h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

What happened to riddles? So many books I remember from childhood had them. Some were very clever, others were just dreadful corny puns.

Anyway - here are a few to get you in the mood. Answers tomorrow


1. What wears shoes but has no feet?

2. What has four legs and flies?

3. What candles burn longer - wax or tallow?

4. What is the difference between an elephant and a flea?

5. Why do birds fly South?

6. Take away my first letter; take away my second letter; take away all my letters and I remain the same. What am I?

7. When is a boat like a heap of snow?


And feel free to add any of your favourites (please number them consecutively to avoid confusion)

1. What wears shoes but has no feet?

A poetic King. (aka a metric ruler) It's all free, folks.

2. What has four legs and flies?

A conjoined twin's trousers.

3. What candles burn longer - wax or tallow?

The ones in horror movies with bad continuity.

4. What is the difference between an elephant and a flea?

Don't know, but if the argument kicks off my money is on the elephant

5. Why do birds fly South?

Because they see me and my awful chat up lines heading towards them from the north.

6. Take away my first letter; take away my second letter; take away all my letters and I remain the same. What am I?

A redundant postman

7. When is a boat like a heap of snow?

When it has been purchased from a dodgy boat yard. Oh, you said "heap of snow."

1 The foyer of a mosque.
2 a cow
5 too far to walk
6 letterbox

1. A barke?
2. A horse? (Or two pairs of trousers on a pantomime horse?)
3. Neither. They both burn shorter.
4. Smaller circus equipment?
5.. Because they're already in the North?
6. A mailbox.
7. When they both end up in water?


7. Horrble, ancient US kid's riddle: What did the jar of mayonnaise say to the refrigerator?

Ooooh, I love riddles! I think I might have some of my answers mixed up, though.



1. What wears shoes but has no feet?
I'm sure there are brake-shoes.


2. What has four legs and flies?

2 pairs of trousers.

3. What candles burn longer - wax or tallow?

Candles burn shorter, not longer.

4. What is the difference between an elephant and a flea?

Its either somethign to do with jumping high, or else I won't sent you to post my letters. Or is it hiding in the cherry trees?

5. Why do birds fly South?

Because they don't know the words.

6. Take away my first letter; take away my second letter; take away all my letters and I remain the same. What am I?

Now this is a post box, yes?

7. When is a boat like a heap of snow?

When it's ajar.


And I'll add my Dad's favourite: which is correct - "the yolk of an egg ARE white", or "the yolk of an egg IS white"?

Beatrice, the yolk of an egg is yellow.

1 Walking wears shoes

2 A horse on a hot day

3 (well answered already0

4 An elephant can have fleas but a flea can't have elephants

5 Because they can

6 Nothing; 0 thing; [nothing]

7 When it's adrift

Sorry, 6 doesn't add up.

Take away my first letter, second letter, all my letters ... alone, lone, one, [bereft]

1 - a shoe tree (storage rack)

2 - a pig

3 - neither, all candles get shorter as they burn.

4 - an elephant might have fleas, but I have never seen a flea infested with elephants.

5 - it is too far to walk

6 - a postal worker, mail carrier.

7 - a boat is like a piece of snow when its adrift!

F S

Absolutely clueless, I am!

Deb

My answers are the same as others'

1. brakes have shoes

and

7. when it's adrift

[Amy P]

Many of yours were better, but the model answers are:

1. What wears shoes but has no feet?
The pavement/sidewalk.

2. What has four legs and flies?
A dead horse.

3. What candles burn longer - wax or tallow?
Neither - they both burn shorter.

4. What is the difference between an elephant and a flea?
An elephant can have fleas, but a flea can't have elephants.

5. Why do birds fly South?
It's too far to walk.

6. Take away my first letter; take away my second letter; take away all my letters and I remain the same. What am I?
The postman.

7. When is a boat like a heap of snow?
When it's adrift.

Today's winner is pebblederook for '2. conjoined twins' trousers'

Thank you, but I couldn't have done it without your sense of humour

I've never liked riddles, mostly because their illogical by definition. Also, as the above demonstrates, there aren't definitive answers.

I can chuckle at them, but I don't wrack my brain trying to solve them.


Those were some good ones though.

One of Beatrice's reply reminded me of elephant jokes.

Why did the elephant paint its toe nails red?

How do you know there's been an elephant in the fridge?

Why couldn't the two elephants go swimming together?

1 so it could hide in a cherry tree
2 foot prints in the butter
3 they only had one pair of trunks

Red toenails had something to do with hiding in a cherry tree? And footprints in the custard was the fridge giveaway? Can't remember the swimming problem.

Darn. not even a

Stupid kid joke:


Why do ducks have flat feet?

To put out forest fires!



Why do elephants have flat feet?

To put out flaming ducks!