2,066 Medium Riddles With Answers - page 8 of 21
A most complex construction, Of creation and destruction, Of good and evil deeds, Of noblest thought and basest needs, A species in the lead, Immortal 'til we bleed.
Humans are capable of both great creativity and great destruction, noble ideals and base instincts, and stand as the dominant species -- feeling invincible until mortality catches up.
It flows out of the soil, It burns you if it boils, And holds us in its coils, More valuable than gold, As black as it is old.
Crude oil is pumped from the ground, is highly flammable and hot when heated, and as a fossil fuel it's ancient, black, and economically more valuable than gold.
Soldiers line up spaced with pride. Two long rows lined side by side. One sole unit can decide, if the rows will unite or divide.
A zipper's teeth line up like two rows of soldiers, and the single sliding pull tab is what joins them together or pulls them apart.
I make you weak at the worst of all times. I keep you safe, I keep you fine. I make your hands sweat. And your heart grow cold. I visit the weak, but seldom the bold.
Fear can weaken you in dangerous moments, yet it also protects you by triggering caution, and its physical symptoms -- sweaty hands, a pounding or cold-feeling heart -- rarely trouble the truly bold.
Tucked out of sight. I sing best at night. No instrument around, but you'll find me on the ground. What am I?
A cricket hides in the grass, chirps loudest after dark, and makes its "song" by rubbing its wings together -- no instrument required.
I grow from darkness but shine with a pale light. Very round I am, and always a lady's delight. What am I?
A pearl forms in the dark interior of an oyster, emerges with a soft pale glow, and its round shape has long made it a favorite jewel among women.
Never resting, never still. Moving silently from hill to hill. It does not walk, run or trot. All is cool where it is not.
Sunshine constantly sweeps across the land as the earth turns, silently moving from hill to hill -- and wherever it doesn't reach, the shade stays cool.
With sharp edged wit and pointed poise. It can settle disputes without making a noise.
A sword is literally sharp and pointed, and in the age of duels, it could end an argument decisively and silently -- no words needed.
Two legs I've got, Which never walk on ground; But when I go or run, One leg turns round.
A drawing compass has two legs -- one fixed as the pivot and one that swings around it to draw a circle -- neither of which ever touches the ground.
Barren location, infertile and dry; my name means "to leave", it's not hard to see why.
A desert is dry and lifeless, and the word "desert" is also a verb meaning "to leave" or abandon -- fitting for a barren place most life avoids.
I scribble forms of the finest letter, And repel elements of the harshest weather. I am an arrow-aimer and a dust-breaker.
A feather (as a quill) can write fine script, birds' feathers shed rain and wind, and feathers are used to fletch arrows for accurate flight and as feather dusters to clean away dust.
I have many feathers to help me fly. I have a body and head, but I'm not alive. It is your strength that determines how far I go. You can hold me in your hand, but I'm never thrown. What am I?
An arrow has fletching ("feathers"), a shaft ("body"), and a point ("head"), and the archer's own strength -- not a throw -- is what sends it flying from the bow.
Three little letters, a paradox to some. The worse that it is, the better it becomes.
The word "pun" is only three letters, and it's famously true that the cheesier and more groan-worthy a pun is, the more people tend to enjoy it.
Not a burden for its weight and daily carried out, He who takes it wishes it had never come about.
A punishment isn't physically heavy to carry, but it's still a daily burden to bear -- and anyone receiving it certainly wishes they'd never earned it.
My coat keeps me safe From damage that's near. I cause you happiness, sadness, Anticipation and fear. On the outside, I am put under judgment of price. But my insides have far more value That not even MONEY can suffice.
A book's cover ("coat") protects its pages, its price tag judges only the outside, and yet the story within can stir every emotion and holds value far beyond its cover price.
Tool of thief, toy of queen. Always used to be unseen. Sign of joy, sign of sorrow. Giving all likeness borrowed.
A mask can conceal a thief's identity or adorn a queen's costume, represents comedy and tragedy in theater, and always takes on the borrowed "likeness" of whatever face it depicts.
