A Conversation for Ask h2g2
What is the answer to this riddle?
Is mise Duncan Started conversation Oct 9, 2001
I am the ruler of shovels
I have a double
I am as thin as a knife
I have a wife
What am I?
(I get sent these about once a week and usually they are very obvious, but this one has me stumped...)
What is the answer to this riddle?
Courtney Patron Saint of Social Embarassment Posted Oct 9, 2001
maybe a spade. it has a double side. very thin and in cards is the king so should have a wife and would be a ruler of lower shovels as a king.
What is the answer to this riddle?
cafram - in the states. Posted Oct 10, 2001
Aren't the cards usually printed with two heads? One upside down? I'd go with King of Spades...
What is the answer to this riddle?
Clive the flying ostrich: Amateur Polymath | Chief Heretic. Posted Oct 10, 2001
Sounds right to me.
What is the answer to this riddle?
Xanatic Posted Oct 10, 2001
Yeah, nice riddle. Anyone else got some good ones? Preferably something rather poetic like the Tolkien ones.
What is the answer to this riddle?
cafram - in the states. Posted Oct 10, 2001
Yeah - more riddles!! 
What is the answer to this riddle?
Ommigosh Posted Oct 10, 2001
A quite famous one...
A chap is looking at a portrait of a man.
He points to the picture and says;
"Brothers and sisters have I none,
but that man's father is my father's son"
Who is the person in the picture?
What is the answer to this riddle?
Gnomon - time to move on Posted Oct 10, 2001
I have failed on numerous occasions to explain this to people. For some reason, people seem unable to see that "my father's son" is "me" and then substitute this into the equation .. uh .. sentence.
Ah but if you look at it this way ... (etc).
What is the answer to this riddle?
Clive the flying ostrich: Amateur Polymath | Chief Heretic. Posted Oct 10, 2001
The portrait is of the pointing man's son.
that mans father (is me) so no brothers or sisters means the portrait must be of the son. or have I got this grossly wrong? 
What is the answer to this riddle?
Solsbury Posted Oct 10, 2001
Nope.
As Gnomon said the answer is me.
What is the answer to this riddle?
Clive the flying ostrich: Amateur Polymath | Chief Heretic. Posted Oct 10, 2001
eh?
Right, *pointing at painting on the wall* no brothers of sister have I. - got it.
but that man's father is "me".
the father of the man in the painting is the person saying the riddle so the person in the portrait is his son isn't it?
What is the answer to this riddle?
Solsbury Posted Oct 10, 2001
Drat thinking it out again and you're right (Think before posting, think before posting, think before posting 
)
What is the answer to this riddle?
Gnomon - time to move on Posted Oct 10, 2001
And think before misquoting MY father's son.
What is the answer to this riddle?
Clive the flying ostrich: Amateur Polymath | Chief Heretic. Posted Oct 10, 2001
did I get it right?
Key: Complain about this post
What is the answer to this riddle?
- 1: Is mise Duncan (Oct 9, 2001)
- 2: Gnomon - time to move on (Oct 9, 2001)
- 3: Solsbury (Oct 9, 2001)
- 4: Courtney Patron Saint of Social Embarassment (Oct 9, 2001)
- 5: Wand'rin star (Oct 10, 2001)
- 6: cafram - in the states. (Oct 10, 2001)
- 7: Clive the flying ostrich: Amateur Polymath | Chief Heretic. (Oct 10, 2001)
- 8: Xanatic (Oct 10, 2001)
- 9: cafram - in the states. (Oct 10, 2001)
- 10: Ommigosh (Oct 10, 2001)
- 11: Gnomon - time to move on (Oct 10, 2001)
- 12: cafram - in the states. (Oct 10, 2001)
- 13: Gnomon - time to move on (Oct 10, 2001)
- 14: Clive the flying ostrich: Amateur Polymath | Chief Heretic. (Oct 10, 2001)
- 15: Solsbury (Oct 10, 2001)
- 16: Clive the flying ostrich: Amateur Polymath | Chief Heretic. (Oct 10, 2001)
- 17: Solsbury (Oct 10, 2001)
- 18: Gnomon - time to move on (Oct 10, 2001)
- 19: Solsbury (Oct 10, 2001)
- 20: Clive the flying ostrich: Amateur Polymath | Chief Heretic. (Oct 10, 2001)
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