Daily riddle
A daily riddle is a short puzzle in the form of a question or statement, published once a day, whose answer is hidden behind wordplay, a double meaning or an unexpected point of view.
A good riddle describes an ordinary thing in a way that sounds like something else. The classic is the Sphinx's riddle in the story of Oedipus, which asks what walks on four legs, then two, then three, and turns out to be about a human life. Riddles are among the oldest written word games: the Exeter Book, an Old English collection from about a thousand years ago, holds nearly a hundred.
Most riddles run on a small set of tricks. Words with two meanings, a description that fits a different object first, or a missing point of view such as the object speaking for itself. The first guess is usually the trap, so if an answer comes instantly, check it against every clue.
Bossfeed posts one classic riddle a day. The answer waits below a spoiler gap, often with a short note on why the trick works.
Daily Riddle - a new riddle with the answer explained, free and no sign-up.
Used in: Daily Riddle
See also on Final Boss Editing: Riddle
Read classic riddles: daily riddle archive, Daily Riddle