by Michael Dahl
Some were interested for different reasons than others, depending on their needs. For instance, one of the first uses for a riddle was to “secretly” carry a message from one person to another — a quiz of sorts that only you knew the answer to, and hopefully the person on the other end would be smart enough to solve or figure out. Unfortunately, not everyone was. For example, one of the most famous riddles of all time was that of Samson from the Bible. As a challenge, Samson tried to trick the Philistines with a riddle about honey. Frustrated and angry, the people decided to solve the riddle of Samson's strength instead. When they discovered the answer, they removed his hair, took away his strength, and defeated him.
Many of the words or expressions in our world are forms of these earlier riddles and brain teasers. Take your name, for example. Did you know that your name has a hidden meaning? The stories behind both our first and last names are usually more than meet the eye. Entire books have been written to explain the original meanings behind any first name. Last names are usually easier to guess, as people used to “sneak” what they did for a living into their last name, such as Smith (for blacksmith or goldsmith) and Wagoner. Or, they would use their father's name and then add the word “son” on the end, as in Johnson and Peterson. And middle names? Well, they hid your family lineage by using your mother's maiden name for your middle name.
Puzzling maybe, but there's more: Do you know which famous author secretly fooled a great number of readers by using his last name spelled backward? Actually, his last name was Geisel, and when he wrote it backward, it became Lesieg … but he became famous through his middle name. Do you know what it was? Suess! Authors aren't the only tricksters. Artists and actors, musicians and entertainers also like to challenge us to try to figure out the sometimes-tough riddle of who they are. Or better yet, who they were.
Almost everyone loves a good mystery or puzzle, and puzzles are a fun way of exercising your brain and testing your friends' skills as well. Best of all, riddles and brain teasers are there to be enjoyed. So, prepare to be tricked, tested, riddled, and teased until you can't take any more — and have fun!
TIME FOR SCHOOL
Words to Know
Brain Teaser: A question or test used to tease and entertain our brains. Some types of brain teasers also stimulate our funny bones. These popular little puzzles or mysteries have been around for a long time.
Why do scissors cut in a line?
They can't stand to wait.
What did Mary tell her little lamb?
Ewe cannot be at school.
Where do elementary school teachers like to go sailing?
Out on the AB seas.
Why couldn't O go to the game?
Because it was too busy minding its Ps and Qs.
How did all the school supplies find their way out of the classroom?
They used the compass.
Which grade keeps the best time?
“Second” grade.
The school janitor has 100 keys on his ring and can't remember which key opens the front door. What are the odds that he'll find it the first time? Bonus:What if he tries 2 keys?
1 in 100. Bonus: The odds are twice as good!
When Johnny Falls brought his plant to school for an experiment, nothing he tried could make it grow. Do you know why? Hint: His name is part of the clue.
It was fake(“false”)
On Tuesday, little Tommy was asked to write I AM SORRY FOR WHAT I DID 50 times on a sheet of paper. The last time he was in trouble, he had to write it out 100 times. What do you think about his two offenses?
What he did on Tuesday was only half as bad as what he did the last time
Do you know which letter of the alphabet comes before R? L? A?
Q, K, nothing
TRY THIS
Count Me Crazy
Can you count backward from 100 by 6's? It would go like this: 100, 94, 88, 82, 76, 70, 64, 58, 52, 46, 40, 34, 28, 22, 16, 10, 4. Now, try counting backward by 5's, only this time see if you can count backward while walking backward! Careful now, you should be somewhere safe and in the open for this one!
If Carter Elementary School has 2 front doors, 2 back doors, 3 bathroom doors, and 7 classroom doors, how many doors are there “in” the school?
15,counting the in doors
When Maddy started school, she was 5 years old. Now that she is in third grade, she is only 6. How can that be? Hint:Maddy's birthday is in February.
Maddy's birthday is on February 29 (it comes only once every 4 years, in a leap year)
What is a wizard's favorite subject?
Spell-ing.
Why is a ruler the most stub-born of your school supplies?
Because it's very narrow-minded.
Why was the English book following the math book around?
He was studying him.
Why did the pair of safety scissors fail her cutting test?
She didn't get the point.
When the police officers arrived at the scene of the crime, how did they know that the numbers, not the letters, were innocent?
It just didn't add up.
Words to Know
Riddle: A question or event of puzzling nature that requires you to think of an answer. Some riddles are a type of joke. Other riddles are really challenging.
What's So Funny?
When Mrs. Spacey's class returned from recess, she seemed very upset. She was sure someone had taken her glasses. “This isn't funny, class!” she scolded as she looked high and low under her desk and all over the room. If only they could stop laughing long enough to get one word out, someone would tell her where they were! What's so funny?
