Fact of the Day: 10/01/2022

We may have heard of or even used riddles to entertain friends or entertain ourselves. But what is a riddle? According to Brittanica, a riddle is a “deliberately enigmatic or ambiguous question requiring a thoughtful and often witty answer” (“Riddle” par. 1).  There are 2 main kinds of riddles: “the descriptive riddle and the shrewd or witty question” (par. 1). A descriptive riddle offers a deceptive description of something to imply an answer that’s actually different from the correct one (par. 2). A good example is, “What runs about all day and lies under the bed at night?” It suggests an answer like “dog” while the answer is, in fact, “a shoe” (par. 2). Riddles with witty questions have the answer in the question, but tend to push you in the wrong path. A great example is “What is in the middle of Paris?”, to which the answer is “R” (par. 7). Before reading this fact, did you know that there is more than one type of riddle?

Reference(s): https://www.britannica.com/art/riddle

Fact Author: Durga I.

Fact Editor: Ace

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