(Or atoms to molecules as it were). It is meaningless to talk about the combustibility of hydrogen (H) as an atom. Since combustion is a chemical reaction, it is a molecule of Hydrogen (H2) which we can say is combustible.
This is the next line - does it print?
This is another next line.');
q(' 1There are a total of 100 animals: cows, sheep and buffaloes. These 100 animals ate 100 bunches of grass.~There are three possibilities:
Cows: 4; Buffaloes: 18; Sheep: 78
Cows: 8; Buffaloes: 11; Sheep: 81
Cows: 12; Buffaloes: 4; Sheep: 84');
q(' 2Which 3 digit number has the most factors?~840
this is the next line');
q(' 3What is the longest word in the English language?~Smiles - there\'s a mile between the first and last letters. Alternatively, try floccinaucinihilipilification, which means \"holding or judging something to be worthless\".');
q(' 4Palindromes are words or sentences that read the same forwards as backwards. \"Noon\" is a palindrome, as are the first words in the history of the world: \"Madam, I\'m Adam!\" Can you think of any longer palindromes?~How about: \"Mr. Owl ate my metal worm\", or \"A man, a plan, a canal - Panama!\" or \"Einen Ledergurt trug Redelne nie\"? Your imagination is the limit!');
q(' 5What\'s the next letter in this sequence: M, T, W, T, F, ..., ...?~M, T, W, T, F, S, S = Saturday, Sunday');
q(' 6Today\'s puzzle is about adverbial puns. You have to think of a suitable adverb to finish the sentences below. Here are some some examples to get you thinking on the right lines: \"\'I\'m off to the racetrack,\' said Tom hoarsely.\" \"\'Would you like a ride in my new ambulance?\' said Tom hospitably.\" \"\'I like camping!\' said Tom intently.\"
\"\'No, Eve, I won\'t eat that apple!\' said Tom ..............\"
\"\'Don\'t come near me. I\'ve got the flu!\' laughed Tom .............\"
\"\'I\'m sore all over,\' said Tom .................\"
Can you think of any more complete sentences?~Possible answers:
\"\'No, Eve, I won\'t eat that apple!\' said Tom adamantly.\"
\"\'Don\'t come near me. I\'ve got the flu!\' laughed Tom infectiously.\"
\"\'I\'m sore all over,\' said Tom tenderly.\"');
q(' 7Tongue-twisters are not exactly puzzles, but they\'re good fun. The best and most difficult ones are the shortest. Try saying the following ten times quickly without making a mistake: \"Red lolly, yellow lolly.\" If you find this too easy, then try: \"Red lorry, yellow lorry!\"
Do you have any fiendish tongue-twisters to share with others? Tongue-twisters in other languages are welcome too! [Click Homepage feedback at the foot of this page to send your suggestions to the webmaster]~A favourite source for tongue-twisters are the Dr Seuss children\'s books. One of the best is from \"Fox in Socks\":
\"Now we come to ticks and tocks, sir
Try to say this Mr Knox, sir
Clocks on fox tick
Clocks on Knox tock
Six sick bricks tick
Six sick chicks tock.\"
To which poor Knox replies
\"Please sir. I don\'t
like this trick, sir.
My tongue isn\'t
quick or slick, sir.\"');
q(' 8Spoonerisms are named after the real-life Dr Spooner of New College Oxford, who often got his words in a twist. For example, he told his students that everyone has a half-warmed fish inside them. He talked about the pleasures of riding a well-boiled icicle, and referred to Queen Victoria as the queer old dean. Can you work out what he really wanted to say, and do you have any favourite spoonerisms to share with others?~a half-warmed fish = a half-formed wish
a well-boiled icicle = a well-oiled bicycle
the queer old dean = the dear old queen');
q(' 9A popular, groan-inducing pun is the \"Knock-knock\" joke. A typical example is: \"\'Knock-knock\' - \'Who\'s there?\' - \'Boo\' - \'Boo-Who?\' - \'Please don\'t cry!\'\" What\'s your favourite \"Knock-knock\" joke?~The pun is in the words \'Boo-Who?\', which is a play on \"Boohoo\", the noisy sound of a child crying.');
q(' 10Limericks are not puzzles, but they\'re fun to compose. Can you think of a good, clean (!) punchline to the following limerick?
\"A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
..................................\"
What\'s your favourite limerick?~Possible punchlines
A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
But about what he would never confess.
