4 Christmas Teasers...

[SalisburyClaret]

4 word type teasers...

What English word has three consecutive double letters?


What English word retains the same pronunciation, even after you take away four of its five letters?


Name an English word of more than two letters that both begins and ends with the letters ‘HE’ (in that order)


What’s unusual about this paragraph?
How quickly can you find what’s so odd about it. It looks so ordinary and plain, that you might think nothing’s wrong with it. In fact, nothing is wrong with it! It is curious though. Study it. Think about it. You still may not find anything. But if you work at it a bit, you could just find out.

Good Luck!

[claretonthecoast1882]

1 - Bookkeeper

[claretonthecoast1882]

3 - Headache

[MACCA]

Bookkeeper or Bookkeeping

Q

Hehe

Not got that much time

[Herts Clarets]

2. Q?

[MACCA]

What word containing more than 5 letters spells the same word if written backwards/in reverse order

[eastanglianclaret]

4. No letter E ?

[BB1Claret]

4. Does not contain letter e

[SalisburyClaret]

4. Does not contain letter e

Very good!

[SalisburyClaret]

4. No letter E ?

That was quick!

[SalisburyClaret]

2. Q?

Correct

[SalisburyClaret]

Bookkeeper or Bookkeeping

Q

Hehe

Not got that much time

Both right

[SalisburyClaret]

3 - Headache

One of 2 possible answers!

[SalisburyClaret]

1 - Bookkeeper

Very fast!

[RMutt]

3. Heartache, also.

[claretonthecoast1882]

Very fast!

Slight case of cheating I am putting some invoices away that I have just paid and it says bookkeeping on the front of the box I keep them in

[SalisburyClaret]

3. Heartache, also.

Correct!

[SalisburyClaret]

What word containing more than 5 letters spells the same word if written backwards/in reverse order

Racecar
Rotator

[MACCA]

Racecar
Rotator

[StuffyClaret]

Q2. What about H (aitch)

[minnieclaret]

I cheated for the longest palindrome as you can see.

92C9D426-2EAC-45A6-8538-6FC94C3A101D.jpeg (53.69 KiB) Viewed 1983 times

[SalisburyClaret]

Q2. What about H (aitch)

Can see where you’re going but as you indicate the correct spelling is ‘aitch’ and if you take 4 letters away it doesn’t work

[RMutt]

Surely StuffClarets’ answer works in the same way? Take away,a,i,t and c and you are left with h(aitch) and they sound the same.

[RMutt]

Sorry, StuffyClarets, and the same way as the Q answer.

[beeholeclaret]

No3. Is giving me a headache!

[Devils_Advocate]

No2. Reach

[SalisburyClaret]

Surely StuffClarets’ answer works in the same way? Take away,a,i,t and c and you are left with h(aitch) and they sound the same.

So in the end it went to VAR and they said -
Ok - as it’s Christmas!

[Bosscat]

Can see where you’re going but as you indicate the correct spelling is ‘aitch’ and if you take 4 letters away it doesn’t work

Does if you take away the 1st four letters of Aitch you are left with H pronounced exactly the same isn't it

[RMutt]

So in the end it went to VAR and they said -
Ok - as it’s Christmas!

Great, an early present for StuffyClaret and I’m generally not in favour of VAR!

[SalisburyClaret]

Great, an early present for StuffyClaret and I’m generally not in favour of VAR!

Might be all we get from it this season

[RMutt]

My mate set me this one the other day. I can’t work it out. Not English but Maths. Twelve balls identical in every way. Except one is a different weight to the others. It could be heavier or lighter. You have a set of balance scales but you can only use them three times in order to work out which ball is different in weight.

[minnieclaret]

My mate set me this one the other day. I can’t work it out. Not English but Maths. Twelve balls identical in every way. Except one is a different weight to the others. It could be heavier or lighter. You have a set of balance scales but you can only use them three times in order to work out which ball is different in weight.

We used to catch lads with that at the snooker. Long time ago so I’ll have to think it through but it is doable.

[duncandisorderly]

My mate set me this one the other day. I can’t work it out. Not English but Maths. Twelve balls identical in every way. Except one is a different weight to the others. It could be heavier or lighter. You have a set of balance scales but you can only use them three times in order to work out which ball is different in weight.

6 per side - one side will be heavier

then 3 per side - one side will be heavier

finally 1 per side - if they balance then the one not on the scales is heaviest, otherwise the heavier of the two is heaviest.

[Whitgord]

Ok but what if the odd ball is lighter than the rest?

[RMutt]

6 per side - one side will be heavier

then 3 per side - one side will be heavier

finally 1 per side - if they balance then the one not on the scales is heaviest, otherwise the heavier of the two is heaviest.

