I'm known to but few;
The Gentile detests me, I'm pork to a Jew.
I've never passed but one night in the dark
And that was with Noah alone in the Ark.
My weight is three pounds, my length is a mile
And when I'm discovered you'll say with a smile
11. I turn second into unimportant
Say something and I will write it
Imagine anything and I will prove it wrong
I play a part in every word there is
ANSWER: From Rowe: I believe the answer is history. In history, whatever is done, discovered or invented first -not secondly -is remembered. History records all. History can virtually prove anything said or any theory wrong. There is an origin or history to every single word in language.
Here's another solution sent from John: Answer: -ARY I turn second into unimportant (second -> secondary) Say something and I will write it (comment -> commentary) Imagine anything and I will prove it wrong (imagine -> imaginary) I play a part in every word there is (diction -> dictionary)
12. What is represented by:
1. am U us
2. DEEF
ANSWER: Guess this was too easy!!! Many visitors have emailed us and the answer is
Ambiguous feedback
Thanks to every one who helped on this one!!
13. How many ones are in zero?
ANSWERS: From Mullet Man - the answer is.....................0 zero's are in 0 explanation - zero is worth nothing (ex. you can't but anything with no (zero) money) zero is having nothing (ex. you have no (zero) friends) and i think i have proved my point
Another - binary code? like 100011001011001 which means zero to a computer?
AND: A clever way to solve this is to look carefully - One! in zerO.
(see the word ONE spelled in the phrase "in zero"???) Thanks Lorraine!
From John - I was thinking a possibility might be converting the string word "zero" into its decimal equivalent and obtaining the binary equivalent of that decimal value. Then count all the ones from the binary equivalent. For example, the character z, e, r, o have decimal values of 122, 101, 114, 111 respectively from ASCII code. Now you get the binary equivalents which are: 122 = 1111010, 101 = 1100101, 114 = 1110010, 111 = 1101111, which produces 19 one's.
Claus writes - The answer is four, presuming the "ones" are letters.
Similar to Lorraine, Gerry offers: There is 1 one in zero just rearrange the letters and rotate the z or rearrange the letters and read from top to bottom.
Peace Punk says: There are no ones in zero. Zero is not divisible by one. If the question were how many ones are in three. The answer would be three. It is a common riddle. With an easy answer. People just expect it to have a confusing answer because it is a riddle.
Also from John - Sounds like a trick question, but it's not. To find how many of one number are in another, you simply divide the second number by the first. (0/1) There is a math rule that says you can't divide by zero, so the question couldn't say something like: "How many zeros are in five?" (5/0). However, dividing zeros by whole numbers is allowed. Short answer: None
So, there you have it - all the answers we received and that basically solves this one!! Thank everyone for your help on this little riddle!
14. What does a woman put on once a year that everyone else can see but not her husband?
ANSWER: Her age - every year on her birthday, she adds (puts on) another year but her loving husband will always see her as the bride she once was - husband never sees the age. Some also suggested weight - but not all women put on weight every year - sometime it's every day!! And your birthday is once a year!
15. A nomad shepherd found my first,
In desert wastes astray,
He gave it food, he slaked its thirst,
And, in his bosom closely nursed,
He carried it away.
Sad was my second to behold!
It needed food and rest;
With fear it trembled, and with cold;
But soon the shepherd sought the fold,
And bore it in his breast.
The sky had neither moon nor star,
As home his steps he bent;
But soon his troubles vanished are,
For clearly he beholds afar,
My whole within his tent.'
ANSWER: From John - My first" is a lamp. He found it in the sand, and filled it with oil, quenching its thirst. "My second" is light. The flame from the lamp was trembling because it was still in the wind. "My whole" is 'Lamplight'. Though there was no light from the moon or stars, once in his tent and out of the wind the light from the lamp grew strong.
16. 11 S on an E!!!! translates to what???
ANSWER: From John- 11 Sides on an Endecagon
....and for an explanation of Endecagon which is a polygon with 11 sides, check this link.
17. What is one thing that makes a sentence end, a person cry, and a bee fly?
ANSWER: from Steve - the thing is Pollen. It makes a person sneeze and could end a sentence; it makes eyes water - crying; and it makes the bees fly from flower to flower.
*UPDATE: From Donna and Mary Ellen - this is the answer they came up with and I think it answers this riddle better:
Freedom from a prison sentence.
Freedom is a joyous thing and could make a person cry.
