Good Riddles
 

So, I've been popping over to the joke thread off an on today, trying to keep myself from going insane during finals. And it occured to me that what I really need are some good riddles. So here's a thread for that as well, hopefully it can be as succesful as the joke thread (and more succesful than my quote thread ;) .)

I'll start.

You're walking down a road deep in some dark and dingy forest. Suddenly a fork appears in the road. At the crux of the fork stand two statues and a small plaque. The plaque says this:

"One of these roads leads to your fondest dreams, the other leads to your most vivid Hell."

At this point you look up and notice that there are no convenient signs to tell you which is which, so you read on.

"In order to decide which is which you are allowed to ask either of the statues one question. But only one question between the two of them. Only one to one statue, not one to both, just one question to one statue. (People have gotten really confused on this issue.)"

You stand back and consider the non distinct statues and the wry humor that the author of the sign thinks he posses. Then read on.

"One statue always answers a lie, the other always answer a truth. What one question can you ask either to ascertain the proper directions of both heaven and hell?"

And that's the question for you all. Please post other riddles as well!

Ask either statue, "Which road would the other statue say leads to my fondest dreams?" Then take the opposite road.

Yup. That's a common one, so I figured someone would get it fast. I think it was featured in...uh...what is that David Bowie Movie...with the muppets... Hmm, there's another riddle, right? Or Trivia if you want :).

Anyone else have a riddle?

Dunno if this counts as a riddle!
 

If red houses are made from red bricks, brown houses are made from brown bricks and yellow houses are made from yellow bricks, what are green houses made from?

I'll take funny quotes like that as well. I've heard a similar one, "If tin horns are made out of tin, what are fog horns made of?"

How about another common riddle:

The rich need it,
the poor have too much of it,
you can't see it unless you are blind,
you can't hear it unless you are deaf,
and it' the one thing you can take with you when you are dead.
What is it?

The answer is... "Nothing"

I like Biblical riddles...

Methuselah was the oldest man that ever lived. Yet he died before his father. How is this possible?

David was able to kill Goliath with one smooth stone. Yet he picked up 5 smooth stones. Why? (the answer is not "just in case he missed")

Fun stuff.

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Intelligence test:

You are driving in a car at a constant speed.
On your left side is a valley and on your right side is a fire engine travelling at the same speed as you. In front of you is a galloping pig which is the same size as your car and you cannot overtake it. Behind you is a helicopter flying at ground level. Both the giant pig and the helicopter are also travelling at the same speed as you.

What must you do to safely get out of this highly dangerous situation?
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Hmm...well, I think I'd signal right and wait for the fire engine to move, then take the next exit.

Though to be honest, the James Bond in me wants to believe that the man riding the pig is out to get me. So I must jump onto the first truck and use it's handy side railing to hike it back to the helicopter (magically not getting shot the whole time), then use the missiles that are inexplicably attached to a civilian helicopter to shot the pig, saying some such as "That's one way to make smoked ham", or some other line that Bond might use...

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There’s an easier solution, Zalister. :D
Anyone else?

Is it related to something Martin Luther King said?

Well, it is related to something that many of his Scandinavian spiritual heirs are concerned with... Remotely. (Trying to be generous here.)

Can we assume that this road is somehow perpetually next to a cliff? (read: I need another hint).

I know its not strictly a riddle.... but a few years ago I gave my dad a brain teaser....

"if you were stood on the white cliffs of Dover and looked out on a clear day how far would you be able to see?"

I thought this would do his head in.... :D About 5 mins later he said he had taken into account the curvature of the earth, height of the white cliffs, the height of the shore line in France and taking into account the average size of a person being around 185cm tall and gave me the answer with all his workings! :eek:

I think it was about 26 miles.. on a clear day

AAAAAARRRRRRRRRGH, I had to google it :( Guess I fail the Intelligence Test :D

But what's the answer?

Answer: Get off the children’s Merry-Go-Round! You’re p*ssed...

