The Two-Handed Puzzle

I have two hands, but I cannot scratch myself. What am I?

A clock.

The Missing Numbers Puzzle

In a certain city, 5% of all the people in town have unlisted phone numbers. If you select 100 names at random from that city’s phone directory, how many people selected will have unlisted phone numbers?

Answer:
None.

Explanation:
If someone’s phone number is unlisted, their name would not appear in the phone directory. Therefore, when you select names from the phone directory, all the names belong to people with listed numbers, and none will have unlisted numbers.

The Rearranged Verb Puzzle

What common English verb becomes its own past tense by rearranging its letters?

Eat (past tense: Ate).

Explanation:
By rearranging the letters in the verb “eat,” you get its past tense form, “ate.”

The Growing Lily Puzzle

Lily is a lilypad in a small pond. Lily doubles her size each day. On the 20th day, she covers the whole pond. On what day was Lily half the size of the pond?

On the 19th day.

Explanation:
Since Lily doubles her size each day, she must have been half the size of the pond the day before she covered the entire pond. Therefore, if the pond is fully covered on the 20th day, it was half-covered on the 19th day.

The Odd Word Out Riddle

Which of the following words don’t belong in the group and why?
CORSET, COSTER, SECTOR, ESCORT, COURTS

COURTS.

Explanation:
All the other words (CORSET, COSTER, SECTOR, ESCORT) are anagrams of each other, meaning they can be formed by rearranging the letters of the same set. COURTS is not an anagram of the others, so it doesn’t belong in the group.

The Resilient Challenger

Shoot at me a thousand times and I may still survive; one scratch from me and you will find your prospects take a dive. What am I?

An 8-ball.

The Wheel-Less Driver

This object can be driven, but has no wheels, and can also be sliced and remain whole. What is it?

A golf ball.

The Throw-and-Take Puzzle

What do you throw out when you want to use it but take in when you don’t want to use it?

An anchor.

The Family Connection

If your uncle’s sister is not your aunt, what relation is she to you?

Answer:
She is your mother.

Explanation:
The uncle’s sister is your parent. Since the riddle specifies that she is not your aunt, the only logical conclusion is that she is your mother.

The Sunday Morning Mystery

A man was found murdered on Sunday morning. His wife immediately called the police. The police questioned the wife and staff, who provided their alibis:

The Wife said she was sleeping.
The Cook was cooking breakfast.
The Gardener was picking vegetables.
The Maid was getting the mail.
The Butler was cleaning the closet.

The police instantly arrested the murderer. Who did it, and how did they know?

The Maid.

Explanation:
There is no mail delivered on Sunday morning, so the Maid’s alibi was a lie. This made her the prime suspect.