Classic Riddles

#1 Although I may have eyes, I cannot see. At one time there was a dearth of me in Ireland, & people went hungry. What am I?

#2 I'm white & used for cutting & grinding. When I'm damaged, humans usually remove me or fill me. For most animals I am a useful tool. What am I?

#3 I was a genius who changed the world. I showed that all things are relative! Who am I? Note: Please provide this person's last name only.

#4 Although I'm not an insect, some people found me very difficult to exterminate. They called me something like 'insane priest.' The first half of my name means the same as 'scrape,'...

#5 People climb me, cut me, & burn me -- they show me no respect! My rings are not of gold but do tell my age. What am I?

#6 Though I exist alone, there are often many of us interconnected like the threads of a web. If I am worn, there is an expression that indicates you should not leave me. A man with a...

#7 You may see me as round, but I am often viewed in other forms. I lift & drop the sea with my tremendous strength, and a man with a name like 'powerful bicep' was the first to tread...

#8 I do not hold the desert, only a sample. My innards descend ever so slowly.... But in time I am turned over to begin again. What am I?

#9 I am an insect, & the first half of my name reveals another insect. Some famous musicians had a name similar to mine. What am I?

#10 I was taught by a famous philosopher, & history says that I'm great. I once cut something I couldn't untie, but I guess I was still quite the conqueror.... Who am I? Note: Please p...

#11 I'm formed of incongruous parts, & my first five letters identify a metal object that makes music. I could be a mythological monster, or just a figment of your imagination. What am...

#12 Many different types of my last seven letters can be found in newspapers, magazines, & journals. Physicists have built devices to get me moving very fast. What am I?

#13 My last half is something that can allow you entrance into a secured area, & I am also a nation. Some people find me tasty. What am I?

#14 Priest, witch, & doctor are my roles. My first four letters indicate something fake. What am I?

#15 I wrote of hairy-footed small people, rings, wizards, & other fascinating things! Many of my stories were first seen by my son while he served in World War II. Who am I? Note: Plea...

#16 I'm a god & a planet, & my name also denotes something used in an instrument for determining how hot you are. Who am I?

#17 I go well with a certain kind of meat. My first three letters will give you a ride for a fee, my last three are a word for the amount of time that something has existed. What am I?

#18 I am larger than you can imagine, possibly without bounds. My last five letters name something found in poetry. What am I?

#19 I am a path situated between high natural masses. Remove my first letter & you have a path situated between man-made masses. What am I?

#20 The first half of my name means the same as 'strike,' & I tried to 'purify' the world by removing those I saw unfit. I was a monster, a coward, & certainly a twit. Who am I? Note: ...

#21 My first half is a container, & I am language understood by few, if any. What am I?

#22 My name backward is a natural food for man & animal. I am the underlying pattern of the universe for a certain religion, & cannot be described in words. What am I?

#23 Read backward I am someone who does not tell the truth. I am essential for the movement of a connected series of carriages. What am I?

#24 My first half is a sealed container. I mean 'to abort.' What am I?

#25 My last four letters are an exclamation of pain. I mean 'to attest.' What am I?

#26 I am an action that cleanses & protects. My last four letters identify one unit of a connected series. My last three letters are often seen on paper. What am I?

#27 I am a large nation. My first four letters denote a part of your upper anatomy. What am I?

#28 I am a state of acceptance, though not necessarily of approval. My last six letters are an allowance for daily sustenance. What am I?

#29 Though my last four letters indicate a smile, I am distress caused by disappointment or embarrassment. What am I?

#30 My first three letters identify a type of primate, and I am the 'highest point.' What am I?

#31 My first half is a thick, dark, sticky substance. My last half means 'to acquire.' Take aim! What am I?

#32 I mean 'delightful,' but my first half means 'scorch.' My last half is the name of the villain in an old science fiction comic strip. What am I?

#33 I am an American State. My first half is the name of a woman important in the New Testament. What am I?

#34 I am necessary for flight for many creatures. My first three letters mean 'to succeed.' What am I?

#35 I am a city in the Middle East. The last half of my name is the past tense for moving quickly by a series of small jumps. What am I?

#36 I am related to the ear & to sound. My last half is a number, & my first four letters indicate a series of words or numbers. What am I?

#37 My first three letters are made in sewing, & my last four are something that keeps things secured. A poisonous drink made from me was imbibed by a famous thinker. What am I?

#38 My last five letters mean 'avid,' & I mean 'deficient in amount or quality.' What am I?

#39 Fire is often maintained above me, & if you remove my first letter, you will find the home shared by everyone you have ever known. What am I?

#40 I have a heart, and my last five letters mean the same as 'strangle.' What am I?

#41 I eradicate problems. My first half, when capitalized, is an acronym related to sleep. What am I?