A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
But was kicked out of school nevertheless.');
q(' 11A palindrome is a word or expression spelled the same forwards or backwards, such as: \"Madam\" or \"Draw, O coward!\" or \"Sums are not set as a test on Erasmus.\" A semordnilap, palindromes spelled backwards, is the name someone has given to words that spell different words when reversed. For example: meet-teem, deliver-reviled, repaid-diaper. Three-letter semordnilaps are very common, but can you find any 4 or more-letter examples - in English or other languages?~How about: devil-lived, stressed-desserts, stinker-reknits, Nebel-Leben?');
q(' 12A fun word game is to try and guess words from a given definition. For example: a sailor\'s wedding day = maritime; an ex-spouse = stalemate; a faint noise = locomotion. Can you think of suitable words for the following definitions:
- add to this~add to this');
q(' 13Why do you call your pet newt Tiny?~ - Because he\'s minute, of course!
A newt is a small salamander. The word minute, meaning very small, is pronounced \'my newt\'. Don\'t confuse it with minute, pronounced \'minit\', the 60th part of an hour!');
q(' 14What adjective best describes a pig that has lost its voice?~- disgruntled
The name for the sound a pig makes is \'grunt\'. If you are disgruntled, it means you are irritated and dissatisfied.');
q(' 15Why do you call your horse \"Blacksmith\"?~ - Because he\'s always making a bolt for the door!
A bolt is a metal rod that is pushed across a door to keep it from being opened from the outside. This kind of metal object is made by a blacksmith (who also makes horseshoes). The expression \'making a bolt for ..\' means \'running away to ..\'. So a horse that makes a bolt for the door is trying to escape out of the stables.');
q(' 16What\'s the difference between a robber and a church bell?~- A robber steals from the people and a church bell peals from the steeple!
The joke is in the play on the words steals/people and peals/steeple. (A steeple is a church tower where the bells are located; and to peal means to ring.)');
q(' 17How did the students feel when they were sent home because of the power cut?~- Delighted!
A power cut causes the electricity to go off, thus depriving people of light. One of the meanings of the prefix \'de-\' is \'remove\'; e.g. \'to debug\' is to \'remove bugs from ..\', \'to defuse a situation\' is \'to remove the tension from it\'. So, \'to delight\' is \'to remove the light from ..\'.');
q(' 18How many words are there in the English language?~At the last count about 820,000, which is far more than any other language. By way of comparison, French has less than 100,000. For more on this topic, read the article written by Wordman on the yourDictionary website at http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/ling006.html.');
q(' 19How do you pronounce the word \"ghoti\"?~It sounds exactly like the word \"fish\". Pronounce \"gh\" like the \"gh\" in \"laugh\" or \"cough\". Pronounce the \"o\" as in \"women\", and the \"ti\" as in \"station\" or \"fiction\". For more on this read the article written by Wordman on the yourDictionary website at http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/wordman005.html.');
q(' 20Why is the sky blue?~White light contains the 7 colors of the rainbow, all of which have different wavelengths. Blue light has the shortest wavelength which causes it to get scattered much more than the other colours by oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the atmosphere. The blue in the sky we see is scattered blue light.');
q(' 21You have two egg-timers, one measuring 4 minutes and the other measuring 7. You want to cook an egg for exactly 9 minutes - you like your eggs hard-boiled! How can you use the two timers to make sure that your egg is cooked to perfection?~Start both egg-timers. When the 4-minute timer runs out, turn it over. (Four minutes have passed.) When the 7-minute timer runs out, turn it over. (Seven minutes have passed.) When the 4-minute timer runs out for the second time, 8 minutes have passed in total and the 7-minute glass has been running for 1 minute. Turn it back over again and when it stops, after a minute, 9 minutes have passed!');
q(' 22At the beginning of the summer there is a water-lily in the middle of the lake. In 20 days it will fill the entire lake, doubling in size each day. On which day will it fill half of the lake?~The 19th day. When it dobles in size on the 20th day, it will fill the lake.');
q(' 23Two grade-10 students played 5 games of chess and each won the same number of games. How was this possible?~They weren\'t playing each other!');
q(' 24A new student in grade 9 walks up to you and says: \"Everything I say to you is a lie.\" Is she telling you the truth or is she lying?~The girl is lying.