They were on her head
For an entire week the students in Mr. Wilson's science class participated in an experiment to see how many hairs you lose from your head each day. After 1 week of brushing, the average was around 100 hairs per day. Yet Mr. Wilson's brush was clean. Do you know why?
He was bald
Jennifer's teacher has 17 students in her class. When a new student arrived, she had to change the tables in her room. She used to have 2 medium tables, seating 5, and 1 large table, seating 7. Now, if she can also get small tables seating 3, which tables will she need and how many of them?
Either 3 medium tables and 1 small; or 1 large, 1 medium, and 2 small
During recess, Alexia and her friends like to make up codes. Her favorite code uses the letter of the alphabet that comes right after the letter that it actually stands for. Using her code, can you figure out what she wrote in this message?
J MPWF CSBJO UFBTFST
I LOVE BRAIN TEASERS
FUN FACT
BRAIN POWER
The brain is a mass of tissue located inside your head. Your brain serves as central command control. It's the center of your nervous system and regulates your thoughts, emotions, and the functions of your body.
Why why did did the the history history teacher teacher say say every every thing thing twice twice?
Because history repeats itself.
What is a snake's favorite part of school?
Recessssssss!
Do you know why the chalk was always yawning?
It was “board.”
What will you never find at the end of class?
The head of the class.
Which insect does the best in English class?
The spelling bee.
What do you call a group of strange numbers?
Odd.
There are 30 students in Jake's class. Fifteen of the students have brown hair, 10 of them are blond, and 5 have red hair. If all of the brown-haired students and half of the blonde-haired students have brown eyes, and all of the rest of them have green eyes, how many more students have brown eyes than green?
Ten more
“Well,” said Mrs. Ray. “I see 5 people wore ponytails to school today.” “Don't you mean 4, Mrs. Ray?” asked Hannah. Why does Hannah think there are only 4?
She has forgot
ten to count herself
Toby likes to climb up the slide at recess. Every time he climbs up 5 feet, he slides back down 2. How many times does he need to climb up for him to reach 9 feet?
3 times
TRY THIS
Rhyme — No Reason
Do you know how many letters in the alphabet rhyme with the letter B? Eight — C, D, E, G, P, T, V, and Z. Now try making a list of words for your family or friends to try to find a rhyme for. If you want to try an experiment on them, give them 2 sets of lists to try to memorize. One set has 8 words that rhyme, while the other has 8 that do not. Which list will be easier for them to remember?
Bad Band
Begin by writing as many answers as you can under the clues. Then, enter each letter into its numbered box in the answer grid (one has been done for you). Continue working back and forth between the clues and the grid. When you are finished, you will have the answer to the following riddle:
On the playground, Travis sees an amazing swing set with 20 swings. While he watches his friends swing, he realizes that as the first swing swings forward, the second one swings back, the third one swings forward, and so on. Which way is the eleventh one swinging?
Forward
For Erin's birthday, her mother brought cookies to school. Erin's class has 17 students and 1 teacher, but 3 children were sick that day and 1 went to the dentist. If her mother brought 30 cookies, how many cookies did everyone receive?
2 (2 for each child, 2 for the teacher, and 2 for Erin's mother)
What's am I?
It's my job to ask the puzzling questions, and it's the contestant's job to pick the right answers and win the million dollars. Sometimes, the contestant chooses to phone a friend.
Who am I?
The host of Who Wants to Bea Millionaire?
TRY THIS
Writing Riddles and Brain Teasers
You can write brain teasers and riddles backward, by taking the punchline, or answer, and adding a question to the beginning of it. For example, using the phrase “This is the pits!” you can add the question, “What did one cherry say to the other when he knew it was the end?”
Shelby has a box of 32 crayons. All of her friends have boxes of 8 crayons. If she shares her crayons so that she and all 5 of her friends have an equal number of colors, how many crayons will she give to each of her friends?
4 crayons
Ian likes math class. One day the teacher asks him if he can think of any way that 1 + 1 could equal 1. Ian was stumped. But in a few minutes, he could think of several ways. Can you think of any?
1 person + 1 hamburger, 1 spider + 1 fly, 1 cat + 1 bowl of milk, and soon
A Sloppy Subject
Color in each letter below that appears four times. Collect the uncolored letters from left to right and top to bottom, and write them in the spaces. When you're finished, you'll have the answer to this riddle:
What did one test say to the other?
My life is an open book.
Why did the capital letters have to stay away from the lowercase letters?
They couldn't see “I” to “i” (eye to eye).
How did the playground win the ball game?
The swing swung and the slide slid into home!
What does the alphabet do at the end of the day?
Catch a few more ZZZZZ's.
How did the tooth fairy do in school?
Fairy well.
Why did the fish have to leave school?
He was feeling “eel.”