More precious than gold, but cannot be bought, Can never be sold, only earned if it's sought, If it is broken it can still be mended, At birth it can't start nor by death is it ended.
True friendship cannot be purchased, must be earned, can survive being "broken" (repaired through reconciliation), and can begin later than birth and endure beyond a person's death in memory.
We are emeralds and diamonds, Lost by the moon; Found by the sun, And picked up soon.
Overnight dew forms and sparkles like emeralds and diamonds on grass, then is "found" glinting once the sun rises, and quickly evaporates away soon after.
Shifting, Shifting, Drifting deep. Below me great and mighty cities sleep. Swirling, Scurlling, All around. I'm only where no water will be found.
A desert's sand constantly shifts and drifts in the wind, sometimes burying lost ancient cities beneath it, and by definition it's a place almost entirely without water.
With my pair I should be, But I am usually alone you see, For a monster always eats me. Do you know what I must be?
Socks come in pairs, but one always seems to vanish -- "eaten" by the mythical sock-monster that supposedly lives in washing machines and dryers.
Armless, legless, I crawl around when I'm young. Then the time of changing sleep will come. I will awake like a newborn, flying beast, 'till then on the remains of the dead I feast.
A maggot is a legless fly larva that feeds on decaying matter, then enters a pupal "sleep" before emerging transformed into a flying adult fly.
I am a tale in children's minds. I keep their secrets and share them inside. I blur their thoughts into fantasies kept Like a canvas of art or a submarine depth. Though an illusion, it occurs every night; I give them a fantasy, I give them a fright. Nor good or bad, but always nigh' It's interesting to tell. What am I?
A dream is an illusion the mind creates every night, blending imagination and memory into vivid "stories" that can be pleasant or frightening, and are always fun to retell in the morning.
Made of ten but two we make, When assembled others quake, Five apart and we are weak, Five together havoc wreak. What are we?
Ten fingers 'make' two fists; a raised fist can intimidate ('quake'), fingers spread apart are weak individually, but clenched together into a fist they strike with force.
Faster than a twitch! 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 wizarding sport of Quidditch, players ride flying broomsticks -- fast enough to outrun a twitch -- whether they play seeker, keeper, chaser, or beater.
I'm not man's best friend, I'm their enemy, I can mark your end, yet you do not see me, I am very small, but very tough, If you have me, then you have it rough.
A virus is invisible to the naked eye, can be deadly, and is the opposite of "man's best friend" (a dog) -- it's a tiny but tough enemy of human health.
What has roots that nobody sees, Is taller than trees, Up, up it goes, Yet it never grows?
A mountain has "roots" hidden deep underground, towers above even the tallest trees, and though it looks like it keeps rising skyward, it doesn't actually grow.
Black we are and much admired, Men seek us if they are tired, We tire the horse, comfort man, Guess this riddle if you can.
Coal is black and sought after when people are cold or tired and need warmth; hauling heavy coal wears out cart horses, while burning it comforts people at home.
I am a strange creature, Hovering in the air, Moving from here to there, with a brilliant flare. Some say I sing, but others say I have no voice. So I just hum - as a matter of choice. What am I?
The hummingbird hovers and darts with brilliant flashes of color, and its name comes from the humming sound of its rapid wingbeats rather than any true song.
Lovely and round, I shine with pale light, Grown in the darkness, a lady's delight.
A pearl forms inside an oyster in the dark depths of the sea, is round and softly luminous, and is prized as jewelry -- "a lady's delight."
A leathery snake, With a stinging bite, I'll stay coiled up, Unless I must fight.
A whip is made of leather and coils up like a snake when not in use, but delivers a stinging "bite" when cracked in a fight or as punishment.
Useful tool for who in darkness dwell. Within you, corrupting like a deadly spell.
Poison is a favored "tool" for those who work in secrecy ("darkness"), and once inside a body it corrupts and kills quietly, almost like a spell.
A three-letter word I'm sure you know, I can be on a boat or a sleigh in the snow, I'm pals with the rain and honor a king, But my favorite use is attached to a string. What am I?
"Bow" names the front of a boat and the curved runner-tip of a sleigh, forms a rainbow with rain, is offered as a gesture of respect to a king, and is also the string-holding weapon used to shoot an arrow.