A. She cannot be speaking the truth because that would make her statement a lie.
B. If she is lying, then the negative of her statement is true. If you believe the negative of \"everything\" is \"nothing\", then you have an impossible paradox. In fact, the negative of \"everything\" is \"not everything\". So although the girl is lying now, not everything she ever says is a lie!');
q(' 25What gets wetter as it dries?~A towel.');
q(' 26How is it possible to divide 9 Euros among 2 fathers and 2 sons so that each person receives exactly 3 Euros.~It\'s easy because there are only 3 people: grandfather, father and son. The father is both father AND son!');
q(' 27What number can be multiplied by a multiple of 3 below 30 so that the answer is always a 3-digit number containing the same digits, e.g. 222, or 444?~37
For example: 37 x 3 = 111; 37 x 18 = 666; 37 x 27 = 999.');
q(' 28John goes to a big Christmas party and is excited to learn that there are exactly 366 people there. \"Wow, cool!\" he says. This means that at least two people here have the same birthday!
Is he right? If not, what is the minimum possible number of people who must share a birthday?~jj');
q(' 29Which English word is always pronounced wrong, even by English native-speakers?~\"Wrong\", of course!');
q(' 30A light flashes every six minutes and a bell rings every eight minutes. If the light flashes as the bell is ringing, how long will it be until this happens again?~24 minutes');
q(' 0If hydrogen (H) is combustible and oxygen (O) is combustible, why does water (H2O) water not explode?
This is the second line of the puzzle.~This problem is a little misleading, as it compares apples and oranges
(Or atoms to molecules as it were). It is meaningless to talk about the combustibility of hydrogen (H) as an atom. Since combustion is a chemical reaction, it is a molecule of Hydrogen (H2) which we can say is combustible.
This is the next line - does it print?
This is another next line.');
q(' 1There are a total of 100 animals: cows, sheep and buffaloes. These 100 animals ate 100 bunches of grass.~There are three possibilities:
Cows: 4; Buffaloes: 18; Sheep: 78
Cows: 8; Buffaloes: 11; Sheep: 81
Cows: 12; Buffaloes: 4; Sheep: 84');
q(' 2Which 3 digit number has the most factors?~840
this is the next line');
q(' 3What is the longest word in the English language?~Smiles - there\'s a mile between the first and last letters. Alternatively, try floccinaucinihilipilification, which means \"holding or judging something to be worthless\".');
q(' 4Palindromes are words or sentences that read the same forwards as backwards. \"Noon\" is a palindrome, as are the first words in the history of the world: \"Madam, I\'m Adam!\" Can you think of any longer palindromes?~How about: \"Mr. Owl ate my metal worm\", or \"A man, a plan, a canal - Panama!\" or \"Einen Ledergurt trug Redelne nie\"? Your imagination is the limit!');
q(' 5What\'s the next letter in this sequence: M, T, W, T, F, ..., ...?~M, T, W, T, F, S, S = Saturday, Sunday');
q(' 6Today\'s puzzle is about adverbial puns. You have to think of a suitable adverb to finish the sentences below. Here are some some examples to get you thinking on the right lines: \"\'I\'m off to the racetrack,\' said Tom hoarsely.\" \"\'Would you like a ride in my new ambulance?\' said Tom hospitably.\" \"\'I like camping!\' said Tom intently.\"
\"\'No, Eve, I won\'t eat that apple!\' said Tom ..............\"
\"\'Don\'t come near me. I\'ve got the flu!\' laughed Tom .............\"
\"\'I\'m sore all over,\' said Tom .................\"
Can you think of any more complete sentences?~Possible answers:
\"\'No, Eve, I won\'t eat that apple!\' said Tom adamantly.\"
\"\'Don\'t come near me. I\'ve got the flu!\' laughed Tom infectiously.\"
\"\'I\'m sore all over,\' said Tom tenderly.\"');
q(' 7Tongue-twisters are not exactly puzzles, but they\'re good fun. The best and most difficult ones are the shortest. Try saying the following ten times quickly without making a mistake: \"Red lolly, yellow lolly.\" If you find this too easy, then try: \"Red lorry, yellow lorry!\"
Do you have any fiendish tongue-twisters to share with others? Tongue-twisters in other languages are welcome too! [Click Homepage feedback at the foot of this page to send your suggestions to the webmaster]~A favourite source for tongue-twisters are the Dr Seuss children\'s books. One of the best is from \"Fox in Socks\":
\"Now we come to ticks and tocks, sir
Try to say this Mr Knox, sir
Clocks on fox tick
Clocks on Knox tock
Six sick bricks tick
Six sick chicks tock.\"
To which poor Knox replies
\"Please sir. I don\'t
like this trick, sir.