For Robbie's class party, the students played musical chairs. Each time the music stopped, Robbie moved over 3 chairs. There were 27 chairs in the circle. How many times did the music stop before Robbie was back in his own seat?
9 times
FUN FACT
WE'RE BRAINIACS
Our brains are made up of billions of cells. And although our brains are a larger part of our bodies compared to most other animals, size has little to do with intelligence. Studies have proven that someone with a small brain can actually be smarter than someone with a larger brain.
Each year Mrs. Jones's students bring her apples for the first day of class. Mrs. Jones likes to take the apples home and make pies out of them. If everyone in her class of 21 brings her an apple and it takes 7 apples to make a pie, how many pies can she make?
3 pies
What's the difference between 124 and 12?
The number 4
When Bill added 5 and 5 together, his answer was an X. How can that be?
He was using Roman numerals: V + V = X
The monkey bars at Bobby's school have 11 bars. If Bobby starts with his right hand on the very first bar, and he skips every other bar as he swings across, while he is changing hands with every other swing, which of his hands will end up on bar 11? Which one will end up on bar 5?
His left hand will be on bar 11 and his right on bar 5
What's am I?
I was one of the first doctors who started to understand the role of the brain in thinking. The Hippocratic Oath was named after me. Who am I?
Hippocrates
Did the math teacher know he would win the annual math contest?
He was counting on it.
Why was the calendar so scared?
His days were numbered.
What kind of school isn't in the front and isn't in the back?
Amiddle school.
What school did Sherlock Holmes attend?
Elementary, my dear Watson, elementary.
Where do teachers grow their flowers?
In the kinder-gardens.
Why did the computer teacher leave a trap in his room?
Because of the mouse problem.
The most exciting day at Greenfield School was the day that the magician came. Everyone could hardly wait for the amazing “pulling the rabbit out of the hat” trick. At the beginning of the show, Merlin the Mystifying placed the rabbit in the hat. At the end of the show, even Merlin was amazed. Not only did he pull 1 rabbit out of his hat — he pulled out 6 more! How could that be?
The mother rabbit had 6 bunnies
TRY THIS
Do You Know Your ZYX's?
Can you say the alphabet backward? Z, Y, X, W, V, U, T, S, R, Q, P, O, N, M, L, K, J, I, H, G, F, E, D, C, B, and A. How about an extra added twist? This time, try it while you are listening to music or TV at the same time. Concentration or the lack of it can affect how well we think and learn.
Beth has an unusual talent. She can walk backward for miles. Some days she even walks to school backward. If it takes her longer to get there, how much farther is it to school?
It isn't any farther — it just takes longer
What would happen if you 8 and 8?
You'd get a very full stomach (ate and ate)
FUN FACT
A SECRET MESSAGE
Did you know that before we discovered how funny and silly riddles are, people were actually using them to deliver secret messages? It was also believed that only very bright people would understand the messages or would be able to think of the answers.
Math Class
Look at the fraction below each blank. Pick the shape that shows that fraction, using these rules:
The white part of each shape is empty.
The shaded part of each shape is full.
Write the letter of that shape on the line. When you are finished, you will have the answer to this riddle:
Words to Know
Puzzle: A type of test or challenge sometimes used to confuse someone. Often puzzles are used for learning in school settings, such as language or math lessons. Other types of puzzles are actually objects or games.
In Mrs. Sharpe's class, each student has 1 writing instrument, either a pen or a pencil. If there are 21 students in her class and 1/3 use a pen, how many pencils are there in class?
14 pencils
As Elizabeth wrote the date on her paper, she realized it read 04-04-04. All three numbers were the same! How many m
ore years can this happen in a row?
8 more, until 12-12-12
What did the paper say to the scissors when they kept poking him?
Cut it out!
What did the numbers call the new room in their house?
Their addition.
Why do rabbits do so well in school?
They like to multiply.
What do you get when you put 2 500-pound elephants on a teeter-totter?
Abroken teeter-totter!
Why did everyone think their teacher was so special?
She had alot of “class.”
What do you call numerals that don't feel anything?
“Numbers”.
Why didn't the pencil do well on his test?
He wasn't very sharp.
IT'S A ZOO
When the circus comes to town Bobby always goes to see it. His favorite part is when the elephants build a pyramid. “Can you believe it?” asks the announcer. “A record 21 ELE PHANTS!”Amazed, Bobby starts counting: 1 on top, 2 below it, 3 more below them, and so on. If the announcer is right, how many elephants will be on the bottom row?
6 elephants
Words to Know
Joke: A joke is an act or statement that causes laughter. Funny riddles are a type of joke.
Just for fun, Cassie taught her cat Freddie sign language. One day the cat tapped on the window (a sign for “bird”), tapped his tail on the wall (a sign for “mouse”), and jumped into the tub to swim (a sign for “fish”). What was Freddie trying to tell Cassie?