New Riddles With Answers - page 22 of 53
A fruit on a tree. A tree on a fruit.
This is wordplay: "pine" is a type of tree and "apple" is a type of fruit -- together they form "pineapple," a fruit that isn't actually related to either pine trees or apples.
I wear a red coat and have a stone in my throat. What am I?
A cherry has red skin acting as its 'coat' and a hard pit lodged at its center like a stone.
You use a knife to slice my head and weep beside me when I am dead. What am I?
Cutting into an onion releases sulfur compounds that make your eyes water, hence the 'weeping' once it's sliced.
Flour of England, fruit of Spain, Met together in a shower of rain; Put in a bag tied round with a string, If you'll tell me this riddle, I'll give you a ring.
This old English riddle describes plum pudding: English flour and Spanish dried fruit (raisins) are mixed with liquid ("a shower of rain"), then tied in a cloth bag to be steamed.
Alight or in dark, my face is a leer. In a field with my brothers, you'll find me without bother, For that autumn day is mine.
A pumpkin, once carved into a jack-o'-lantern, has a leering face lit from within, and pumpkins are harvested together in a field each autumn, especially around Halloween.
A little pool with two layers of wall around it. One white and soft and the other dark and hard, amidst a light brown grassy lawn with an outline of a green grass. What am I?
A coconut has a soft white husk fiber layer and a hard dark brown shell around its 'pool' of coconut water, growing on grassy-looking palm-lined ground.
I have seven letters and am something you eat. My only anagram can help your pain. If you remove my first 2 letters I wear things down. Removing my first 3 letters is an adjective and removing my first 4 letters leaves a measure of time. What am I?
Sausage is a seven-letter food; dropping its first letters in stages plays with 'usage,' 'sage' (an adjective), and 'age' (a measure of time), even though the 'anagram for pain' clue is a loose fit.
What makes a loud noise when changing its jacket, becomes larger but weighs less?
Popcorn kernels burst loudly out of their hulls ("jacket"), expand much larger in volume, and lose a little weight as moisture turns to steam and escapes.
I ate one and threw away two.
Eating an oyster means consuming the one soft body inside while discarding its two hinged shell halves.
Patch upon patch, without any stitches, if you tell me this riddle, I'll give you my breeches.
A cabbage is built from overlapping leaf 'patches' wrapped around each other with no stitching holding them together.
The virgin gave birth to a child and threw away the blanket.
Many banana varieties bear fruit without pollination (a 'virgin' birth), and the plant sheds its flower bract (the 'blanket') as the fruit develops.
You have to travel far before you turn it over. What is it?
An odometer's digits 'turn over' to the next round number only after the car has traveled enough miles.
It can be done to buttons and shopping carts. What is it?
You push a button to activate it and push a shopping cart to move it along.
A man walks out of a house that has four walls all facing north. A bird walks past him. What is it?
A house with all four walls facing north can only be at the South Pole, and the flightless bird found walking around there is a penguin.
It is able to speak because it has a hard tongue. You know what it is as soon as it has sung. What is it?
A bell 'speaks' when its hard internal clapper, sometimes called its tongue, strikes the metal, and its distinctive ring instantly identifies it.
Strip the skin under my skin, and my flesh you'll reveal. It tastes sweet and tart, now throw out the peel. What is it?
An orange has a thick outer peel and a thin inner pith ("skin under my skin") to remove before reaching its sweet-tart flesh, with the peel discarded afterward.
What moves across the land but never has to steer? It has delivered our goods year after year. What is it?
A train travels overland fixed to its rails, so unlike a car it never needs to be steered, and it has long been used to haul freight.
Built of metal or wood to divide. It will make us good neighbors, if you stay on your side. What is it?
A fence, built of wood or metal, marks the boundary between neighboring properties -- echoing the saying 'good fences make good neighbors.'
It stands upright and can be quite grand. Its secret is not hidden but right at hand. What is it?