My tongue isn\'t
quick or slick, sir.\"');
q(' 8Spoonerisms are named after the real-life Dr Spooner of New College Oxford, who often got his words in a twist. For example, he told his students that everyone has a half-warmed fish inside them. He talked about the pleasures of riding a well-boiled icicle, and referred to Queen Victoria as the queer old dean. Can you work out what he really wanted to say, and do you have any favourite spoonerisms to share with others?~a half-warmed fish = a half-formed wish
a well-boiled icicle = a well-oiled bicycle
the queer old dean = the dear old queen');
q(' 9A popular, groan-inducing pun is the \"Knock-knock\" joke. A typical example is: \"\'Knock-knock\' - \'Who\'s there?\' - \'Boo\' - \'Boo-Who?\' - \'Please don\'t cry!\'\" What\'s your favourite \"Knock-knock\" joke?~The pun is in the words \'Boo-Who?\', which is a play on \"Boohoo\", the noisy sound of a child crying.');
q(' 10Limericks are not puzzles, but they\'re fun to compose. Can you think of a good, clean (!) punchline to the following limerick?
\"A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
..................................\"
What\'s your favourite limerick?~Possible punchlines
A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
But about what he would never confess.
A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
But was kicked out of school nevertheless.');
q(' 11A palindrome is a word or expression spelled the same forwards or backwards, such as: \"Madam\" or \"Draw, O coward!\" or \"Sums are not set as a test on Erasmus.\" A semordnilap, palindromes spelled backwards, is the name someone has given to words that spell different words when reversed. For example: meet-teem, deliver-reviled, repaid-diaper. Three-letter semordnilaps are very common, but can you find any 4 or more-letter examples - in English or other languages?~How about: devil-lived, stressed-desserts, stinker-reknits, Nebel-Leben?');
q(' 12A fun word game is to try and guess words from a given definition. For example: a sailor\'s wedding day = maritime; an ex-spouse = stalemate; a faint noise = locomotion. Can you think of suitable words for the following definitions:
- add to this~add to this');
q(' 13Why do you call your pet newt Tiny?~ - Because he\'s minute, of course!
A newt is a small salamander. The word minute, meaning very small, is pronounced \'my newt\'. Don\'t confuse it with minute, pronounced \'minit\', the 60th part of an hour!');
q(' 14What adjective best describes a pig that has lost its voice?~- disgruntled
The name for the sound a pig makes is \'grunt\'. If you are disgruntled, it means you are irritated and dissatisfied.');
q(' 15Why do you call your horse \"Blacksmith\"?~ - Because he\'s always making a bolt for the door!
A bolt is a metal rod that is pushed across a door to keep it from being opened from the outside. This kind of metal object is made by a blacksmith (who also makes horseshoes). The expression \'making a bolt for ..\' means \'running away to ..\'. So a horse that makes a bolt for the door is trying to escape out of the stables.');
q(' 16What\'s the difference between a robber and a church bell?~- A robber steals from the people and a church bell peals from the steeple!
The joke is in the play on the words steals/people and peals/steeple. (A steeple is a church tower where the bells are located; and to peal means to ring.)');
q(' 17How did the students feel when they were sent home because of the power cut?~- Delighted!
A power cut causes the electricity to go off, thus depriving people of light. One of the meanings of the prefix \'de-\' is \'remove\'; e.g. \'to debug\' is to \'remove bugs from ..\', \'to defuse a situation\' is \'to remove the tension from it\'. So, \'to delight\' is \'to remove the light from ..\'.');
q(' 18How many words are there in the English language?~At the last count about 820,000, which is far more than any other language. By way of comparison, French has less than 100,000. For more on this topic, read the article written by Wordman on the yourDictionary website at http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/ling006.html.');
q(' 19How do you pronounce the word \"ghoti\"?~It sounds exactly like the word \"fish\". Pronounce \"gh\" like the \"gh\" in \"laugh\" or \"cough\". Pronounce the \"o\" as in \"women\", and the \"ti\" as in \"station\" or \"fiction\". For more on this read the article written by Wordman on the yourDictionary website at http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/wordman005.html.');
q(' 20Why is the sky blue?~White light contains the 7 colors of the rainbow, all of which have different wavelengths. Blue light has the shortest wavelength which causes it to get scattered much more than the other colours by oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the atmosphere. The blue in the sky we see is scattered blue light.');
q(' 21You have two egg-timers, one measuring 4 minutes and the other measuring 7. You want to cook an egg for exactly 9 minutes - you like your eggs hard-boiled! How can you use the two timers to make sure that your egg is cooked to perfection?~Start both egg-timers. When the 4-minute timer runs out, turn it over. (Four minutes have passed.) When the 7-minute timer runs out, turn it over. (Seven minutes have passed.) When the 4-minute timer runs out for the second time, 8 minutes have passed in total and the 7-minute glass has been running for 1 minute. Turn it back over again and when it stops, after a minute, 9 minutes have passed!');
q(' 22At the beginning of the summer there is a water-lily in the middle of the lake. In 20 days it will fill the entire lake, doubling in size each day. On which day will it fill half of the lake?~The 19th day. When it dobles in size on the 20th day, it will fill the lake.');
q(' 23Two grade-10 students played 5 games of chess and each won the same number of games. How was this possible?~They weren\'t playing each other!');
q(' 24A new student in grade 9 walks up to you and says: \"Everything I say to you is a lie.\" Is she telling you the truth or is she lying?~The girl is lying.