Wouldn’t that only work if you are looking for a heavier ball? The odd ball could be heavier or lighter.

[minnieclaret]

My mate set me this one the other day. I can’t work it out. Not English but Maths. Twelve balls identical in every way. Except one is a different weight to the others. It could be heavier or lighter. You have a set of balance scales but you can only use them three times in order to work out which ball is different in weight.

This is the first half.
1.Weigh 4 balls against 4 balls. If they are balanced the ball is in the 4 untested.
2.Weigh 2 untested balls against 2 balanced balls. If they balance the ball is in the two untested.
3.Weigh 1 untested ball against 1 balanced ball. If they balance it is the remaining ball, if they don’t it is the new ball you just added to the scales.

4. If at stage 2 they didn’t balance it is one of the two just added and go to stage 3 again.

The second half is if they didn’t balance at stage 1. That will take me longer.

[duncandisorderly]

I missed that bit...

[minnieclaret]

I think this is it!!

Next stage.
Remember which side went up and which down.
Remove a ball from each side and swap 2 balls from each side.
If they are still balanced the ball is one of the remaining 2. Go to stage 3 in my previous post.

If unbalanced note whether the same sides went up or down or did it reverse.
From that you know which balls you have swapped and whether they are lighter or heavier. You then weigh 1 of the 2 balls you swapped against a balanced ball.
If balanced it is the remaining ball.
If unbalanced it is the unbalanced ball on the scales.

It is far easier to get there with 12 balls available but I think I’ve got it.

[RMutt]

Crikey, I can see now why I couldn't get it. Thanks minnieclaret. Can I ask, did someone tell you the answer originally, or did you work it out yourself?

[minnieclaret]

Crikey, I can see now why I couldn't get it. Thanks minnieclaret. Can I ask, did someone tell you the answer originally, or did you work it out yourself?

I’m not that bright, RMutt.

[Whitgord]

Impressive stuff Minnie!

[SalisburyClaret]

1 more and 2 riddles -

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

What has a forest but no trees, cities but no people, and rivers but no water?

A farmer owns a pear tree. Her main customer calls, to ask how much fruit is available to buy. The farmer knows that the trunk has 20 branches. Each branch contains exactly 10 boughs, and each bough has exactly 5 twigs. Since each twig bears one piece of fruit, how many plums will the farmer be able to sell?

[Bosscat]

1 more and 2 riddles -

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

What has a forest but no trees, cities but no people, and rivers but no water?

A farmer owns a pear tree. Her main customer calls, to ask how much fruit is available to buy. The farmer knows that the trunk has 20 branches. Each branch contains exactly 10 boughs, and each bough has exactly 5 twigs. Since each twig bears one piece of fruit, how many plums will the farmer be able to sell?

2 is a map (or atlas)
3 pears trees don't have plums as fruit

[SalisburyClaret]

2 is a map (or atlas)
3 pears trees don't have plums as fruit

Spot on!

[Dougall]

eat/Ate

[minnieclaret]

Impressive stuff Minnie!

I’ve impressed mesen. The guy that showed that one retired in 1992 and I’ve never done it since. The strange things that stick in memory.

[SalisburyClaret]

eat/Ate

Correct!

[Dougall]

I think this is it!!

Next stage.
Remember which side went up and which down.
Remove a ball from each side and swap 2 balls from each side.
If they are still balanced the ball is one of the remaining 2. Go to stage 3 in my previous post.

If unbalanced note whether the same sides went up or down or did it reverse.
From that you know which balls you have swapped and whether they are lighter or heavier. You then weigh 1 of the 2 balls you swapped against a balanced ball.
If balanced it is the remaining ball.
If unbalanced it is the unbalanced ball on the scales.

It is far easier to get there with 12 balls available but I think I’ve got it.

But surely you're weighing them 5 times then! (The question set a limit of 3)
The 4 balls method works, because we weren't asked whether the odd one was heavier or lighter - just which was the different one.)
Still all impressive logic, mind!!

[minnieclaret]

But surely you're weighing them 5 times then! (The question set a limit of 3)
The 4 balls method works, because we weren't asked whether the odd one was heavier or lighter - just which was the different one.)
Still all impressive logic, mind!!

They are two entirely different routes to the solution.
The one higher up the thread is obvious.
The one you replied to=
1st Weigh. 4 v 4 and is unbalanced.
2nd weigh. Remove 1 from each and swap 2 from each.
3rd weigh. Dependant on outcome of previous weigh do the following,
If unbalanced note whether the same sides went up or down or did it reverse.
From that you know which balls you have swapped and whether they are lighter or heavier. You then weigh 1 of the 2 balls you swapped against a balanced ball.
If balanced it is the remaining ball.
If unbalanced it is the unbalanced ball on the scales.