An upright piano stands tall, a grand piano is the largest and most impressive kind, and its "secret" -- the keys that make its music -- is right there under the player's hands.
Tickle with your fingers and a song it will sing. Be careful, though, you may break a string. What is it?
Plucking a guitar's strings with your fingers produces music, but pluck too hard and you risk snapping a string.
Neither bought nor sold but more valuable than gold. It is built but not by hand. What is it?
Trust can't be purchased and is more precious than money; it's built slowly through actions and honesty, not by physical construction.
The leaves are on the fruit, the fruit is on the leaves. What is it?
A pineapple's leafy crown sprouts directly from the top of its fruit, so its leaves and fruit are literally attached to each other.
You can't live without doing this, and we all do it at the same time. Yet many wish it wasn't happening. What is it?
Every living person ages at the same steady rate with each passing day, even though many people wish they could stop it.
It can be used onstage or to express admiration. What is it?
"Props" are physical objects used in a stage production, and "giving someone props" is slang for expressing admiration or respect.
Controlled by your hands and feet. It would be nothing without a street. What is it?
A car is steered by your hands on the wheel and operated by your feet on the pedals, but it needs roads to actually go anywhere.
Pointing North, South, East, and West it saves the lost and helps the rest. What is it?
A magnetic compass always points toward the cardinal directions, helping travelers find their way when they'd otherwise be lost.
You can always see it, but it's too far away to touch. Mountains rest on it, and at sea it surrounds you. What is it?
The horizon is the visible line where earth meets sky -- always seen, never reached, appearing under mountains and encircling you at sea.
This old one runs forever, but never moves at all. He has not lungs nor throat, but still a mighty roaring call. What is it?
A waterfall's water is always flowing and roaring loudly, yet the waterfall itself, as a landform, stays fixed in one place.
Used on a diamond and left on a board. It's great for a gymnast his grip to restore. What is it?
Chalk is rubbed on hands for grip near the baseball diamond and used by gymnasts on the beam or rings, and it's also left as marks on a chalkboard.
It's equally comfortable in an orchestra and a geometry textbook. What is it?
A triangle is both a percussion instrument played by striking a metal frame and the basic three-sided shape studied in geometry.
It gets passed among men and builds without growing. It serves to injure from a source unknowing. What is it?
A lie spreads from person to person, growing more damaging the further it travels, and it can hurt someone even though its target may never know where it started.
Attracted by light but flies at night. It's tiny and hairy but not too scary. What is it?
Moths are famously drawn to light at night, and their small, fuzzy bodies look harmless despite startling people who bump into them in the dark.
Usually green but can be brown. It's a great place to play or lie down. What is it?
Grass covers lawns and fields in green (or dried-out brown), and it's the classic soft surface people play and relax on.
This has no beginning, middle or end, and all the greatest thinkers see it but can't comprehend. What is it?
The vastness of space (or the infinite universe) has no clear starting or ending point, and even the greatest scientific minds struggle to fully grasp its scale.
This is a plant named after a light source. What is it?
The sunflower gets its name from the sun, and it's famous for turning its head to follow sunlight across the sky.
It comes from crystal and melts to a treat. Add it to your tea to make it sweet. What is it?
Sugar forms as crystals that dissolve when stirred into tea, sweetening it into a treat.
You use this to clean although it is small. If you forget it, your smile will appall. What is it?
A toothbrush is small but essential for cleaning your teeth, and skipping it leaves your smile looking (and feeling) far from its best.
No sooner spoken than broken. What is it?
The moment you speak, you end the silence -- so silence is 'broken' the instant it's spoken about.
It is the assumed nocturnal symbol of Mr. Wayne. What is it?
Bruce Wayne is the secret identity of Batman, who adopted the bat as his nighttime crime-fighting symbol.
Man walks over, and man swims under. In times of war, it can be burned asunder. What is it?
People walk across a bridge while boats or swimmers pass beneath it, and bridges have historically been burned or destroyed to block advancing armies.