:D

I didn't want to spoil it...since I didn't figure it out myself.

I have a fun riddle you can play with pens, or pencils...matches...anything that basic shape. It's better to show than describe, but here goes:

-Get four pens.
-Arrange them in a "Y" shape. Since there are 4 pens, make it like a field goal rather than a proper letter.
-Place an object in the middle of the "goal". The object can be anything, a coin would work.
-Now the object is to keep the pens in the same formation but without the coin being in the goal. You are only allowed to move two pens, and obviously not allowed to touch the coin.

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Many years ago, a Dublin radio station announced a contest. The challenge was straightforward: "Find a walking route from one end of Dublin to the other without passing a single pub."

Months went by, but no one came ut with a decent answer. There are a heckuva lot of pubs in Dublin! (or any town or village for that matter) And listeners and DJs were becoming convinced that the challenge was, in fact, impossible.

Then one day, a postcard arrived with two sentences written on it.
Grudgingly they had to admit a winner.

What was the solution written on the postcard?


PS. Apologies for spoiling the last riddle. :o

No worries...you posted it, so it was yours to start with.

Was the solution along the lines of "Crossed Dublin. Drank 1,475 pints."

I think I have a solution... Are you just posting guesses here or do you want a PM for these? I personally had hoped to see people guess, so I'm just going to give it a go (if you don't want me doing that again, just tell me :). )

Slide the "crossbar" to the right, then take the left upright and move it to the right side of the crossbar, point down. Thus turning the structure upside-down, and taking the coin out of the goal :).

And I like the answer posted by Fat Elvis, to boil it down, "Walked through Dublin, walked into each pub I saw."

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And to add to the corpus of weird challenges and riddles. If you want to try something impossible do this: Take all of your fingers and touch the ends together, once you've done that lift them away from each other one by one, just to show that it can be done...

Then, take your middle fingers and bend them so that the second knuckles are touching. Now raise your pointer fingers away from each other. Now raise your pinkies away from each other. Now try lifting your ringer fingers away from each other without your middle fingers second knuckles breaking contact.

Oops - just noticed that Z beat me to it... :eek:

Slide the cross-bar half it's length in either direction. Move the disconnected upright to the opposite side of the bar at its far end.

Brilliant! You and Elvis got it. :)
"Pick any route you want. Just walk into every pub along the way."

Here's one from riddles.com:

Lynn likes grapes but not potatoes.
She likes squash but not lettuce,
and she likes peas but not onions.

Following the same rule, will she like pumpkins or apples?

Nothing?
 

Since they are all traveling the same speed as you, couldn't you just stop or keep going?

She likes pumpkins because pumpkins are a member of the squash family?

Not quite, you got the right answer but have the wrong reason...

Because Pumpkins are a brighter color?

Nope, not quite.

On further review I think that schneb had it. The real answer is "because it grows on a vine", but that's about the same thing (about). It just seemed really different in my head last night...at four in the morning...right after my bachelors party :).

Anyway, anyone else have a riddle now?

Bachelor Party? Mazel-Tov!

I got close, but I think no cigar. Yes, grows on the vine is the correct and specific answer. That's a good one.

ANSWER 1
Genesis 5 : 21 -- When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah.
Genesis 5 : 24 -- Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.


ANSWER 2
He knew he would have to kill Goliath's brothers.

Excellent Jeffo! (Missler pupil?)

Yes, the answer is 1. Enoch never died and 2. Goliath had four brothers. David wanted to take them ALL on.

Well done!

Interesting, any other trivia? (Not necessarily Biblical, though I have no objections so long as it stays in the context the Coat Room likes.)

Question: Who made the worlds fastest Mini-van?

Question: Who made the worlds fastest Mini-van?
The early 90s caravan?

Nope, there is a Minivan out there based on a Formula One Chassis. Do you know who made it?

I cheated this time and looked it up.
Mercedes-Benz R 63 AMG

How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the tomb of the Unknowns?

