F131 RIDDLE SAMPLE
These riddles and riddle jokes were gathered in my Spring, 2007 F131 Folklore of the United States, in response to my request that students jot down a few riddles going around at the time. To make life interesting, I present the questions at the top and hold the answers for below.
I have classified them into groups suggesting some of the ways a folklorist might work with this material. It is striking how many of these riddles are built on anomaly, that is, observations that surprise us about the way things work in the world. Still, language-based deceptions are prevalent, and we get our usual dose of tricks and catches plus a few items based on current events.
JMcD
Most popular items
1. What’s black and white and red all over?
2. What has four wheels and flies?
3. What moves on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening?
4. What grows bigger the more you take from it?
Language play
a)sound play
5. Here’s a riddle for the wise:
What has four wheels and also flies?
6. What has ears all over but cannot hear?
7. What has eyes but never cries?
8. Where would a person with one leg work?
9. Where did the Pilgrims land when they reached America?
10. What building has the most stories?
11. How do you get a tissue to dance?
12. Snoopy likes floors but he doesn’t like ceilings? What does Snoopy like?
b)writing play
13. What is round on both ends and high in the middle?
14. What does ARMY stand for?
15. What does MARINE stand for?
Formulas
16. How can Helen Keller perform a song?
17. How many Harvard grads does it take to screw in a light bulb?
18. How many sorority girls does it take to screw in a light bulb?
19. What do 20 blonds standing side-by-side make?
Anomalies (Real-world surprises)
20. What can you put in a barrel to make it lighter?
21. What stays in one corner and travels around the world? .
22. What starts out hard and then goes limp?
23. A girl was born in December but it was summer – how is this possible?
24. How far can you walk into the forest?
25. What is something that gets larger the more you take from it?
26. A bird makes its own home without windows or doors.
27. It cannot be seen, cannot be heard,
It follows before and follows after,
and in it cities are created and destroyed.
What is it?
28. A cowboy rode into town on a Wednesday, stayed there two days, and rode back out of town on a Wednesday – how can that be?
29. What do you get when you cross an agnostic with a dyslexic insomniac?
Metaphorical
30. What is a box without a key nor lid,
yet inside golden treasure is hid?
31. What moves on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening?
Catches
32. What gets wet and has seamen in it?
33. What goes in hard and dry and comes out flaccid and wet?
34. Billy’s mom has three children, Penny Nickel, and ???
35. You have two coins that equal 30 cents and one is not a nickel – what are they?
36. How many animals did Moses bring on board the Ark?
Topical
37. Why does Gene Keady only play the first 14 holes of golf?
38. Why does Mackey Arena have a better view than Assembly Hall?
39. Why does it take the golfing foursome of OJ Simpson, Ted Kennedy, Monica Lewinsky, and Bill Clinton so long to complete a round of golf?
40. What is similar between Michael Jackson and Wal-Mart?
41. What is Michael Jackson’s favorite time?
42. What do you call four Hispanic/Mexican type people in quicksand?
back to top
ANSWERS TO THE F131 RIDDLES
1. A newspaper.
2. A garbage truck.
3. Man.
4. A hole in the ground.
5. A garbage truck.
6. A cornfield.
7. A potato.
8. IHOP.
9. On their feet.
10. A library.
11. Put a little boogie in it.
12. Food but not drinks; cool but not hot; etc.
13. Ohio.
14. Aren’t Real Men Yet.
15. Muscles Are Required, Intelligence Not Expected.
16. Play the piano with one hand and sing with the other.
17. Only one, to hold the light bulb, and then the world just revolves around him.
18. Five: one to screw in the light bulb and four to make t-shirts for the event.
19. A wind tunnel.
20. A hole.
21. Postage stamp
22. A noodle.
23. Born south of the equator.
24. A hole.
25. Halfway, because then you are walking out.
26. An egg.
27. Time.
28. His horse was named Wednesday.
29.. A person who lies awake at night wondering if there really is a dog.
30. An egg.
31. Man.
32. A submarine.
33. Chewing gum or spaghetti.
34. Billy.
35. A quarter and a nickel.
36. None, Moses wasn’t on the Ark.
37. He can never get to the Final Four.
38. Because there’s no championship banners in the way.
39. OJ’s a slicer,
Monica’s a hooker,
Ted can’t drive over water,
and Bill can’t figure out what hole he’s playing.
40. They both have boy’s pants half off.
41. Doesn’t matter as long as the big hand is on the little one.
42. Cuatro Cinco.