Everyone needs this, it's great with an 'r' on the end, but you're sad when the first letter goes away. What is it?
Add an 'r' to 'love' and you get 'lover,' but remove the first letter 'l' from 'lover' and you get 'over,' which is sad because it means a relationship has ended.
There are several different kinds, but the one you pick doesn't do its job. What is it?
This is a pun: locks come in many types, but the one skill a thief needs is to 'pick' a lock, defeating its very purpose.
Through its wounds, water does run. It once held many but now has none. What is it?
A shipwreck's hull is breached ('wounded') so water flows freely through it, and though it once carried passengers, it now sits empty on the seafloor.
Both a currency and an antlered male. What is it?
'Buck' is slang for a dollar and is also the name for a male deer with antlers.
Never alive but practically extinct. How we miss the letters pressing the ribbon of ink. What is it?
A typewriter was never a living thing, but it's now a nearly extinct technology, once used to press keys against an inked ribbon to print each letter.
Sometimes it's silver but also gold. Printed on paper it's a treasure to hold. What is it?
Currency can be minted in silver or gold coins or printed as paper bills, but either way it's treated as a treasured store of value.
Tomorrow's yesterday. Yesterday's tomorrow. What is it?
From tomorrow's perspective, today is 'yesterday,' and from yesterday's perspective, today is 'tomorrow' -- today is the constant.
Its fleece is warm and wooly white. And when you lie awake at night, count it and you'll fall asleep. What is it?
Counting sheep is the classic trick people use to help themselves fall asleep, and sheep are known for their warm white wool.
It carries paper of the most important sort, but also plastic, I'm glad to report. What is it?
A wallet holds important paper money as well as plastic credit and debit cards.
A beacon from home to guide your way. It can be a lifesaver on a stormy day. What is it?
A lighthouse shines its beam from the shore to guide sailors safely, and in a storm its warning light can literally save lives by steering ships away from rocks.
It is yellow and you can serve it but not eat it. What is it?
In tennis, players 'serve' the ball to start a point, but of course you don't eat it the way you'd serve food.
It is a place of play on a sunny day. Winter will come and take all the fun, but we'll be back in May. What is it?
A park is a favorite outdoor spot for warm-weather play that empties out in winter and comes back to life in spring.
Touch this and you'll regret it. But if it's cold, you won't forget it. What is it?
Touching fire burns and you'll regret it instantly; the source's answer is a looser fit for the 'cold' line, which likely refers to the lingering memory of the burn even once the fire has gone cold.
Grown in the ground, it's taller than you. Strip off the outside, the yellow pieces you chew. What is it?
Corn stalks grow taller than a person, and after husking (stripping the outside), you chew the yellow kernels.
You use it between your head and your toes, the more it works the thinner it grows. What is it?
A bar of soap is used to wash your entire body from head to toe, and it wears down and shrinks the more you use it.
It is not your enemy, yet we still beat it. What is it?
This plays on the double meaning of 'beat': striking a drum is called beating it, even though it's an instrument, not an opponent.
It rows quickly with four oars but never comes out from under his own roof. What is it?
A turtle's four legs work like oars propelling it through water, while its shell serves as a permanent roof it never leaves.
It flavors your food and divides the year up. What is it?
This plays on the double meaning of the word: to 'season' food means to flavor it, and a 'season' is also one of the four divisions of the year.
It is everything to someone, and nothing to everyone else. What is it?
A person's own mind or inner world is the whole of their experience, yet completely inaccessible and meaningless to anyone else.
You can spin, wheel and twist, but this thing can turn without moving. What is it?
Milk can "turn" sour or go bad while sitting perfectly still, playing on the double meaning of "turn" (to rotate vs. to spoil).
It keeps you on the ground and stops things from floating around. What is it?
Gravity is the force that keeps people's feet on the ground and prevents loose objects from drifting into the air.
It could make arrows fly and kites soar. What is it?