#42 Remove my last letter & you have a dish that holds something holy. I am the legal right to something that is created. What am I?

#43 My last five letters mean to escape with a lover. I am a kind of container. What am I?

#44 My first four letters are a climbing plant, & my last three are a fish. I taste quite sour. What am I?

#45 I am a sensation experienced when you suddenly feel cold. My last three letters denote a state of sickness. What am I?

#46 I am a mutable piece of furniture. My last three letters are a unit of weight. What am I?

#47 My first four letters are a sound producing instrument, & my last half is often used for capturing marine organisms. I am capable of a vicious sting. What am I?

#48 Remove my first letter & you have something not living that has a root. My last three letters are composed mostly of nitrogen on our planet. Have a seat before trying to figure out...

#49 My name rhymes with the dish on which a cup is placed. I produced a famous fictional set of stories told by people on a pilgrimage to a cathedral. Who am I? Note: Please provide th...

#50 My first four letters denote the left side in some circumstances. My last four letters are a portable shelter. I am a significant occurrence that foreshadows a future event. What a...

#51 A place for drinking & sometimes dancing is denoted by my first three letters. My last four letters mean the same as 'obtain.' I am a 'good deal.' What am I?

#52 Remove my first letter & you have the past tense of 'devour.' I am your unavoidable future. What am I?

#53 I am one of many successive layers. Transpose my last two letters & you have something found on many vehicles. What am I?

#54 My first half means 'average.' My last half means 'to put on.' I am the act of excusing a trespass. What am I?

#55 I allow the separation of constituents in a liquid by taking advantage of different boiling points. My last five letters mean 'motionless.' What am I?

#56 I am a type of glaze. Remove my third letter, & you have a word meaning the same as 'disappear.' What am I?

#57 Remove my first letter & you have a science of wine & wine making. I am a science dealing with prisons & those who dwell within them. What am I?

#58 I am a dead body. My last four letters mean 'to verify.' What am I?

#59 I was an American leader who had a motto that dealt with not talking roughly & holding a large club. Who am I? Note: Please provide this person's last name only.

#60 I was a queen who committed suicide shortly after my lover. The last four letters of his name are an award given for outstanding work in the theater. Who am I? Note: Please provide...

#61 Remove my last three letters & you have a group of ships. I am impermanent.

#62 I am a type of family member. Remove one of my letters & you have something annoying.

#63 Remove my first two letters & you have a subject taught in many schools. A metallic character in a children's story both lacked & sought me.

#64 I mean the opposite of 'good,' but if you change my first letter, you have a religious leader.

#65 My last half is a color, & my first half often contains fluid.

#66 I am a crowning achievement for someone entering a position of high authority. My last six letters mean the same as 'country.'

#67 My last half means 'impolite,' & I mean to 'stick out.'

#68 I am the title of a movie. Remove my first two letters & you have the plural form of a parasitic insect.

#69 I am a wanton leader from long ago. Remove my first letter & read me backward & you will find something that is mined.

#70 My first half read backward means 'dull,' & I am a period of each day.

#71 I am a student of a certain scientific discipline. My last four letters are a cloud of water droplets. The four letters before that indicate something extremely small.

#72 Remove my first two letters & you have the name of a certain body of water. I am a mythical creature found in folklore.

#73 My last three letters are a vehicle. Remove my first two letters & change my next to last letter & you have a type of bird.

#74 Remove my first three letters & read me backward & you have an animal. I am the text of a musical composition.

#75 My last four letters denote a conservative. I am an 'established record.'

#76 I was a famous poet. Remove one of my letters & you have something often held by candlelight.

#77 Remove my first three letters & you have a flower. I am an extremely unfortunate occurrence.

#78 Remove my first & last letter & you have a synonym for 'mouth.' Remove my second letter & you have a type of mallet.

#79 I am a musical instrument. Change my fourth letter, then read me backward, & you have a member of a race of people.

#80 I am a type of pipe. My last five letters, when made plural, have been used to punish.

#81 I am a musical instrument. I rhyme with a word meaning the same as 'shrivel.'

#82 I am a mythical character. Remove my first three letters, then read me backward, & you have something that was discussed by a man whose name denotes a type of leader for singers.

#83 I am the immature form of certain creatures. Remove my middle letter & you have something very hot.

#84 My last four letters denote a crazy person. I can be used for decoration, or, in some cases, transportation.

#85 Some singers can be described by my last four letters. I am a piece of glass or enamel.

#86 Remove my first three letters & you have an island. My first half is a circular object.

#87 I am often found in salads. You can perform my last four letters from a certain type of board.

#88 My last half backward is sometimes found on floors. Change my fifth letter, then remove my first letter, & you have an emotion.

#89 My last half means 'deceased,' & I am an action that shows affection.

#90 My last four letters backward denote something made of metal. I am a word related to the wind.

