New Riddles With Answers - page 28 of 53
I would hold you in my embrace until you go blue in the face. You're a deer, you're the apple of my eye eat me and you'll die. What am I?
The riddle plays on "dear/deer" and "apple of my eye," both hinting at cyanide, found in apple seeds and known for causing suffocation (going blue in the face).
What's the cheapest cut of meat?
"Under a buck" puns on a dollar (a buck) and a male deer (a buck).
How can you tell if reindeer have passed on your roof?
The joke plays on the idea that yellow icicles would be frozen reindeer urine.
Which one of Santa's reindeer do you see at a competition?
Dancer shares its name with a performer you'd see competing in a dance competition.
Which one of Santa's reindeer is the fastest?
The name "Dasher" implies speed, matching the reindeer known for dashing along.
What goes through the door without pinching itself, sits on the stove without burning itself, sits on the table, and is not ashamed?
Sunlight can pass through a doorway, fall on a hot stove, and land on a table without ever being physically harmed, since it has no body.
If place 1 cake of soap on a pan of a scale and 3/4 cake of soap and a 3/4-pound weight on the other, the pans balance. How much does a cake of soap weigh?
The extra 1/4 cake on one side must equal the 3/4-pound weight, so 1/4 cake = 3/4 pound, making a full cake weigh 3 pounds.
Why can't a cook swallow his apron?
The pun uses 'goes against his stomach' to mean both physically covering the stomach and being disgusting to swallow.
When is 90 greater than 100?
A microwave's timer reads digits as minutes and seconds, so '100' becomes 1:00 while '90' becomes 1:30, making 90 the longer time.
A woman has three children: MoroEbi, MoroPet and Laura. MoroPet is in the sitting room playing, Moroebi is in the bathroom taking his bath, and the woman is in the kitchen preparing dinner. In what room is Laura.
The trick is grammatical: the question literally states 'In what room is Laura,' so the answer is that she is in the room called 'What Room.'
I am a room. I have a sink. I have a stove. You use me for cooking. What am I?
The riddle simply lists the defining features of a kitchen: a sink, a stove, and its purpose for cooking.
What happened to the man who plugged his electric blanket into a toaster?
The pun connects toast 'popping up' from a toaster with the man 'popping out' of bed.
The sun bakes them, the hand breaks them, the foot treads on them, and the mouth tastes them. What are they?
Grapes ripen (bake) in the sun, are picked (broken) by hand, traditionally crushed by foot to make wine, and finally tasted in that wine.
Why is the best baker most in want of bread?
The pun relies on 'kneads' (working the dough) sounding exactly like 'needs.'
What washes up on tiny beaches?
The pun turns ocean 'microwaves' (tiny waves) into the kitchen appliance.
I have a short, wide body. It is cold and shiny. My insides are hot as flame. I have two mouths. My tail is long and forked. What am I?
The 'two mouths' are the slots for bread, the hot insides are the heating coils, and the forked 'tail' is the electric plug.
What kind of garden does a baker have?
The pun swaps 'flower garden' for 'flour,' the baker's key ingredient.
Why did the outlaw hold up the bakery?
The pun plays on 'kneaded' (working bread dough) sounding like 'needed' (the outlaw needed money, or dough, slang for cash).
If you put roast in a roaster, what do you put in toaster?
The riddle tricks you into rhyming 'toast' for 'toaster' by analogy with roast/roaster, but you actually put bread in to make toast.
Which is the only way a leopard can change his spots?
The pun swaps 'spots' meaning fur markings for 'spots' meaning locations.
You have three stoves: a gas stove, a wood stove, and a coal stove, but only one match. Which should you light first?
Before any stove can be lit, the match itself must be lit first — the riddle is a logic trap about order of operations.
A student was once given a simple task to accomplish. He was given 6 numbers: 1, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 80, and was told to sum them together to be equal to 100. At last, he was able to accomplish this task. How did he do it?
Flipping 10 and 80 upside down/backward turns them into 01 and 08, and 1+01+20+30+40+08 sums exactly to 100.
What are the science teacher's favorite states?
Pun on "states," meaning both U.S. states and the states of matter taught in science class.
What's the difference between a Teacher and a Train?
'Chew, chew' mimics the sound of a train ('choo choo') while contrasting with a teacher scolding a student for chewing gum.
What do grape students do when they have a question?
Pun on "raise" sounding like "raisin," a dried grape.
What is the most useful instrument in a mathematics teacher's tool kit?
Pun on "multiplier," a math operation, sounding like "multi-piler."
What happened to the plant in the math classroom?
Pun on "square roots," a math term, applied literally to a plant's roots.
Why did the boy eat his homework?