Screaming, soaring seeking sky. Flowers of fire flying high, Eastern art from ancient time, Name me now and solve this rhyme.
Fireworks whistle ("screaming") as they soar into the sky and bloom into "flowers of fire" -- and gunpowder fireworks were indeed invented in ancient China, an "Eastern art."
I cannot be other than what I am, Until the man who made me dies, Power and glory will fall to me finally, Only when he last closes his eyes.
A prince remains a prince until the reigning king ("the man who made me") dies, at which point the crown's power and glory pass to him.
Never ahead, ever behind, yet flying swiftly past; For a child I last forever, for adults I'm gone too fast.
Childhood always feels like it drags on forever when you're young, but adults look back and feel it flew by -- it's never "ahead" of you, only ever a memory "behind" you.
I have joy in bringing two together, but darning my existence! My life hangs by a thread, filled with ups, downs and resistance!
A sewing machine joins fabric pieces together, its needle constantly moves up and down ("ups, downs"), and it literally works with thread -- "darning" and "hangs by a thread" are puns on its stitching function.
What is in the middle of the sky?
The word 'sky' has three letters, and 'k' sits exactly in the middle of the word.
If you say my name I no longer exist. What am I?
The instant you say the word 'silence' aloud, you've broken it — the act of speaking cancels out the very thing being named.
I have many letters, And though it's strange to say, I stay the same no matter how many I give away.
A mailman handles many 'letters' (mail) every day, giving them away to recipients while his job itself stays exactly the same.
I am always in front of you, but you will never see me. What am I?
The future is always technically 'ahead' of you in time, yet no one can actually see it before it arrives.
I go from house to house, a messenger small and tight. Weather it rains or snows. I sleep outside at night. What am I?
A road connects every house, stays outdoors through every rainstorm or snowfall, and sits quiet at night.
A weighty currency.
'Pound' is both a British currency unit and a unit of weight, making it a 'weighty' currency.
I go around and in the house, but never touches the house. What am I?
Sunlight can shine around and into a house through windows, yet the sun itself never physically touches the building.
Be sure to shout for its answers are weak, but there is no language it cannot speak.
An echo only "answers" by repeating back a faint, weak version of whatever sound, in any language, you shout.
Born in the ocean and white as snow. When I fall back to water I disappear without a trace. What am I?
Sea salt forms naturally in the ocean, appears bright white, and dissolves back into water without a trace when it returns to it.
I have wheels and flies, yet I am not an aircraft. What am I?
A garbage truck rolls on wheels and attracts flies because of the trash it carries — not because it can fly.
What has thirteen hearts But no body or soul?
A standard deck of playing cards contains thirteen cards of the heart suit, yet the deck itself has no body or soul.
The faster you run, the harder it is to catch me. What am I?
The faster you run, the faster your own breath moves with you, making it seem impossible to actually catch or grab.
When it comes in, From sea to shore, Twenty paces you'll see, No less, no more.
Sea fog can roll in from the water and cut visibility down to a fixed distance, like the 'twenty paces' described -- a somewhat loose clue that trades precision for atmosphere.
U always follow me but I am rarely seen. What am I?
In English, the letter U almost always follows Q, yet Q itself is one of the least commonly used letters.
What word has three syllables and twenty six letters?
The word 'alphabet' has three syllables and, as a set, contains all 26 letters of the English alphabet.
They make no sense at all, In them you either fly or fall. They make you do it all. Their need is biologic, but they are most illogic. They are not real but still can be achieved, If they are just believed.
Dreams defy logic, letting you fly or fall impossibly, and though the mind biologically needs sleep to dream, dreams aren't real -- yet goals called "dreams" can be achieved through belief and effort.
I only exist when you are here. Where you never were, I can never be. What am I?
A reflection only appears in a place because you are standing there; without your presence somewhere, no reflection of you can exist there.
I am pronounced as one letter, written with three. I come in blue, black, brown, or grey. Reverse me and I read the same either way. What am I?
'Eye' sounds just like the letter 'I' but is spelled with three letters, comes in every color from blue to brown, and reads the same forwards and backwards as a palindrome.