None? I would find it hard to believe the guard, if there is one, would walk across the Tomb itself.

In the basement there are 3 light switches in the off position. Each switch controls 1 of 3 light bulbs on the floor above. You may move any of the switches, but you may only go up stairs one time. How can you determine which switch controls each light?

More of a brain-teaser than a riddle. But it's a good one! Has me stymied.

Use heat as an indicator -- as well as light. ;)

I suppose I should have mentioned that I was not talking about a production vehicle. But I guess I should give it to you eh?

The actually vehicle I was talking about was a one-off Renault Matra minivan that was based on their 93 F1 Chassis. It had 800 hp in a 3.5l V-10. It was fast... I could only find one link for it, and it's not all that great, but...

Renault Escape Matra F1

If we can move the light switches shouldn't we just take them upstairs? :-).

Do you guys/gals like logic puzzles? I will say a small scenerio and you must figure out all the details by only asking yes or no questions. See if you can figure it out.

A man is driving in his car, driving through a large desert. There is nothing around for 100s of miles. His car breaks down. In his car he has over a weeks worth of water. He decides to bide his time and read a book. He pulls a book out and starts reading it. He turns the page, then puts the book down. Leans in his car and grabs a gun out of the glove box and then kills himself. Why?

(by the way, I know like a million of these, we used to sit around on the porch in the summer time and have a few drinks and tell them to each other)

I'm still thinking, tlarkin!

Have this one to be going on with:

A black man dressed all in black, wearing a black mask, dark glasses stands in the middle of crossroads in a totally black-painted town. All of the streetlights in town are broken. There is no moon. A car without it's headlights on drives straight toward him, but turns in time and doesn't hit him.

Why?



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Is it day time?

Beat me to it tlarkin! :)

the riddle I posted is one you figure out by asking yes or no questions. like for example, he found out he couldn't fix his car?

No

I believe you could not find a link because you misspelled the name. "Renault Espace F1" Try here...

http://members.lycos.nl/Vorden/espace.html

Is the book a farmer's almanac?

nope, book is irrelevant

Correct, tlarkin!!

Your turn to be slow today, schneb!! ;)

Oldie but a goodie!

What can go up a chimney down, but cannot go down a chimney up?

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Ahh....second guess: Because he doesn't have OnStar? :D OnStar can unlock your doors for you if you lock the keys in the car.

edit: oh wait, the gun was in the glove box.

Why did he kill himself? Because he didn’t want to live any longer.

not exactly

its a riddle, and there is a logical reason why he killed himself, but you have to figure out the why. You already know the how.

Is the water potable?

yes

adding this line in for the minimum text requirements

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Is he doomed to die of other causes anyways?

And if so, is that manner of death unappealing to him?

yes

yes

(now you have to figure out the why, but you are on the right track. Reread the original riddle - you can find the answer there)

Perhaps this is a question of chronology. Your text says nothing about the length of time you’re describing.

Yes, he had lots of water, and a book to read. But now he has been there a week, his water is gone, he reads one more page and decides: "Ok, this is it. I really don’t want to die of thirst." Bang!

They all control the same one light bulb.

Turn two switches on. Wait a minute. Turn two switches on (not the exact same two). Then rush upstairs.

One of the lightbulbs will be dark; that will be the switch that is off.
The hottest lightbulb will be the one that was switched on both times.
The third switch controls the third bulb, which is on but not quite so hot.

:)

... or: give a shout to a friend upstairs and ask them which bulbs go on. ;)

it all happens as the story progresses, he is there no longer than a few hours before he kills himself.

ArticStones: You are so nearly correct, your solution will work but here's the original answer.

Turn any one switch to the "on" position for 5 minutes, then turn that switch "off". Quickly turn any other switch to the "on" position and run up stairs. Feel the two lights that are "off". One of them will be "hot" because is was "on" for 5 minutes. Obviously the "hot" bulb is controlled by the first switch you turned "on". The light that is currently "on" is controlled by the switch you last turn "on". The "cold" bulb that is "off" is controlled by the only switch left.

