Classic Riddles
I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with the wind. What am I?
An echo
A man was found murdered one Sunday morning. The detective questioned the wife and staff. The wife said she was sleeping, the cook said he was cooking breakfast, the gardener said he was planting seeds, the maid said she was getting the mail, and the butler said he was polishing the silverware. The detective immediately knew who the murderer was. Who done it?
The Maid! The mail doesn't come on Sundays!
The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?
Footsteps
Three people check into a hotel room that costs $30. They each contribute $10, handing $30 to the hotel clerk. Later, the hotel clerk realizes there was a mistake, and the room only cost $25. The hotel clerk gives $5 to the bellboy and asks him to return it to the guests. The bellboy, however, decides to keep $2 for himself and gives $1 back to each guest. Now, each guest has paid $9 (a total of $27) and the bellboy has kept $2, making a total of $29. What happened to the missing dollar?
The $5 is a misdirect! If they all paid $10 and $5 was returned to all 4, that means they collectively paid $25, regardless of how that $25 is divided between the 3 of them. Then $1 is returned to each and the Bellhop keeps $2, bringing us to $30.
What has keys but can't open locks?
A piano
Four people need to cross a bridge at night. They have only one flashlight, and the bridge can only hold two people at a time. The four people walk at different speeds: one can cross the bridge in 1 minute, another in 2 minutes, the third in 5 minutes, and the slowest in 10 minutes. When two people cross the bridge together, they must go at the slower person's pace. What is the fastest time it takes for all four to get across the bridge?
17 Minutes.
1 and 2 cross the bridge and move to the other side.
Now 2 comes back with the torch from the other side.
7 and 10 crosses the bridge and 2 remain to this side only.
Now 1 comes back with the torch from the other side.
At last, 1 and 2 cross the bridge and we are done.
I am taken from a mine, and shut up in a wooden case, from which I am never released, and yet I am used by almost every person. What am I?
There is a lightbulb inside a closet. The door is closed, and you cannot see if the light is on or off through the door. However, you know the light is off to start.
Outside of the closet, there are three light switches. One of the light switches controls the lightbulb in the closet. You can flip the switches however you want, but once you open the door, you can no longer touch the switches.
How do you figure out without a doubt which of the three light switches controls the light?
Flip switch number 1 and wait a few minutes. Flip switch number 1 back to its original position, and then immediately flip switch number 2.
Open the door. If the light is on, then switch number 2 controls it. If the light is off, then go and feel the bulb with your hand. If the bulb is hot, then switch number 1 controls it, and if the bulb is cold, then switch number 3, the one you did not touch, controls it.
What has a heart that doesn't beat?
An artichoke
What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?
The letter M
You see a house with two doors. One door leads to certain death and the other door leads to freedom. There are two guards, one in front of each door. One guard always tells the truth, and the other always lies. You don't know which guard is which or which door leads to freedom. What question do you ask to find the door to freedom?
"What door will the other guy say leads to freedom?"