The boy literally acts on the idiom "a piece of cake" (meaning easy) by eating his homework.
What do mathematics teachers like to eat?
This is a pun: math teachers 'like to eat' pie, but the number pi (3.14) sounds identical to the dessert.
When is homework not homework?
The name "homework" contradicts itself once it's completed at school instead of at home.
Why does the teacher wear sunglasses when she comes to the class?
Pun on "bright," meaning both intelligent students and blinding light.
Mountains will crumble and temples will fall, and no man can survive its endless call. What is it?
Given enough time, even mountains erode and grand temples crumble, and no living person can outlast it forever.
Who robbed stagecoaches and wore dirty clothes?
The pun swaps the outlaw Jesse James's name for 'Messy James' to reference his dirty clothes.
Half of me builds towers and cities, the other half is squirming in the dirt. When I am whole, I become angry and bitter. Who am I?
The riddle splits the compound word: 'wood' builds towers and cities, 'worm' squirms in dirt, and together 'wormwood' is a famously bitter plant.
What do you call a dirty age?
The pun splits the word 'message' into 'mess' (dirty) and 'age.'
I can soothe you, or drive you nuts. I can be quiet but also blare in your ears. What does this?
Music can range from soothing (soft/classical) to irritating and loud (rock/blaring), matching both contrasting clues.
A recently purchased implement for brushing away floor dirt invariably effaces the dirt most efficiently. What is the proverb?
The wordy description of a new broom cleaning best is simply the classic proverb 'a new broom sweeps clean.'
As I went across the bridge, I met a man with a load of wood that was neither straight nor crooked. What kind of wood was it?
Sawdust is not shaped like straight or crooked planks at all, since it's just fine particles, resolving the false dichotomy in the riddle.
Why is a dirty rug like a bad boy?
The pun plays on 'beating' meaning both punishing a misbehaving boy and physically beating dust out of a rug.
I am gentle enough to soothe your skin, light enough to fly in the sky, and strong enough to crack rocks. What am I?
Another rephrasing of the classic water riddle describing its liquid, vapor, and ice forms.
What do you call someone that steals soap?
The pun is ironic: stealing soap (used for cleaning) still makes the thief a 'dirty' (dishonest) crook.
How do you clean a dirty tuba?
The pun turns 'tube of toothpaste' into 'tuba of toothpaste' to match the instrument being cleaned.
Each day many people come and visit me, however, they usually only stay for a few minutes. I am considered by many to be very dirty yet few people would want to live without me. What am I?
Brief daily visits, a reputation for being unclean, and being an indispensable fixture all point to a toilet.
I am wasteful, but home to those unwanted. What am I?
A bin holds discarded, unwanted items, making it 'home' to waste.
What cleans but never ever gets dirty?
Soap dissolves and rinses away dirt with the water used to wash, so it never accumulates visible dirt itself the way other cleaning tools do.
What did one slug say to the other slug?
The pun replaces 'time' with 'slime' in the phrase 'next time,' fitting the slimy nature of slugs.
I make the leaves green, I make the dirt brown, I make the bluebirds blue, and I make all of your dreams come true. What am I?
Coloring in leaves, dirt, and birds describes an artist's tool, and the varied colors point to a box of crayons.
A farmer has never taken a shower in his life. He gets dirty every day, wears no cleansing scents, and is always clean at the end of the day. How is this possible?
The riddle is a logic trick: never showering doesn't mean never bathing, so he simply uses a bathtub instead of a shower.
My thunder rolls beneath me, and my lightning flares above. I dust the crust, and when I bust, all I touch will I shove. What am I?
The imagery of rumbling below, fiery bursts, and pushing everything it touches when it 'busts' describes an erupting volcano.
I can be your best friend or your worst enemy. I can make you clean or filthy. You can ride on me, or I can glide on you. Sharp I am mean, dull I am cruel. What am I?
Each contrasting clue fits a razor: it cleans (shaves) or cuts you, can be sharp (dangerous) or dull (painful to use), describing its dual nature.
I'm gentle enough to soothe your skin, light enough to fly in the sky, and strong enough to crack rocks. What am I?
A rephrased version of the classic water riddle: it soothes as liquid, floats as vapor/clouds, and cracks rock as ice.
I move very easily, I am gooey, If you touch me I'll leave a substance behind. What am I?
The clues -- easy movement, gooey texture, and leaving residue on contact -- directly describe slime.
I control what once was, what is, and what is to come. Some know not to waste me, whilst others take me for granted. What am I?
The riddle describes something governing past, present, and future and that can be wasted -- the classic answer is time.
How much dirt is in a hole that was dug 5m deep and 6m wide?