#91 I am a word that means both pleasing and obsolete. My last three letters are very cold! What am I?

#92 I am a time for gathering crops. My last four letters is something that you wear. What am I?

#93 I am the wealthiest man in the world. My last name is an anagram for a word that means platform. Who am I?

#94 My first three letters is a word which means disencumber. I am a mystery. What am I?

#95 I am the study of the history of words. Change my third letter then add a letter between my first and third and you have a study of insects. What am I?

#96 I am a poem that expresses melancholy. My second, third and fourth letters are an appendage. What am I?

#97 I am a long journey. Change my fourth letter to a vowel and you have a large organic object which for some reason seems to attract felines. What am I?

#98 I am a comparison between two things. Remove a letter from me and you have a facial expression. What am I?

#99 I am short, concise and to the point. Change my first letter and you have a body of metrical writing. What am I?

#100 I am a word which means unchanging. I am also a form of energy. If you change my first letter then I become an anagram of a device for accomplishing an end. What am I?

#101 I am a compound word and a popular snack. My first word means bust or explode. My second word is also edible. What am I?

#102 I am might, authority, strength and control! Most people can�t handle me and I change them for the worse. Change my first letter and you can make several words. One such word is a ...

#103 I am the act of turning something inside out. Replace my first two letters with three different ones and you have a word which means to change or alter. What am I?

#104 I am a protective outer layer. My first three letters is one of your anatomical references. What am I?

#105 I am anger and if you remove my first letter I become a word which means to grow old. What am I?

#106 I am a spiritual being but if you switch my last two letters around I become a viewpoint or a turn which is measured in degrees. What am I?

#107 I was a ruler of Rome. Remove my first three letters then adda new one and you have a word which means ruler. Who am I?

#108 I am a word which means to bewilder or perplex. You can get lost in my last four letters. What am I?

#109 I am given to criminals who are caught and taken to court (if found guilty). Add one letter to me and I become intelligent. What am I?

#110 I am a charged subatomic particle. Remove my first letter and you turn me ________. What am I?

#111 I am the basis for every language. My first five letters means the beginning. What am I?

#112 I am a very large reptile. Remove my last two letters and add six and you have the man who created the fundamental formula for measuring the distances in a plane. Who am I?

#113 I am a word which means to summon by invocation. My first three letters is an argument or evidence in opposition. What am I?

#114 My last five letters is a word which means to seat oneself for riding. I am a word which means equivalent in value or effect. What am I?

#115 There is no word in the English language which rhymes with me. I am edible and if you remove my first letter I become a series of mountains. What am I?

#116 I am a large fortified structure. My first four letters is something used to help in healing bones. What am I?

#117 I am a container which holds food for livestock. My last five letters is a negative emotion. What am I?

#118 I am a country in the Mediterranean region. Remove my last letter and I am an anagram for the rear end of an animal. Many people say that I am shaped like a boot. What am I?

#119 I am a writing utensil. My first three letters is also a writing utensil. What am I?

#120 Everyone you know has one of me. Change my first two letters and I become something else that everyone has. Remove my first two letters and add threeand you have something else tha...

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#136 My first name is (by at least one account) the same as the slayer of Goliath. The first two thirds of my last name are something that you send to someone. My last third is what I a...

#137 I am a German economist & historian. Remove my last two letters, & you have a word that denotes something similar to a net that is used by a certain type of creature. Who am I?

#138 My first three letters are the original first name of a famous athlete. Remove my first five letters, & you have something above you. Sadly, most people only know my name for one r...

#139 Remove my first letter & read me backward, & you have a number. I am known for making fun of others, & for my rather large chin. Who am I?

#140 I was well known in the heavy metal world of the 80's for yelling at Satan. My name backward is a right to hold another's property. Who am I?

#141 I wrote something that was similar in meaning to 'Devilish Poems,' & proved to be controversial for some, & unacceptable for others. Remove my last three letters, & you have the na...

#142 I wrote something that distantly resembled 'Town of Zeus,' although I did not believe in that deity, & my work had nothing to do with him. I was a philosopher & theologian. Remove ...

#143 Remove my first two letters & replace them with an 'o,' & then read me backward, you have a type of car. I performed experiments that involved sounding a bell. Who am I?

#144 I share the name of two former American Presidents. According to my humorous works, the number 42 is extremely important. Who am I?

#145 You may know me as an actor, but even if you don't, you probably know my voice. My middle name was a class in Ancient Britain, & I was in a play that is also the name of a game. Wh...

#146 Change one letter in my name, & you have a city. I wrote of manners & customs, & am well known for my use of gentle satire. Who am I?

#147 My last name contains a hyphen, & if you remove the first & last letters from the second part of it, you have a word meaning "Scottish Gaelic." I am an Olympic athlete. Who am I?

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