A. She cannot be speaking the truth because that would make her statement a lie.
B. If she is lying, then the negative of her statement is true. If you believe the negative of \"everything\" is \"nothing\", then you have an impossible paradox. In fact, the negative of \"everything\" is \"not everything\". So although the girl is lying now, not everything she ever says is a lie!');
q(' 25What gets wetter as it dries?~A towel.');
q(' 26How is it possible to divide 9 Euros among 2 fathers and 2 sons so that each person receives exactly 3 Euros.~It\'s easy because there are only 3 people: grandfather, father and son. The father is both father AND son!');
q(' 27What number can be multiplied by a multiple of 3 below 30 so that the answer is always a 3-digit number containing the same digits, e.g. 222, or 444?~37
For example: 37 x 3 = 111; 37 x 18 = 666; 37 x 27 = 999.');
q(' 28John goes to a big Christmas party and is excited to learn that there are exactly 366 people there. \"Wow, cool!\" he says. This means that at least two people here have the same birthday!
Is he right? If not, what is the minimum possible number of people who must share a birthday?~jj');
q(' 29Which English word is always pronounced wrong, even by English native-speakers?~\"Wrong\", of course!');
q(' 30A light flashes every six minutes and a bell rings every eight minutes. If the light flashes as the bell is ringing, how long will it be until this happens again?~24 minutes');
q(' 0If hydrogen (H) is combustible and oxygen (O) is combustible, why does water (H2O) water not explode?
This is the second line of the puzzle.~This problem is a little misleading, as it compares apples and oranges
(Or atoms to molecules as it were). It is meaningless to talk about the combustibility of hydrogen (H) as an atom. Since combustion is a chemical reaction, it is a molecule of Hydrogen (H2) which we can say is combustible.
This is the next line - does it print?
This is another next line.');
q(' 1There are a total of 100 animals: cows, sheep and buffaloes. These 100 animals ate 100 bunches of grass.~There are three possibilities:
Cows: 4; Buffaloes: 18; Sheep: 78
Cows: 8; Buffaloes: 11; Sheep: 81
Cows: 12; Buffaloes: 4; Sheep: 84');
q(' 2Which 3 digit number has the most factors?~840
this is the next line');
q(' 3What is the longest word in the English language?~Smiles - there\'s a mile between the first and last letters. Alternatively, try floccinaucinihilipilification, which means \"holding or judging something to be worthless\".');
q(' 4Palindromes are words or sentences that read the same forwards as backwards. \"Noon\" is a palindrome, as are the first words in the history of the world: \"Madam, I\'m Adam!\" Can you think of any longer palindromes?~How about: \"Mr. Owl ate my metal worm\", or \"A man, a plan, a canal - Panama!\" or \"Einen Ledergurt trug Redelne nie\"? Your imagination is the limit!');
q(' 5What\'s the next letter in this sequence: M, T, W, T, F, ..., ...?~M, T, W, T, F, S, S = Saturday, Sunday');
q(' 6Today\'s puzzle is about adverbial puns. You have to think of a suitable adverb to finish the sentences below. Here are some some examples to get you thinking on the right lines: \"\'I\'m off to the racetrack,\' said Tom hoarsely.\" \"\'Would you like a ride in my new ambulance?\' said Tom hospitably.\" \"\'I like camping!\' said Tom intently.\"
\"\'No, Eve, I won\'t eat that apple!\' said Tom ..............\"
\"\'Don\'t come near me. I\'ve got the flu!\' laughed Tom .............\"
\"\'I\'m sore all over,\' said Tom .................\"
Can you think of any more complete sentences?~Possible answers:
\"\'No, Eve, I won\'t eat that apple!\' said Tom adamantly.\"
\"\'Don\'t come near me. I\'ve got the flu!\' laughed Tom infectiously.\"
\"\'I\'m sore all over,\' said Tom tenderly.\"');
q(' 7Tongue-twisters are not exactly puzzles, but they\'re good fun. The best and most difficult ones are the shortest. Try saying the following ten times quickly without making a mistake: \"Red lolly, yellow lolly.\" If you find this too easy, then try: \"Red lorry, yellow lorry!\"
Do you have any fiendish tongue-twisters to share with others? Tongue-twisters in other languages are welcome too! [Click Homepage feedback at the foot of this page to send your suggestions to the webmaster]~A favourite source for tongue-twisters are the Dr Seuss children\'s books. One of the best is from \"Fox in Socks\":
\"Now we come to ticks and tocks, sir
Try to say this Mr Knox, sir
Clocks on fox tick
Clocks on Knox tock
Six sick bricks tick
Six sick chicks tock.\"
To which poor Knox replies
\"Please sir. I don\'t
like this trick, sir.
