2,062 Easy Riddles With Answers - page 2 of 21
Other terms for this handy device include doohicky, doo-dad, and whatchyamacallit.
'Gadget' is the general word for a handy device whose exact name you might forget, like 'doohickey' or 'whatchamacallit.'
They are the group who manages the winged engines of war.
The air force is the military branch responsible for operating warplanes, the 'winged engines of war.'
The one fashion accessory farmers and hipsters can agree upon.
Suspenders are worn by both traditional farmers and modern hipsters as a shared fashion and functional choice.
Brings the sky a lot closer.
A telescope magnifies distant stars and planets, making the sky appear much closer than it really is.
What looks back but cannot see?
A reflection appears to gaze back at you, but it's just light bouncing off a surface -- it has no actual sight.
What has 2 banks but no money?
A river has a bank on either side of it, but 'bank' here just means the land along the water's edge, not a place with money.
The plant that is responsible for spreading a lot of gossip.
The idiom 'heard it through the grapevine' refers to information passed informally from person to person, like gossip.
Whipping one of these out in the wrong setting is said to be terrible luck.
Opening an umbrella indoors is a well-known superstition believed to bring bad luck.
You can swallow me, but I can also swallow you.
You swallow water when you drink it, but a large body of water, like the sea, can just as easily "swallow" (drown) a person.
A section of the calendar dedicated to mother nature.
Earth Day is the annual observance dedicated to environmental awareness and appreciation of nature.
Rotten trees and Jack-O-Lanterns have this characteristic in common.
A decaying tree trunk and a carved pumpkin both end up hollowed out on the inside.
Men in skirts blow into these.
Scottish bagpipers traditionally wear kilts (skirts) while blowing air into their bagpipes.
What can you always count on?
Fingers are literally what people use to count, making them something you can always 'count on.'
They put the heat in pop tarts
A toaster is the appliance used to heat up a Pop-Tart before eating it.
Serves as a go between in business.
A middleman is the intermediary who connects buyers and sellers or two other parties in a business deal.
I never was but am always to be, and everyone looks forward to me.
The future never technically exists in the present moment; it's always something still to come, which people anticipate.
A little house full of meat, no door to go in and eat.
A nut's hard shell fully encloses its edible "meat" (the kernel inside) with no opening to get in.
They live only in stories, taller than three storeys.
Giants exist only in fictional tales and are described as towering taller than a three-story building -- a pun on "stories."
If you were to take two apples from three apples, how many would you have?
It's a trick question about wording: if you take two apples away with you, then you have two apples, regardless of how many are left behind.
Hold these between your knees if you want to set a Cuban beat.
Bongo drums are traditionally held between the knees while played, and are a staple of Cuban and Latin percussion.
I am someone you don't know. Who am I?
By definition, a stranger is simply a person you don't know.
It's held in the hand when going out.
You grip the doorknob in your hand right as you're leaving ("going out") through the door.
The athletically challenged spend a good deal of time on this seat made of pine.
Less athletic players spend a lot of time "riding the bench" (often made of pine wood) instead of playing in the game.
I can be found in water but never wet. What am I?
A reflection appears on the surface of water, but as just an image of light, it never actually gets wet.
My neighbor makes mistakes. I get rid of them. Who am I?
Sitting next to the pencil that writes the mistakes, the eraser (often on the pencil's end) is what rubs those errors away.
What do you call a greedy grumpy holiday hater?
"Scrooge," from Dickens's A Christmas Carol, has become a byword for a stingy, grumpy person who hates the holidays.
I have legs but never walk, I may have flowers but no soil, I hold food but never eat.
A table has legs that never move, may hold a vase of flowers with no soil of its own, and holds plates of food without ever eating any.
The ball drops when the clock hits this.
The famous Times Square ball drop happens right at midnight, marking the start of the New Year.
Sends paper without using the post office.
A fax machine transmits a copy of a paper document over phone lines, delivering it without ever going through the postal service.
It has 8 arms and lots of ink but can't write a word.
An octopus has eight arms and squirts ink for defense, but obviously can't use that ink to actually write anything.
A building filled with books you can't buy.
A library is filled with books available to borrow and read, but not to purchase.
Dorothy had a severe disagreement with a woman of this magical persuasion.
In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy clashes fiercely with the Wicked Witch of the West.
Could be described as the cranium's version of snow.
Dandruff appears as small white flakes on the scalp, resembling snow falling from the 'cranium.'
I open wide and tight I shut, sharp am I and paper-cut fingers too. So do take care, I'm good and bad, so best beware.
Scissors open and shut with sharp blades that can cut paper -- useful but also capable of nicking your fingers.
In the forest, this blends in just right, but every December it is covered with lights. What is it?
Evergreens blend into the forest year-round, but one is chosen each December and decorated with lights as a Christmas tree.