What is made of wood and metal and must be buried before it works?
A shovel has a wooden handle and a metal blade, and it has to be driven ('buried') into the ground to dig.
The cloud is my mother, my father the wind. The lake is my son and the rainbow my bed. What am I?
This describes the water cycle poetically: rain forms from clouds and wind, collects into lakes, and evaporates back toward the rainbow-tinted sky.
I am quick when I'm thin. I am slow when I'm fat. Wind is my worst nightmare. What am I?
A candle burns down quickly when its wick is thin, more slowly when thick, and a gust of wind can snuff it out instantly.
A locked sphere without hinges or key. Break me open and golden treasures you'll see
An egg's shell has no hinge or lock, yet it must be cracked open to reveal the golden yolk inside.
It is something you will never see again.
Once yesterday passes, it's gone forever -- you can never see that exact day again.
My body is timber and I am a boy among men. I have a nose without end and an insect for a friend. Who am I?
Pinocchio is a wooden puppet boy whose nose grows endlessly when he lies, and whose companion is Jiminy Cricket, an insect.
What divides by uniting and by dividing?
Scissors cut (divide) an object precisely by bringing two blades together (uniting).
I can be found on fingers, in toolboxes and in snails. What am I?
A nail tips every finger, fills a toolbox as a hardware fastener, and the letters n-a-i-l are hidden right inside the word 's-NAIL-s.'
I am gentle enough to soothe your skin, light enough to fly in the sky, strong enough to crack rocks. What am I?
Water can be a soft, soothing bath, rise as light clouds and rain, or -- over time, as a raging river -- erode and split solid rock.
Passed from father to son and shared between brothers, its importance is unquestioned though it is used more by others.
A surname is inherited from your father and shared by your siblings, and though it defines your identity, other people actually say and write your last name more often than you do yourself.
When we stand up it lies flat. When we lie back it stands up.
When you stand, the sole of your foot lies flat on the ground, but when lying down, your foot can point upward at the ankle.
I pass before the sun, yet make no shadow. What am I?
The wind constantly moves in front of (and around) everything, including passing in the sunlight, but being invisible it casts no shadow.
I have a heart of gold and I smell when I'm old. What am I?
An egg has a golden yolk at its "heart," and once it goes bad with age, it develops a notoriously foul smell.
What time of day, when written in capital letters, is the same forwards, backwards, and upside down?
"NOON" written in capitals is a palindrome and its symmetrical letters also look the same when flipped upside down.
Cold head and feet; Round as a ball; Always turning around itself.
The Earth's poles ("head and feet") are icy cold, it's roughly spherical, and it constantly rotates on its own axis.
Seven brothers, five work all day, The other two, just play or pray.
A week has seven days: five weekdays for working and two weekend days for leisure, with Sunday traditionally set aside for worship.
What does someone else have to take before you can get?
Someone else has to take your photograph before you can get a copy of that picture -- a play on the two meanings of "take" and "get."
What flowers have two lips?
"Tulips" contains the word 'lips' twice hidden in its spelling ('two-lips'), which is the pun behind this riddle.
Humans have two that shrink in the light and expand in the dark.
The pupils in your eyes constrict in bright light and dilate (expand) in darkness to control how much light enters.
I dance on one feet and knows only one shape. Someone with same name as me is very good with directions. What am I?
A drawing compass pivots on one point to draw only circles, and a magnetic compass (sharing the name) is the classic tool for finding directions.
I am constantly overlooked by everyone but everyone has me. What am I?
Your own nose sits right in your line of sight, so you literally look "over" it constantly without noticing it — everyone has one and everyone overlooks it.
I weaken all men for hours each day. I show you strange visions while you are away. I take you by night, by day take you back. None suffer to have me, but do from my lack.
Sleep leaves everyone weak and unconscious for hours, fills the mind with strange dream "visions," and while no one suffers from getting it, everyone suffers from not getting enough.
What has a bottom right at the top?
The 'bottom' of a pant leg or the leg of furniture is described as being at its top end nearest the body, a play on the word 'bottom.'
