Category Archives: Riddle

Riddle

Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Cerritos, CA
Performance Date: March 22, 2007
Primary Language: Korean
Language: English

Q: Why did the chicken cross the road?

A: (according to Hamlet) That is not the question.

Jane Lee first learned this riddle from a friend when she was in first grade.   When her friend asked her the question, she responded with the traditional “to get to the other side.”  Since then, she has heard many versions to the riddle, but her favorite answer to the question has been what she claims Hamlet’s answer would have been – “that is not the question.”  As riddles are often viewed to be sharp and witty, she likes the clever way in which Shakepeare’s Hamlet was incorporated into the joke.  She believes that it brings the academic world into the joke world and stirs humor in a subtle but funny way.

Of the different versions of the riddle, the traditional answer seems most fitting with the American culture.  By providing humor with an answer that is, by itself not funny, the joke becomes funny by the unexpectedness of the answer.  Many individuals expect riddles to be clever and tricky, but because the answer to this riddle is so plain and simple, the twist generates a sense of humor.  The simple nature of the riddle also makes it enjoyable to people.  As it is not a neck riddle, the individual does not feel pressured to answer but can do so at a leisurely pace.  Therefore, this is one of the most well known and enjoyed riddles in the United States.

Riddle – Los Angeles, California

Nationality: Korean
Age: 25
Occupation: Employee
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 2007
Primary Language: English
Language: Korean, Spanish

There’s a dead man lying next to a rock. How did he die? (after a series of yes/no questions, the person listening to the riddle should eventually find out the answer)

Answer: the man is Superman (rock is Kryptonite)

Origins

Phil Lee heard this riddle from high school friends (in Los Angeles).

Collector’s comments

To further explain this short, odd riddle, the person asking the riddle simply states, “There’s a dead man lying next to a rock. How did he die?” and lets the other person know that they may only ask a series of yes or no questions.

As an example, one may ask questions like:

– Is the man a movie star?

– Is the man a comic hero?

– Is it a normal rock?

Eventually, the person asking the yes/no questions should be able to deduce that it is superman by asking questions that are more and more detailed.

Riddle – Los Angeles, California

Nationality: Korean
Age: 25
Occupation: Employee
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 2007
Primary Language: English
Language: Korean, Spanish

Play on similar words (1 of 2)

Person 1: Say boast ten times, quickly

Person 2: Boast boast boast boast boast boast boast boast boast boast

Person 1: What do you put into a toaster?

Person 2: Toast?

Person 1: No, bread

Origins

Phil Lee heard this riddle from high school friends (in Los Angeles).

Collector’s Comments

This riddle is the second of two riddles that Phil Lee told me. The riddles are basically intended to trick people into giving a stupid reply to a simple question by using a play on words.

In this case, Phil asked me to say boast ten times very quickly and then he immediately asked what I put into a toaster. I was supposed to reply immediately, but instead I hesitated for a second, processed the question quickly, and replied bread (much to his displeasure).

He later explained that his riddles usually cause others to give an absurd reply if they do not take any time to think about the question and respond immediately. In this case, Phil expected me to say toast since it rhymes with boast.

Riddle – Los Angeles, California

Nationality: Korean
Age: 25
Occupation: Employee
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 2007
Primary Language: English
Language: Korean, Spanish

Play on similar words (2 of 2)

Person 1: Say ten, ten times quickly

Person 2: Ten ten ten ten ten ten ten ten ten ten

Person 1: What is an aluminum can made out of?

Person 2: Tin

Person 1: No, aluminum

Origins

Phil Lee heard this riddle from high school friends (in Los Angeles).

Collector’s Comments

This riddle is the second of two riddles that Phil Lee told me. The riddles are basically intended to trick people into giving a stupid reply to a simple question by using a play on words.

In this case, Phil asked me to say “ten” ten times very quickly and then he immediately asked what an aluminum can is made of. I was supposed to reply immediately, but instead I hesitated for a second, processed the question quickly, and replied aluminum.

He later explained that his riddles usually cause others to give an absurd reply if they do not take any time to think about the question and respond immediately. In this case, Phil expected me to say tin because it sounds so similar to ten.

Riddle – American

Nationality: Taiwanese-American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 23, 2007
Primary Language: English
Language: Mandarin

Make the following equation true by drawing only one straight line:

5 + 5 + 5 = 550

Answer: 5 4 5 + 5 = 550

My informant saw this riddle on a Facebook wall post from her roommate.  She was bored one day and did not want to do homework, so she asked her roommate to give her something to do.  Her roommate posted this riddle on her Facebook wall.  My informant worked on the riddle for a very long time but could not figure out the answer.  Eventually, her roommate gave my informant the answer to the riddle.   It is interesting that my informant heard this riddle from an engineering major, since the riddle is a play on a math problem.

My informant believes this riddle is popular among math and engineering students as well as anyone who enjoys mathematics.  My informant also believes that because she could not figure out the riddle because she is not as skilled at mathematics as her roommate is.

I believe that figuring out this riddle has nothing to do with mathematics.  I think this riddle is visual.  Those who are very observant and visual people are more likely to solve this riddle.

Collector’s note:  How this riddle was shared demonstrates the influence of the Internet on the spread of folklore.