This is a logic trap: once dirt is dug out of a hole, the hole itself contains no dirt at all -- the numbers are a distraction.
What gets whiter the dirtier that it gets?
A chalkboard (blackboard) accumulates white chalk dust and marks the more it's used, so the 'dirtier' it gets, the whiter it appears.
What gets dirtier the more you wash?
Water is the cleaning agent, so each time it's used to wash something it picks up dirt itself and becomes dirtier.
If you drop the soap on the floor, is the floor clean or the soap dirty?
This is a logic trick riddle: cleanliness transfers depend entirely on how dirty the floor already was, so the honest answer is 'it depends.'
I start with a "p" and end with "o-r-n" and I'm a major player in the film industry. What am I?
The riddle sets up an adult-sounding word pattern (p___orn) as misdirection, but the innocent answer is popcorn, tied to movies via theaters.
I have a big mouth and I am also quite loud! I am NOT a gossip but I do get involved with everyone's dirty business. What am I?
'Big mouth' is the nozzle, 'loud' is the motor noise, and it deals with everyone's 'dirty business' by literally sucking up dirt and debris.
I have hundreds of legs but I can only lean; You make me feel dirty so you feel clean. What am I?
The 'hundreds of legs' are broom bristles, and sweeping transfers dirt from the floor onto the broom, cleaning the floor while dirtying it.
A man is looking at a photograph and says, 'Brothers and sisters have I none, but that man's father is my father's son.' Who was in the photo?
With no siblings, "his father's son" is the man himself, so the photo shows his own son.
A family has boys and girls. Each boy has an equal number of brothers and sisters, and each girl has twice as many brothers as sisters. How many boys and girls are there?
With 4 boys and 3 girls, each boy counts 3 brothers and 3 sisters, equal, and each girl counts 4 brothers and 2 sisters, double.
A boy has an equal number of brothers and sisters, and each of his sisters has half as many sisters as brothers. How many brothers and sisters are there?
With 4 brothers and 3 sisters, each boy sees 3 brothers and 3 sisters, equal, and each girl sees 4 brothers and 2 sisters, double, satisfying both conditions.
A woman proves her sister murdered her husband, yet the sister goes unpunished. Why?
As conjoined twins, punishing one sister would unavoidably punish the innocent twin too, so authorities cannot act.
As I went over London Bridge I met my sister Jenny. I broke her neck and drank her blood, and left her standing empty. What am I?
A classic riddle where "Jenny" is a bottle of gin — the answer plays on old slang for the drink.
What did the cell say to his sister who stood on his toe?
Wordplay — "mitosis," the process of cell division, sounds like "my toe is," stepped on.
A family relationship puzzle describes a series of descendants leading back to a woman named May. Who is being described?
The riddle's clues about family relations circle back to describe the speaker themselves as "May."
Can a Christian man marry his widow's sister?
If she is his "widow," he must already be dead, so he cannot marry anyone.
Five sisters are busy: Ann is reading, Rose is cooking, Katie is playing chess, and Mary is doing the laundry. What is the fifth sister doing?
Chess requires two players, so the fifth, unnamed sister must be Katie's opponent in the chess game.
You give someone a dollar; you're their brother, but they're not yours. Who are they?
If the person you give the dollar to is female, you are her brother, but she is your sister, not your brother.
A woman sees a handsome man at her mother's funeral. The next day, she kills her sister. Why?
She murders her sister hoping the man will attend that funeral too, revealing her true, dark motive for the killing.
A beggar's brother died, but the dead man had no brother. How is this possible?
The beggar is female, a sister, so the dead man, her brother, correctly has no brother of his own.
What relation would your father's sister's sister-in-law be to you?
Your father's sister's sister-in-law is your father's wife — your mother.
If your uncle's sister is not your aunt, what relation is she to you?
Your uncle's sister is either your aunt or, if she's not, she must be your mother, since a sibling of your parent is otherwise an aunt.
A man was born before his father, killed his mother, and married his sister, yet nothing wrong was done. How?
Each clue has an innocent explanation: he was born feet-first before his father who assisted, his mother died in childbirth, and as a minister he officiated his sister's wedding.
Can a man legally marry his widow's sister in California?
A "widow" is the wife of a dead man, so he cannot marry anyone — he's no longer alive.
Tom and his younger sister were fighting, so their mother made them stand on newspaper without touching each other. How?
The newspaper was slid under a closed door, keeping the siblings separated on opposite sides of it.
There is a brother and a sister. The boy wants to visit his father in jail, but he has no way to get there. How does he manage it?
By shooting his sister, non-fatally, the boy gets arrested and sent to the same jail as his father, while she's rushed to the hospital.