Defends your noggin from the hard pavement.
A helmet protects your head from injury if you fall onto hard pavement, such as while biking or skating.
Tiny creatures that have a special relationship with flowers.
Bumblebees pollinate flowers as they gather nectar, forming a close, mutually beneficial relationship with them.
What stays on the ground but never gets dirty?
A shadow lies flat on the ground wherever you go, but being just an absence of light, it can never actually get dirty.
You might accuse someone living with a stolen identity of being this.
Someone using a stolen identity to pass themselves off as another person is, by definition, an imposter.
This became a fashion statement in the garden of Eden.
In the Bible, Adam and Eve covered themselves with fig leaves after eating the forbidden fruit, the first 'clothing.'
A big shiny black car nobody wants to be a passenger in.
A hearse is the black car that carries a coffin to a funeral -- not a ride anyone wants to take as a passenger.
A white horned symbol of purity and grace.
The unicorn, with its single white horn, has long symbolized purity and grace in mythology and heraldry.
It's tough as nails, or soft as snow. People use it for their rink, some just put in their drink.
Ice can be hard as nails for skating rinks or soft like snow, and it's also the ice people drop into drinks.
What can speak without a tongue and listen without ears?
A telephone transmits speech and sound electronically, with no physical tongue or ears of its own.
An art-form and its colourful result.
Painting is both the artistic technique and the name for the finished, colorful artwork it produces.
What has one hand longer than the other, and goes on all day and night?
A clock's minute hand is longer than its hour hand, and the clock keeps ticking continuously day and night.
The epic tale of two women battling over a sparkly pair of shoes.
In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy and the Wicked Witch of the West both want the sparkling ruby slippers.
Commits friendly home invasions one night a year.
Santa Claus is said to sneak into homes through chimneys on Christmas Eve, but only to leave gifts, not to cause harm.
It is sometimes known to have silver linings.
The idiom "every cloud has a silver lining" means even a gloomy situation, like an actual storm cloud, has a bright side.
What flies without wings?
The saying "time flies" describes how quickly time passes, even though it has no physical wings.
You row in one while you float.
You use oars to row a boat, which floats on the water as you do so.
Ambitious people will climb the social version of this contraption.
"Climbing the social ladder" is a common idiom for advancing one's status or career, comparing social advancement to climbing the rungs of a ladder.
What can get you there in eco style, pushed by your legs mile after mile?
A bicycle is human-powered via pedaling and produces no emissions, making it an eco-friendly way to travel long distances.
This is in a realm of true and in a realm false, but you experience me as you turn and toss.
Dreams occur while sleeping, often accompanied by tossing and turning, and blend elements that feel real with things that are entirely fictional.
A certain wizard resided in a city made from this gemstone.
In "The Wizard of Oz," the Wizard resides in the Emerald City, a city famously built from emerald-green architecture.
It is the electronic version of junk mail or a salty meat in a can.
"Spam" refers both to unwanted junk email and to the well-known brand of canned, salted meat.
He has a genie to thank for the fact that he married a princess.
In the story of Aladdin, a genie from a magic lamp grants his wishes, ultimately helping him win the hand of Princess Jasmine.
Found under bridges and on the Internet.
Mythological trolls are said to live under bridges, while "internet trolls" are people who provoke others online -- a clever double meaning.
In the Tour de France, what is the position of a rider, after he passes the second placed rider?
Passing the rider in second place means you take over second place -- you'd need to pass the leader as well to become first.
Round as an apple, deep as a cup, and all the kings' horses can't fill it up. What is it?
A well is round like the cross-section of an apple and deep like a cup, yet said to be so deep that even an army's worth of horses couldn't fill it up.
Poorly behaved children often find themselves sitting in these.
Sending a misbehaving child to stand or sit in the corner is a classic, mild form of discipline.
What can burn the eyes, sting the mouth, yet be consumed and thought delicious?
Salt can sting your eyes if it gets in them and has a sharp taste in the mouth, yet it's a common and enjoyable seasoning in food.
What goes through a door but never goes in and never comes out?
A keyhole passes through the thickness of a door itself but, being part of the door, never travels in or out of it.
You can have it, and be at it, But it never lasts forever.
You can possess peace and be "at peace," but like most states of being, it is not a permanent condition.
Fly with me to the Pitch! With a seeker, a keeper, Or a chaser, a beater, Wizard or witch; I play a mean game of Quidditch. What am I?
In the Harry Potter Quidditch games, seekers, keepers, chasers, and beaters -- wizards and witches alike -- all fly across the pitch on broomsticks.
During what month do people sleep the least? (Also asked in this range as "What month do people sleep the least?")
With the fewest days of any month, February gives people the least total sleep time across the month, even at a normal nightly pace. NOTE: riddle #996 in the source ("What month do people sleep the least?") is a near-identical restatement of this same riddle and answer; it has been merged into this single row.