My tongue isn\'t
quick or slick, sir.\"');
q(' 8Spoonerisms are named after the real-life Dr Spooner of New College Oxford, who often got his words in a twist. For example, he told his students that everyone has a half-warmed fish inside them. He talked about the pleasures of riding a well-boiled icicle, and referred to Queen Victoria as the queer old dean. Can you work out what he really wanted to say, and do you have any favourite spoonerisms to share with others?~a half-warmed fish = a half-formed wish
a well-boiled icicle = a well-oiled bicycle
the queer old dean = the dear old queen');
q(' 9A popular, groan-inducing pun is the \"Knock-knock\" joke. A typical example is: \"\'Knock-knock\' - \'Who\'s there?\' - \'Boo\' - \'Boo-Who?\' - \'Please don\'t cry!\'\" What\'s your favourite \"Knock-knock\" joke?~The pun is in the words \'Boo-Who?\', which is a play on \"Boohoo\", the noisy sound of a child crying.');
q(' 10Limericks are not puzzles, but they\'re fun to compose. Can you think of a good, clean (!) punchline to the following limerick?
\"A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
..................................\"
What\'s your favourite limerick?~Possible punchlines
A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
But about what he would never confess.
A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
But was kicked out of school nevertheless.');
q(' 11A palindrome is a word or expression spelled the same forwards or backwards, such as: \"Madam\" or \"Draw, O coward!\" or \"Sums are not set as a test on Erasmus.\" A semordnilap, palindromes spelled backwards, is the name someone has given to words that spell different words when reversed. For example: meet-teem, deliver-reviled, repaid-diaper. Three-letter semordnilaps are very common, but can you find any 4 or more-letter examples - in English or other languages?~How about: devil-lived, stressed-desserts, stinker-reknits, Nebel-Leben?');
q(' 12A fun word game is to try and guess words from a given definition. For example: a sailor\'s wedding day = maritime; an ex-spouse = stalemate; a faint noise = locomotion. Can you think of suitable words for the following definitions:
- add to this~add to this');
q(' 13Why do you call your pet newt Tiny?~ - Because he\'s minute, of course!
A newt is a small salamander. The word minute, meaning very small, is pronounced \'my newt\'. Don\'t confuse it with minute, pronounced \'minit\', the 60th part of an hour!');
q(' 14What adjective best describes a pig that has lost its voice?~- disgruntled
The name for the sound a pig makes is \'grunt\'. If you are disgruntled, it means you are irritated and dissatisfied.');
q(' 15Why do you call your horse \"Blacksmith\"?~ - Because he\'s always making a bolt for the door!
A bolt is a metal rod that is pushed across a door to keep it from being opened from the outside. This kind of metal object is made by a blacksmith (who also makes horseshoes). The expression \'making a bolt for ..\' means \'running away to ..\'. So a horse that makes a bolt for the door is trying to escape out of the stables.');
q(' 16What\'s the difference between a robber and a church bell?~- A robber steals from the people and a church bell peals from the steeple!
The joke is in the play on the words steals/people and peals/steeple. (A steeple is a church tower where the bells are located; and to peal means to ring.)');
q(' 17How did the students feel when they were sent home because of the power cut?~- Delighted!