There is a certain family with both girl and boy children. Each of the boys has the same number of brothers as he has sisters. Each of the girls has twice as many brothers as she has sisters. How many boys and girls are there in this family?
Solving the two ratio equations for brothers and sisters as counted by boys versus girls gives 4 boys and 3 girls.
A girl is twice as old as her brother and half as old as her father. In 50 years, her brother will be half as old as his father. How old is the daughter now?
Setting up the age ratios and the future condition algebraically solves for the daughter's current age as 50.
A boy has as many sisters as brothers, but each sister has only half as many sisters as brothers. How many brothers and sisters are there in the family?
Setting up equations from each sibling's perspective (boys count all other boys as brothers, girls count remaining girls as sisters) solves to 4 brothers and 3 sisters.
Brothers and sisters have I none, But that man's father is my father's son. Who is "that man"?
Since the speaker has no siblings, "my father's son" must be the speaker himself, making "that man's father" the speaker — so "that man" is the speaker's son.
As far as I run, I never meet my brother on my right. What am I?
Points on a spinning wheel always move in the same rotational direction, so a point never 'meets' the point beside it on the other side.
If Peter has 2 brothers and Peter's father has three cupcakes and gives two to Peter's brothers who gets the last cupcake?
Since the two brothers already received their cupcakes, the third and final cupcake logically goes to Peter.
One side hopes you have a great day. The other wishes you'd just go away. One side wants to be its best self. The other just wants back up on the shelf. One side always needs the other, and yet you may require a brother. What is it?
The riddle describes positive and negative terminals ('great day' vs 'go away') and needing a matching pair, both traits of a battery.
If May's daughter's daughter is my granddaughter's mother's mother's brother's sister, then what am I to May? (May only has one sibling)
Tracing the relationships through the chain of 'mother', 'brother', and 'sister' collapses back to May herself being the answer.
What is the name of Frosty's brother that really likes sweets?
'Frosting' puns on 'Frosty' and the sugary cake topping, fitting a sweets-loving snowman sibling.
We are three brothers, running behind each other. Always running around our mother: one after the other, yet no matter how fast we run, we never touch each other. What are we?
Clock hands or fan blades rotate continuously around a central point without ever catching up to and touching one another; here it refers to fan blades.
Lobi's brother is MobiLodi's brother is ModiLofi's brother is MofiLoki's brother is ____HINT: It's a four-letter word
Following the pattern of swapping letters in each name (Lobi/Mobi, Lodi/Modi, Lofi/Mofi) leads to Loki's actual brother in mythology, Thor.
Three doctors say Robert is their brother. However, Robert says he has no brother. Who's lying?
The three doctors are Robert's sisters, so Robert truthfully has no brother while they truthfully call him their brother.
You are my brother, but I am not your brother. Who am I?
Since the speaker is female, she is the listener's sister even though the listener is correctly described as her brother.
I am very powerful, And my brother is patient. I am of infinite value, And I wait for no one. What am I?
Time is described as powerful and infinite, paired with its 'brother' patience, since the saying goes 'patience is a virtue' related to waiting on time.
There are 8 brothers. Brother 1 is playing checkers. Brother 2 is eating. Brother 3 is watching video games. Brother 4 is dancing. Brother 5 is texting. Brother 6 is at school. Brother 7 is sleeping. What is Brother 8 doing?
Since checkers requires two players, logically Brother 8 must be the one playing against Brother 1.
You must keep this thing, its loss will affect your brothers. For once yours is lost, it will soon be lost by others. What is it?
Losing your temper tends to escalate a situation, provoking others around you to lose theirs too, so it's best to keep it in check.
Peter is 4 and his little brother is 2, half his age. How older will Peter's little brother be when he is 100?
The 2-year age gap between the brothers stays constant regardless of their ages, so when Peter turns 100, his brother turns 98.
You give someone a dollar. You are this person's brother, but the person is not your brother. How can that be?
The person receiving the dollar is female, so while you are her brother, she is your sister, not your brother.
The 22nd and 24th presidents of the United States of America had the same parents, but were not brothers. How can this be possible?
Grover Cleveland served two non-consecutive terms, making him both the 22nd and 24th president, so 'they' are actually one person.
A beggar's brother died, but the man who died had no brother. How could that be?
The beggar is actually female, so the deceased man's only sibling was a sister, not a brother, meaning technically he had no brother.
I'm a word meaning eating well, but when one letter goes missing I mean starvation. What am I?
Wordplay: removing the 'e' from 'feast' (eating well) leaves 'fast' (going without food).
Of everybody, you could ask to join you for Thanksgiving dinner, who would always say no?
Ironic twist: the turkey is the meal itself, so it can't attend as a guest.