I am a ship that can be made to ride the greatest waves. I am not built by objects, but built by minds. What am I?
The word FRIENDSHIP hides "ship" inside it; unlike a real ship, it's built through the minds and feelings of people, not with physical materials.
I am the state when a person is holding a person inside. What am I?
Being pregnant is the state of carrying (holding) another person, an unborn baby, inside your body.
It's real until the trick is revealed.
A magic trick seems genuinely impossible right up until the magician reveals how it was actually done.
You fill it and it empties, A metaphor for plenty, Depending on what half you see, It's either full or empty.
A cup can be filled and emptied repeatedly, and the classic 'glass half full or half empty' saying uses a cup as its metaphor for optimism.
More rare today than long ago. There's a salutation from friends written below. What am I?
A handwritten letter has become rare in the internet age, and it traditionally closes with a friendly salutation, like 'Sincerely' or 'Best wishes.'
This on this. That on that. Growing tall, But never fat. What am I?
A stack is built by placing one thing on top of another repeatedly, growing tall in height but never wider ('fat').
I'm named after nothing, though I'm awfully clamorous. And when I'm not working, your house is less glamorous. What am I?
A vacuum is literally named after "a vacuum" -- empty space, or nothing -- yet it's loud when running, and without it, floors and carpets quickly look dirty and unglamorous.
What loses its head every morning only to get it back every night?
A pillow is "headless" once you get up each morning and only "has a head" (yours) resting on it again at night.
What's as small as a mouse but guards a house like a lion?
A small lock on a door provides fierce protection for a home, much like a lion would guard its territory.
I am a seed, three letters in the name, Take away two and I sound quite the same.
Pea has three letters, and even down to just the letter P, it still sounds like pea.
Two birds, trying to balance in one twig.
This whimsical riddle likens a pair of earrings perched on the earlobes to two little birds balanced on a single branch.
Thirty white horses on a red hill, First they champ, Then they stamp, Then they stand still.
The "red hill" is the gums and the "thirty white horses" are your teeth, which chew ("champ"), bite down ("stamp"), and rest ("stand still") in your mouth.
Shorter than my four siblings, but easily the strongest, Sometimes I wear a funny hat.
The thumb is shorter than the other four fingers but the strongest, and a thimble looks like its hat.
Although I'm far from the point, I'm not a mistake. I fix yours. What am I?
An eraser sits at the far (blunt) end of a pencil, away from the sharp point, and its job is to fix your writing mistakes.
I can be long, or I can be short. I can be grown, and I can be bought. I can be painted, or left bare. I can be round, or square. What am I?
Fingernails grow naturally (or can be bought as fake nails), come in different lengths and shapes, and are often painted with polish -- matching every clue in the rhyme.
What's that 7 letter word with thousands of letters in it?
A mailbox is the object that holds 'mail' (letters), and this riddle plays on 'mail' sounding like it contains many letters.
I can be as thin as a picture frame but my insides have many things you can see.
A flat-screen TV can be nearly as thin as a picture frame, yet it displays countless people, places, and things inside its screen.
What has black spots and a white face, is fat not thin, and helps you to win, but tumbles all over the place?
Dice are cube-shaped (not thin), have black spots (pips) on a white face, are used to win games, and can tumble around when rolled.
I have an eye but cannot see. I'm faster than any man alive and have no limbs. What am I?
A hurricane has a calm 'eye' at its center, moves faster than any human can run, and has no arms or legs.
What is it that has a power socket on one end and a corkscrew on the other?
A pig's snout, with its two round nostrils, resembles an electrical socket, while its curly tail looks like a corkscrew.
I am not very commonly found! Only in some rainforest! I have an odd number of toes! I'm very lazy and hang upside down! What am I?
The sloth lives almost exclusively in rainforests, has an unusually odd number of toes on some species, and famously hangs upside down while moving as little as possible.
What build its house with earthen string and ensnares its prey with a biting sting?
A spider spins earth-toned silk into its web and delivers a venomous bite to subdue trapped prey.
John Lennon sang about being this toothy creature.
John Lennon sang I Am the Walrus with The Beatles, referencing the tusked marine mammal.