A bowstring launches arrows, and a length of string is also what lets you fly and control a kite.
Not a comb or a brush but makes the hair feel plush. What is it?
Shampoo doesn't style hair like a comb or brush, but washing with it leaves hair feeling soft and plush.
It regulates our daily movements, but it feels no interest in our lives. It directs us when to come and go, but does not care if we pay attention. What is it?
A clock dictates our daily schedules, when to wake, work, and sleep, yet it is an unfeeling object indifferent to whether we follow it.
You eat something you neither plant nor plow. It is the son of water, but if water touches it, it dies. What is it?
Salt is produced by evaporating seawater, but the moment fresh water touches it again, it dissolves and effectively 'dies' as a solid.
Glittering points that downward thrust. Sparkling spears that do not rust. What is it?
An icicle forms as dripping water freezes into a sharp downward-pointing spike of ice, which can't rust because it isn't metal.
Covered in stone and sun. It's home to many but also none. What is it?
A cemetery is filled with stone headstones out in the open, and while it "houses" many graves, no one is actually living there.
A circle of stones, never in rows. Stacked one on the other, mystery it sows. What is it?
Stonehenge is the famous prehistoric circle of massive standing and stacked stones whose original purpose remains a mystery.
It can't be seen or felt. It can't be touched or smelt. Behind stars and under hills, all emptiness it fills. What is it?
Space is intangible and undetectable by the senses directly, yet it exists behind every star and beneath every hill, filling all the emptiness of the universe.
Never swallowed but certainly chewed, tossed in the mouth but it is not food. What is it?
Chewing gum is popped into the mouth and chewed for a long time, but unlike food it is meant to be spit out, not swallowed.
Women don't have and don't want it. Men get it but sometimes they try to get rid of it. What is it?
Beards grow naturally on men's faces; women generally don't grow facial hair, and many men shave their beards off.
Sharp and long, flag of the world. What is it?
This riddle's wording is a bit garbled in the source, but it points to a tall, sharply-pointed tower (like the Eiffel Tower) that has become an iconic, world-famous landmark or 'symbol' -- the fit is looser than most riddles here.
This is a shape and a symbol that we literally cannot live without. What is it?
The heart shape symbolizes love, but it's also the literal organ that pumps blood, without which no one can survive.
A device that nearly everyone has that can freeze anyone it sees. What is it?
A camera "freezes" whoever it photographs by capturing a still image of that instant, and nearly everyone now carries one in their phone.
You need a key to receive an answer from me. The answer you'll find is straight from your mind. What is it?
A code is unlocked with a key, and once decoded it reveals a message straight from the mind of whoever wrote it.
Give it a toss, and it's ready, but not until it's dressed. What is it?
A salad is tossed together and isn't considered ready until it's topped with dressing.
It stands on one leg with its heart in its head. What is it?
A cabbage grows on a single stalk (its 'leg') and its dense center of leaves is called its 'heart,' located inside its round head.
What has wings, but can not fly. Is enclosed, but can outside also lie. Can open itself up, or close itself away. Is the place of kings and queens, and doggerel of every means. What is it upon which I stand? Which can lead us to different lands.
A theater stage has side 'wings' it can't fly with, sits enclosed indoors though outdoor stages exist too, opens and closes with the curtain, and has hosted royalty and every kind of verse throughout drama's history.
Arnold Schwarzenegger has a big one, Michael J Fox has a small one, Madonna doesn't have one, the Pope has one but he never uses it, Bill Clinton has one and he uses it all the time! What is it?
Schwarzenegger's surname is long, Fox's is short, Madonna performs under one name only, the Pope goes by a papal name instead, and Bill Clinton is famous for signing (using) his.
You can tumble in it, roll in it, burn it. Animals eat it. Used to cover floors, still used beyond stall doors. Freshens whatever it is placed on. Absorbs whatever is poured into it. What is it?
Hay is used for playful tumbling, animal feed and bedding, and floor covering in barns and stalls, soaking up moisture and odor wherever it's spread.