A power cut causes the electricity to go off, thus depriving people of light. One of the meanings of the prefix \'de-\' is \'remove\'; e.g. \'to debug\' is to \'remove bugs from ..\', \'to defuse a situation\' is \'to remove the tension from it\'. So, \'to delight\' is \'to remove the light from ..\'.');
q(' 18How many words are there in the English language?~At the last count about 820,000, which is far more than any other language. By way of comparison, French has less than 100,000. For more on this topic, read the article written by Wordman on the yourDictionary website at http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/ling006.html.');
q(' 19How do you pronounce the word \"ghoti\"?~It sounds exactly like the word \"fish\". Pronounce \"gh\" like the \"gh\" in \"laugh\" or \"cough\". Pronounce the \"o\" as in \"women\", and the \"ti\" as in \"station\" or \"fiction\". For more on this read the article written by Wordman on the yourDictionary website at http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/wordman005.html.');
q(' 20Why is the sky blue?~White light contains the 7 colors of the rainbow, all of which have different wavelengths. Blue light has the shortest wavelength which causes it to get scattered much more than the other colours by oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the atmosphere. The blue in the sky we see is scattered blue light.');
q(' 21You have two egg-timers, one measuring 4 minutes and the other measuring 7. You want to cook an egg for exactly 9 minutes - you like your eggs hard-boiled! How can you use the two timers to make sure that your egg is cooked to perfection?~Start both egg-timers. When the 4-minute timer runs out, turn it over. (Four minutes have passed.) When the 7-minute timer runs out, turn it over. (Seven minutes have passed.) When the 4-minute timer runs out for the second time, 8 minutes have passed in total and the 7-minute glass has been running for 1 minute. Turn it back over again and when it stops, after a minute, 9 minutes have passed!');
q(' 22At the beginning of the summer there is a water-lily in the middle of the lake. In 20 days it will fill the entire lake, doubling in size each day. On which day will it fill half of the lake?~The 19th day. When it dobles in size on the 20th day, it will fill the lake.');
q(' 23Two grade-10 students played 5 games of chess and each won the same number of games. How was this possible?~They weren\'t playing each other!');
q(' 24A new student in grade 9 walks up to you and says: \"Everything I say to you is a lie.\" Is she telling you the truth or is she lying?~The girl is lying.
A. She cannot be speaking the truth because that would make her statement a lie.
B. If she is lying, then the negative of her statement is true. If you believe the negative of \"everything\" is \"nothing\", then you have an impossible paradox. In fact, the negative of \"everything\" is \"not everything\". So although the girl is lying now, not everything she ever says is a lie!');
q(' 25What gets wetter as it dries?~A towel.');
q(' 26How is it possible to divide 9 Euros among 2 fathers and 2 sons so that each person receives exactly 3 Euros.~It\'s easy because there are only 3 people: grandfather, father and son. The father is both father AND son!');
q(' 27What number can be multiplied by a multiple of 3 below 30 so that the answer is always a 3-digit number containing the same digits, e.g. 222, or 444?~37
For example: 37 x 3 = 111; 37 x 18 = 666; 37 x 27 = 999.');
q(' 28John goes to a big Christmas party and is excited to learn that there are exactly 366 people there. \"Wow, cool!\" he says. This means that at least two people here have the same birthday!
Is he right? If not, what is the minimum possible number of people who must share a birthday?~jj');
q(' 29Which English word is always pronounced wrong, even by English native-speakers?~\"Wrong\", of course!');
q(' 30A light flashes every six minutes and a bell rings every eight minutes. If the light flashes as the bell is ringing, how long will it be until this happens again?~24 minutes');
q(' 0If hydrogen (H) is combustible and oxygen (O) is combustible, why does water (H2O) water not explode?
This is the second line of the puzzle.~This problem is a little misleading, as it compares apples and oranges
(Or atoms to molecules as it were). It is meaningless to talk about the combustibility of hydrogen (H) as an atom. Since combustion is a chemical reaction, it is a molecule of Hydrogen (H2) which we can say is combustible.
This is the next line - does it print?