Do what he says and you'll be fine, don't and you lose the game.
In the children's game Simon Says, players must obey commands only when prefaced with 'Simon says,' or they're out.
Sheets of paper that tell new stories each day.
A newspaper is printed sheets of paper delivering fresh stories every day.
A sport with love and service played by singles and pairs.
Tennis uses the term 'love' for a zero score and 'service' to start each point, and it's played in both singles and doubles.
Its days are numbered.
A calendar marks days with numbers, so quite literally its 'days are numbered.'
If you drive on this, pedestrians and the police will be pretty upset with you.
Driving a car on the sidewalk endangers pedestrians and is illegal, drawing attention from police.
What has two hands, a round face, always runs, but stays in place?
A clock has 'hands' and a round 'face,' and its hands are always moving even though the clock itself doesn't go anywhere.
What is used to yell in a text?
Typing IN ALL CAPS is the common way to convey shouting or yelling in a text message.
It's anything but amusing when this body part gets hit.
The "funny bone" (a nerve near the elbow) causes a sharp, unpleasant tingling when struck, ironic given its name.
An office supply that's shaped like a trombone.
A standard paperclip is bent into a looping shape resembling the slide of a trombone.
Beautiful girls strut and sexy men 'do their little turn' on this.
Models 'strut' down a fashion runway called a catwalk while showing off outfits.
What is not a ball but yet a sphere, and holds all lands and people year after year?
The Earth is a roughly spherical planet that hosts all continents and populations, though it isn't literally a ball.
The negative hero in each story.
The villain is the antagonist, or 'negative hero,' opposing the protagonist in a story.
My teeth are sharp, my back is straight, to cut things up it is my fate.
A saw has sharp, tooth-like blades along a straight edge designed for cutting.
You'll have to consult an optometrist if you want to improve this.
An optometrist examines and prescribes corrective lenses to improve your eyesight.
If you blow past your destination, you'll have to throw your car into this.
If you miss your turn or exit, shifting your car into reverse lets you back up.
Where can you find roads without cars, forests without trees and cities without houses?
A map depicts roads, forests, and cities symbolically on paper without any actual cars, trees, or buildings.
It breathes fire in fairy-tales.
Dragons are the classic fire-breathing creatures of fairy tales and folklore.
An appropriately loud response to fear, excitement, or your team scoring.
A yell is a loud vocal reaction fitting for scary moments, excitement, or celebrating a score.
Before Google, we actually had to physically look things up in this building full of knowledge.
Libraries were the traditional place people researched information before internet search engines existed.
This food is a baked dish of fruit, or meat and vegetables, typically with a top and base of pastry.
A pie is a baked dish with a pastry crust on top and bottom, filled with fruit or a savory meat-and-vegetable mixture.
I am ten little beans you look at every day. What am I?
People have ten toes ('little beans') that they see every day, especially when barefoot.
Some are clean and some are dirty, but all are meant to get a chuckle. Most like it, some take offense from it.
Jokes range from clean to dirty and are meant to get a laugh, though some people find certain jokes offensive.
A canvas full of stars.
The night sky, dotted with countless stars, resembles a vast painted canvas.
It is a popular afterlife destination where you want to send people when you're mad at them.
People commonly say "go to hell" when angry, referencing the mythic afterlife of punishment.
It is a form of plastic money.
A credit card is often called 'plastic money' since it's a plastic substitute for cash.
A piece of paper that determines the academic fate of kids everywhere.
A report card records grades that decide whether a student passes, fails, or advances.
The famous royal young lady who had several short men following her.
Snow White is the fairy tale princess famously followed and protected by the Seven Dwarfs.
There are four of these, but everyone's favorite seems to be spades.
There are four card suits -- hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades -- and the ace of spades is often considered the most iconic card.
Talks like this, a green wise man does. Guess my clue, you will.
Yoda, the small green Jedi Master from Star Wars, is famous for speaking with inverted sentence structure.
It is a sound of empty; speak and it'll talk back plenty. But all the more you yack, you'll get the same words back.
An echo repeats whatever sound (or words) you send into an empty space, matching you shout for shout.
They come in many varieties: Red, Black, Dead, and Caspian to name a few.
The Red Sea, Black Sea, Dead Sea, and Caspian Sea are all well-known bodies of water sharing the word 'Sea.'
A doctor might remove one from the neck of a Dracula victim.
A doctor treating a vampire bite would remove the fang marks or fang left in the victim's neck.
Everyone claims to know a way to stop these involuntary contractions, but none of them work.
Hiccups are involuntary diaphragm spasms, and countless home remedies claim to cure them without reliable success.
What do you call bread that has been browned in a small electric oven until it is crispy?
Bread browned and crisped in a toaster (a small electric oven) becomes toast.