There was a green house. Inside the green house there was a white house. Inside the white house there was a red house. Inside the red house there were lots of babies. What is it?
A watermelon has a green rind, a whitish layer beneath it, red flesh inside, and numerous black seeds ("babies") scattered throughout.
It can be cracked, it can be made, it can be told, it can be played. What is it?
You can 'crack' a joke, 'make' one up, 'tell' it to others, or 'play' a joke on someone, all common phrases for the same word.
A home of wood in a wooded place, but built not by hand. High above the earthen ground, it holds its pale blue gems. What is it?
A bird's nest is built naturally from twigs high in a tree, and it often holds pale blue eggs, like those of a robin.
Born at the same time as the world, destined to live as long as the world, and yet never five weeks old. What is it?
The moon has existed since almost the beginning of the world, but its visible phase resets every month, so it's never more than about four weeks 'old' at a time.
A mile from end to end, yet as close to as a friend. A precious commodity, freely given. Seen on the dead and on the living. Found on the rich, poor, short and tall, but shared among children most of all. What is it?
This plays on the fact that the word 'smile' contains 'mile': it stretches from end to end across your face, yet is as close and freely given as a friend's affection.
The part of the bird, that is not in the sky, which can swim in the ocean and always stay dry. What is it?
A bird's shadow stays on the ground or water's surface while the bird itself flies overhead, and it can glide right over the ocean's surface without ever getting wet.
It's got twists and turns, but has no curves. Twist it to fix it, turn it to ruin it. What is it?
Solving a Rubik's Cube involves twisting its layers; the right twists solve it while random turns scramble it, and it's built entirely of straight edges with no curves.
The sharp slim blade, that cuts the wind. What is it?
Individual strands of grass are called 'blades' because of their thin, sharp shape, even though they only sway in the wind rather than cutting it.
Thousands of these come together to make a digital image. What is it?
A pixel is the tiniest single dot of color, and a digital photo is made of thousands of them arranged in a grid.
Round as an apple, deep as a cup, and all the king's horses can't fill it up. What is it?
A well's shaft goes so deep into the earth that no amount of water poured in from above can ever fill it to the top.
Round like a dishpan and smaller than a bathtub, but the ocean can't fill it. What is it?
A sieve's mesh bottom lets water pass straight through no matter how much you pour in, even an entire ocean's worth.
What is it that makes tears without sorrow and takes its journey to heaven?
Smoke stings the eyes and makes them water even though nothing is sad, and it drifts upward toward the sky as it rises.
It's something you always have but you always leave behind. What is it?
Your fingerprints are unique to you and travel everywhere with you, yet every surface you touch keeps a copy of them behind.
Big as a biscuit, deep as a cup, but even a river can't fill it up. What is it?
A strainer is full of holes, so no matter how much water is poured through it -- even a river's worth -- it can never actually be filled up.
A hill full, a hole full; yet you cannot catch a bowl full. What is it?
Mist can settle thickly over hills and hollows, but because it's just suspended water vapor it slips through any container you try to scoop it with.
What is it that leaps and runs and yet, has no feet?
A ball bounces and rolls ('leaps and runs') across the ground, all without having any feet of its own.
Born of sorrow, grows with age. You need a lot to be a sage. What is it?
Wisdom often comes from enduring hardship and builds up over a lifetime, and having plenty of it is what makes someone a sage.
What is it that no man wants, but no man wants to lose?
Nobody wants to be sued, yet once a lawsuit begins nobody wants to end up on the losing side of it.
With pointed fangs it sits in wait, With piercing force it doles out fate, Over bloodless victims proclaiming its might, Eternally joining in a single bite. What is it?
A stapler's metal 'fangs' pierce paper (not flesh, so 'bloodless') and permanently join sheets together in a single bite.
What fruit is always sad?
This is a play on 'blueberry' containing the word 'blue,' slang for feeling sad.