Was the page he turned the last page of the book?

nope

it could have been any page

Did he see something outside the car that caused him to kill himself?

nope

you are on the right track though, keep asking keep thinking lol

Was the book "Suicide" by Émile Durkheim?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_(book)

There needed to be some kind of relationship between what is in the book, what is happening outside, and the idea of only a weeks length of survival to cause him to kill himself.

Is there a disaster happening?

nope

another hint the book is irrelevant. It could have been the funny pages or the holy bible. Everything happened in chronological order as described.

I missed some of the other questions and answers. OK. <thought processing> He is going to die of something, something shorter than one week, something worse. Get it over with now. Hmmm.

Is he in the desert post nuclear disaster? (ie exposed to radiation)

A feather?

no, as far as he knows there is no radiation around.

Remember it all happened in chronological order, "he turned the page, then reached into his car grabbed a gun and shot himself"

Sorry no, schneb.

Mary Poppins has a duck on the end of one.

It's a flare gun.

He was waiting for it to get dark enough to set off the flare and didn't realize that his car broke down because of a gas leak.

The gas ignited and the car exploded.

no, the relation is simply this, he turned the page and then decided to kill himself.

The object of this riddle is to ask the right questions, get background knowledge then come up with your answer. This is one of the medium challenged ones, perhaps I should have started with an easier one.

In the movie it's a parrot. But I get it, an umbrella!

But think about my answer... "Feather"... "Down..." (as in down pillow) I think it works! :)

interesting twist but not the answer I know. That could be a variation of the riddle perhaps someone could use. I suppose you could even learn that his sense of smell doesn't exist from deductive logic if asked the right questions.

however, no he did not die from a car explosion, it was a real gun

Is something going to fall on him?

like from the sky? nope

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Is the cause of his imminent death already within his body?

Is the cause of his imminent death an external being?

Two-legged? Four-legged?

Would his imminent death be due to lack of something that is physiologically essential?

Has what is threatening to kill him taken the lives om many other people?

yes

no

sorta, well yes i suppose

yes

When his car broke down, was it because of (or the cause of) a car accident?

Was he thrown from the vehicle (hence the reached into the car bit).

Is he now bleeding to death?

LOL, you made me spill my coffee :D

no

no

yes

Had he cut his wrist putting his hand through the window which was rolled up?

nope, reread the riddle you are very close.

When he has leant into his car, has the rabid baboon (that he has sat in the passenger seat, so he can use the 2+ lane), got scared and ravaged him?

or

Has he cut his throat when he leant in "through" the window.

or

Has he given himself a paper cut from turning the page, and it's a bit deep. :eek:


.

yes

but that doesn't fully explain why he kills himself.....

Is he a haemophiliac?

yup thats it.

stuck in the middle of a desert 100s of miles from anything, gets a paper cut and kills himself. This is because he needs to drink the water to survive in the desert, but at the same time that would thin his blood out.


Here is another one, perhaps a bit easier.

There is a man found dead in the desert. He is naked, and there are no tracks around him at all. There have been no sand storms or high winds recently. How and why did he die and end up naked in the desert?

Was he in a hot air balloon with his girlfriend, the hot air balloon got into trouble and was plummeting to the ground, they had to ditch all excess weight (including clothes). Finally, he decided the only way for his girlfriend to survive was for him to sacrifice himself, so he jumped? The balloon regained height and she floated safely away?

hmm I think you have heard that one before LOL

Here goes another one:

One man hands another man a marble, then shoots him. Why?

Obviously: He lost his marbles!

nope

keep them coming

Do the men know each other before the marble-exchange?

yes

blah blah blah (need the minimum characters to post)

Was one a gambler?

Were they ever stranded on a deserted island together?

not sure, but gambling is not rellevent.

nope

Is the marble worth a great deal of money?