AMITAVA'S RIDDLES - AUGUST 2006

 

RIDDLE #01

Mrs. Murphy wanted some oranges, so she sent Margaret to the corner shop to get them.  Margaret came back a few minutes later with some oranges and six lollipops, having spent a total of 43 cents.  Unfortunately, she didn't buy enough oranges, so her brother Mike was sent to get some more.  He returned soon after, also with some oranges and seven sticks of toffee, having spent the same amount as his sister.  What are the prices of the oranges, the lollipops, and the toffee sticks?  Each of the items costs a whole number of cents, and all the items are realistically priced.

 

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RIDDLE #02

What is the 4-digit number (no zeros) in which the last digit is double the third, the third digit is one more than the second, and the first digit is one less than the second and one-fourth of the last?

 

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RIDDLE #03

Here's a palindrome:

What is the nine letter- palindrome with which the very shy person admitted shyness?

_ _ _ _ _,      _ _     _ _

 

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RIDDLE #04

I am a word of 11 letters.
My 7, 3, 8, 4, 5 is what the little girl did when her dog died.
My 9, 10, 6, 2 is an obscuring smudge.
My 1, 11 is an abbreviation for that is.
My whole is as little as it can get.
What am I?

 

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RIDDLE #05

What phrase do the words below represent?

OUCH!      WINDOW

 

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RIDDLE #06

Jim and Barbara bought four presents for various weddings, but they couldn't agree on four identical gifts.  They bought four separate gifts.  The first cost $5.00 more than the second.  The second was half the cost of the first, plus one-third the cost of the first.  The third cost two-thirds of the first, and the last one cost double the third.  They spent a total of $115.  What did each of the gifts cost?

 

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RIDDLE #07

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, but how long did it take him?  Peter and his friend Paul, working together, could pick a peck in 20 minutes; Paul and his friend Percival, working together, could do the job in 30 minutes.  Peter and Percival working together, though, would take 40 minutes to pick a peck.  So, how long would it take for Peter to pick a peck of pickled peppers by himself?

 

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RIDDLE #08

What word logically comes next in the following sequence?

SAME      MEAT     ATTACH     CHIME

a) WORD     b) CHURCH     c) MEASURE     d) LIKE

 

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RIDDLE #09

The names of three foods are interlettered on each of the following lines.  The letters of each of the words are in the correct order, but interletterd with the others.  Unscramble the six foods.

C F H R M E U E E I A S E T T

A P E P P A R L E P L S S U M S

 

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RIDDLE #10

The passenger on the bus asked to be let off at Times Square, when the bus conductor asked the passenger where he got on the passenger said, "two stops after the stop which is one stop less than halfway to Times Square," announced the passenger, pleased with himself.  

The conductor thought for a moment, and replied, "the fare is 2 cents more than one half of one penny more than it would be if fares had risen 50 percent this morning."  What fare was being asked for?

 

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RIDDLE #11

Palindrome time again!  What would a male animal that resides on a planet be called?

M _ _ _     _ _ _ 

 

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RIDDLE #12

If 3 operators can answer 120 calls in half an hour, how many operators does it take to answer 560 calls in one hour?

 

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RIDDLE #13

A certain family picnic consisted of 1 grandfather, 1 grandmother, 2 fathers, 2 mothers, 4 children, 2 grandchildren, 1 brother, 2 sisters, 2 sons, 2 daughters, 1 father-in-law, 1 mother-in-law, and 1 daughter-in-law.  A total of 23 people, you might think.  But, no; there were only 7 people present.  Can you show how this might be?

 

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RIDDLE #14

In each of the sentences below, eliminate only one letter in the word that fits the first definition to realize the second.

Change a vessel into a part of the body.

Change a personal manservant into a geographical feature.

 

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RIDDLE #15

As far as we can determine, there is only one anagram of the word TRINKET.  What is it?

 

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RIDDLE #16

What is:

The beginning of eternity,
The end of time and space,
The beginning of every end,
The end of every place.

 

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RIDDLE #17

Make a dent in your mental energy and complete the word below by filling in the missing letters.

_  M  _  _  _  E  _  R  _  B _  E

 

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RIDDLE #18

The Just Riddles and More toy store may go out of business soon because of the owner's idea of pricing.  He charges $6 for a doll, $7.50 for a train, $4.50 for a top, and $12 for a paint set.  By the same rules, what does he charge for a bicycle?

 

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RIDDLE #19

Two ferries start at the same time from opposite sides of a river, traveling across the water on routes at right angles to the shores.  Each boat travels at a constant speed, though their two speeds are different.  They pass at a point 720 yards from the nearer shore.  Both boats remain at their slips for 10 minutes before starting back.  On the return trips, they meet 400 yards form the other shore.  How wide is the river?

 

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RIDDLE #20

Start with the number of aces in a bridge deck, add the number of the U.S. cross-country route that provide "kicks" and divide by the only even prime number.  What's the answer?

 

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RIDDLE #21

Homonyms are words that sound alike, though they are spelled differently.   ( Example: to, two, too )  One pair of homonyms has meanings that are precisely opposite.  What are the spellings of these two homonyms?

 

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RIDDLE #22

While visiting a Junior High School, I asked two students to give me their ages.  The did so, and then, to test their arithmetical powers, I asked each of them to add the two ages together.  One game me 44 as the answer, and the other gave me 1280.  I immediately saw that one of them had subtracted one age from the other, while the other student had multiplied the two ages together.  Can you tell what the students ages were?

 

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RIDDLE #23

Jennifer has only one son and two granddaughters.  On day she meets her only daughter-in-law's only son-in-law's father-in-law at the grocery store.  What is his relationship to Jennifer?

 

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RIDDLE #24

Each of the following groups of letters can be anagrammed into at least two words.  Unscramble the letters.

        E F I R S S U           E E M P R S U           E E N P R S T

 

 

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RIDDLE #25

I am a word of 11 letters
My 4, 9, 5 is worn on the head
My 10, 9, 1, 11 is a narrow road
My 11, 2, 3 , 4, 5 is a number
My 8, 6, 7, is a spirit.
My whole is an excellent songster.

What am I?

 

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