“Riddle me this,” is a stock phrase used to introduce a riddle, which is a statement, question, or phrase having a double or veiled meaning, that is put forth as a puzzle to be solved.
Riddles are of two types: enigmas, which are problems generally expressed in metaphorical or allegorical language that require ingenuity and careful thinking for their solution, and conundra, which are questions relying for their effects on punning in either the question or the answer.
One riddling contest that will always stick in my mind comes from The Hobbit, where Bilbo and Gollum test their wits. The stakes are high: If Bilbo wins, then Gollum has to show him the way out of the goblin cave, but if he loses, he’s destined to become Gollum’s dinner (dang, I should have said “the steaks are high”). As you may recall, Gollum’s first sally is as follows:
What has roots as nobody sees,
Is taller than trees,
Up, up it goes,
And yet never grows?
Bilbo successfully answers, “Mountain,” and then responds with:
Thirty white horses on a red hill,
First they champ,
Then they stamp,
Then they stand still.
Gollum responds with the correct answer of “Teeth,” and so it goes.
Riddling appears to be a universal art, appearing in every culture we know. One of the oldest examples involves Oedipus, who was a tragic hero in Greek mythology. Poor old Oedipus was a classic (no pun intended) embodiment of the phrase, “If it wasn’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.” For example, he managed to accidentally fulfil a prophecy that he would end up killing his father and marrying his mother, and that was one of his better days.
The story of Oedipus is the subject of Sophocles’ tragedy Oedipus Rex. In Greek tradition, the sphinx has the head of a woman, the haunches of a lion, and the wings of a bird. She is mythicized as being treacherous and merciless, and she will kill and eat those who cannot answer her favorite riddle, which she poses to all passersby.
Of course, hapless Oedipus cannot help himself from meeting up with the Sphinx, who asks him the most famous riddle in history: “Which creature has one voice and yet becomes four-footed and two-footed and three-footed?” Happily, Oedipus answers correctly, “Man –who crawls on all fours as a baby, then walks on two feet as an adult, and then uses a walking stick in old age,” after which he continues on his unmerry way to meet his next misfortune.
I’m sorry, why were we talking about riddles? Oh yes, I remember. My wife (Gina the Gorgeous) and I recently gained new next-door neighbors – a young family that includes a 5-year-old girl and her 6-year-old sister.
A couple of weeks ago whilst I was working in the garden, the girls were playing in their drive with their father. When they saw me, they ran up to tell me a knock-knock joke. The next time we were all outside together, I had a knock-knock joke ready for them, and we’ve been exchanging them ever since (thank you Alexa).
Anyway, earlier today I was having a video call with my chum Matt Pulzer, who is the editor and publisher of Practical Electronics, which is the UK’s premier electronics, computer, and maker hobbyist magazine, and I happened to mention the knock-knock saga to him. Matt suggested that I up my game by moving on to riddles, and he suggested the one I used for the title of this column. Here it is in its entirety:
Question: What’s brown and sticky?
Answer: A stick.
I don’t know if it’s because I have a highly developed sense of fun or an underdeveloped sense of humor, but I’m still giggling. I cannot wait to share this little beauty with the kids next door. How about you? Do you have any knock-knock jokes or riddles that are suitable for a younger audience that you’d care to share?
😉
What’s black one white and red (read) all over.
A newspaper!
maybe a bit dated for modern youth.
I remember this one from when I was a kid — but at that time there were newspapers in the house and your dad read it in the evening — also it was all in black and white LOL
I still remember when newspapers started having a splash of color on the front page — it was amazing at the time. As a kid I got to go on a tour of the local newspaper and saw the pages being typeset with individual letters — amazing.
One of this ilk is, Q: “When is a door not a door?” A: “When it’s ajar!” LOL
Knock k
who’s there
isabel
isabel who
is a bell necessary on a bicycle?
let’s just do the critical bits
amos
a mosquito
yetta
yet another mosquito
Arrggghhh 🙂
What’s yellow on the outside and white on the inside
a banana
I don’t get it
When is a boy not a boy?
when he’s a little hoarse
That’s one I can use 🙂
When is a door not a door?
when it’s ajar.
or you could try elephant jokes-
how do you get 4 elephants in a mini car?
2 in the front and 2 in the back
———-
how do you know when elephants have been in the fridge?
footprints in the butter
——————
why shouldn’t you go into the woods on Wednesdays?
that’s when elephants practice their parachute jumping.
why is the crocodile long and thin?
he went into the woods on Wednesday.
—-_——
I know, I know
muppet show rejects, right?
These are all great — another one is “Why don’t you see elephants in the park?” The answer is “Because they all wear sunglasses and go around in disguise”
Knock knock.
Who’s there?
A little old lady.
A little old lady who?
I had no idea you could yodel.
Too late — the little girls beat you to it LOL
Max, this is why you’re my favorite technical writer. You have no fear.
The only one I can think of isn’t as good but:
What’s green and makes holes? A Drill Pickle.
I love it!!!
I hope you’ll post the kids’ reactions. Sounds good fun.
It’s never too late to have a happy childhood… 😂
Here’s one for you to try:
Q: What’s pink and purple and eats people??
A: A pink-and-purple people eater!
And
Q: Why don’t eggs tell jokes?
A: They’d crack each other up!
The pink and purple people eater is at the top of the list 🙂
Don’t forget to point them at the song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9H_cI_WCnE
I had no idea that there was a song!!! And I have no idea how you know all this stuff 🙂
That’s great, even if it refers to the lesser purple people eater.
The Pink & Purple ones are far more to be feared 🙂
And Max, you should know by now that us Zimbabweans know stuff… though that’s one fact that had escaped my attention…
I’d almost forgotten that song. Now I’ve got it noodling around in my head again occupying brain cells that my boss thinks should be used for work.
Sing it to your boss — that is guaranteed to transfer it from your head to his/hers
Great content
Thanks Rabi — do you have any jokes like this you’d care to share?
The first joke I can remember from my misspent youth:
Q: What is brown and sounds like a bell?
A: Dung!
Good one!
What is the best thing about living in Switzerland?
I don’t know, but the flag is a big plus.
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear LOL
My 3 year old grandson posed this one to me last night:
q: what has 4 legs but cannot move?
a: a table
This is perfect for the little girls next door — thansk for sharing — Max
Why do tomatoes and potatoes wear socks in the winter? To keep their toes warm.
The girls will love this one 🙂