Freedom allows a bee to fly.
18.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. When A is asked if he knows the color of the hat he is wearing, he says no. When B is asked if he knows the color of the hat he is wearing he says no. When 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?
ANSWER: This is really just a great logic question and from Anthony, Peter, Sal and others, the following explanation - Assuming they are all intelligent men........ The only way A would know the color of his hat would be if both Band C had white hats on knowing there are only two white hats A would know his was black. As he doesn't know what color his hat is we deduce that one of the following scenarios is possible
B (black) + C (black)
B (black) + C (white)
B (white) + C (black)
B knows this from A's answer. He now knows that they both cannot have white hats. If he sees a white hat on C, he can therefore deduce that his hat must be black. As he doesn't know we deduce that C's hat is black. C can work this out, so knowing that if his hat was white, B would know his hat was black, C deduces that his hat must be black.
19. The absent minded professor writes a beautiful poem to his wife to be. He puts the poem in an envelope, seals it and inscribes the following on the envelope before dropping it into the mail:
Wood, S
April
England
Amazingly, the poem reaches the intended wife to be. Can you figure out the address?
ANSWER: This is one of those word picture puzzles and here is the solution -
From erncadoc - April Underwood, S. Andover England.
20. What is round...but also square?
HINTS: Not a boxing/wrestling ring
Not a pizza box
Not a round square?
Not square dancing
Not pie r squared
Not a cylinder
Not a number
Not a cd case
Not a clock
Not a cake
It's very small
Not clay
ANSWER: We received several different answers for this one. The most common answer is 'cigarette' which is round, but called a square in some parts of the world. Another great answer is "square knot" because it is round but called square. And how about: "a ROUND of sandwiches makes a SQUARE meal".
21. A clock loses ten minutes each hour. If the clock is set at 12 o'clock noon, what is the correct time when the clock reads 3:00 PM?
ANSWER: We got quite a variety of answers on this one. The correct answer is 3:36! If it takes the clock an hour to run 50 minutes, it takes six minutes to run 5. The clock will read 2:55 at 3:30; therefore it will be 3:36 when the clock reads 3:00. (The book where this riddle is found writes: "Three out of four students muffed this one in a College Board quiz.)
This riddle appears in the following book:
We Dare You To Solve This No. 4, John Paul Adams,
Berkley Medallion Edition 1977, p. 29
Another interesting way to solve this one is to look at as Cy did -
The correct answer would be 3:00 PM, All the riddle tells you is that the clock loses ten minutes an hour. Therefore, what the clocks "reads" is the correct time, because that is what it has to show. Understand what I'm saying?
22. What is the same at the beginning, the same at the end but has no middle?
ANSWER: A ring or any circular thing like a ring (donut, wreath, etc.)
23. WHAT AM I? When people don't want me, I take what they need. (If I'm lucky, they don't even notice.) When people wanted me, I took what they didn't need. But civilized people don't want me these days.
ANSWER: The best answer for this is leech. When you don't want one, they suck on your blood, which you need. In the past, people used leeches to remove blood and reduce swelling. Therefore the leeches were taking what they didn't need. But there are better ways to treat swelling these days.
24. Like 16= o in a p (16 ounces in a pound)
Do you have any idea what 21= D on a D is??
ANSWER: 21 = Dots on a Die
Also, as Landrum notes: should be P on a D since the "dots" are actually called pips).
25. In the fall, the members of the small and very exclusive Lawns and Garden Club began to plan the following season's garden arrangements. After several meetings, the 5 members of the club; Mr. Isaac Iris, Ms. Rita Rose, Madame Anastasia Azalea, Dr. Frederick Forsythia, and Sir Horace holly decided that each should send a plant to one of the others.
a) The 5 plants sent, correspond in some order, to the names of these five people.
b) Each of the five received exactly one plant.
c) In no case did the receiver or the sender have the name of the plant.
d) Ms. Rose sent Holly to Dr. Forsythia.
e) The recipient of the plant sent by the doctor sent a rose.
f) The flower with the same name as the plant sent by Madame Azalea received a forsythia from the namesake of the plant that Madame Azalea received.
What plant did each member receive?
ANSWER: Thanks to Michcaccavo and Phoebe for working out this logic problem -
Forsythia sent the iris to Azalea. Azalea sent a rose to Holly. Holly sent an azalea to Iris. Iris sent a forsythia to Rose. And Rose sent a holly to Forsythia.