This is another next line.');
q(' 1There are a total of 100 animals: cows, sheep and buffaloes. These 100 animals ate 100 bunches of grass.~There are three possibilities:
Cows: 4; Buffaloes: 18; Sheep: 78
Cows: 8; Buffaloes: 11; Sheep: 81
Cows: 12; Buffaloes: 4; Sheep: 84');
q(' 2Which 3 digit number has the most factors?~840
this is the next line');
q(' 3What is the longest word in the English language?~Smiles - there\'s a mile between the first and last letters. Alternatively, try floccinaucinihilipilification, which means \"holding or judging something to be worthless\".');
q(' 4Palindromes are words or sentences that read the same forwards as backwards. \"Noon\" is a palindrome, as are the first words in the history of the world: \"Madam, I\'m Adam!\" Can you think of any longer palindromes?~How about: \"Mr. Owl ate my metal worm\", or \"A man, a plan, a canal - Panama!\" or \"Einen Ledergurt trug Redelne nie\"? Your imagination is the limit!');
q(' 5What\'s the next letter in this sequence: M, T, W, T, F, ..., ...?~M, T, W, T, F, S, S = Saturday, Sunday');
q(' 6Today\'s puzzle is about adverbial puns. You have to think of a suitable adverb to finish the sentences below. Here are some some examples to get you thinking on the right lines: \"\'I\'m off to the racetrack,\' said Tom hoarsely.\" \"\'Would you like a ride in my new ambulance?\' said Tom hospitably.\" \"\'I like camping!\' said Tom intently.\"
\"\'No, Eve, I won\'t eat that apple!\' said Tom ..............\"
\"\'Don\'t come near me. I\'ve got the flu!\' laughed Tom .............\"
\"\'I\'m sore all over,\' said Tom .................\"
Can you think of any more complete sentences?~Possible answers:
\"\'No, Eve, I won\'t eat that apple!\' said Tom adamantly.\"
\"\'Don\'t come near me. I\'ve got the flu!\' laughed Tom infectiously.\"
\"\'I\'m sore all over,\' said Tom tenderly.\"');
q(' 7Tongue-twisters are not exactly puzzles, but they\'re good fun. The best and most difficult ones are the shortest. Try saying the following ten times quickly without making a mistake: \"Red lolly, yellow lolly.\" If you find this too easy, then try: \"Red lorry, yellow lorry!\"
Do you have any fiendish tongue-twisters to share with others? Tongue-twisters in other languages are welcome too! [Click Homepage feedback at the foot of this page to send your suggestions to the webmaster]~A favourite source for tongue-twisters are the Dr Seuss children\'s books. One of the best is from \"Fox in Socks\":
\"Now we come to ticks and tocks, sir
Try to say this Mr Knox, sir
Clocks on fox tick
Clocks on Knox tock
Six sick bricks tick
Six sick chicks tock.\"
To which poor Knox replies
\"Please sir. I don\'t
like this trick, sir.
My tongue isn\'t
quick or slick, sir.\"');
q(' 8Spoonerisms are named after the real-life Dr Spooner of New College Oxford, who often got his words in a twist. For example, he told his students that everyone has a half-warmed fish inside them. He talked about the pleasures of riding a well-boiled icicle, and referred to Queen Victoria as the queer old dean. Can you work out what he really wanted to say, and do you have any favourite spoonerisms to share with others?~a half-warmed fish = a half-formed wish
a well-boiled icicle = a well-oiled bicycle
the queer old dean = the dear old queen');
q(' 9A popular, groan-inducing pun is the \"Knock-knock\" joke. A typical example is: \"\'Knock-knock\' - \'Who\'s there?\' - \'Boo\' - \'Boo-Who?\' - \'Please don\'t cry!\'\" What\'s your favourite \"Knock-knock\" joke?~The pun is in the words \'Boo-Who?\', which is a play on \"Boohoo\", the noisy sound of a child crying.');
q(' 10Limericks are not puzzles, but they\'re fun to compose. Can you think of a good, clean (!) punchline to the following limerick?
\"A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
..................................\"
What\'s your favourite limerick?~Possible punchlines
A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
But about what he would never confess.
A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
But was kicked out of school nevertheless.');
q(' 11A palindrome is a word or expression spelled the same forwards or backwards, such as: \"Madam\" or \"Draw, O coward!\" or \"Sums are not set as a test on Erasmus.\" A semordnilap, palindromes spelled backwards, is the name someone has given to words that spell different words when reversed. For example: meet-teem, deliver-reviled, repaid-diaper. Three-letter semordnilaps are very common, but can you find any 4 or more-letter examples - in English or other languages?~How about: devil-lived, stressed-desserts, stinker-reknits, Nebel-Leben?');
q(' 12A fun word game is to try and guess words from a given definition. For example: a sailor\'s wedding day = maritime; an ex-spouse = stalemate; a faint noise = locomotion. Can you think of suitable words for the following definitions:
- add to this~add to this');
q(' 13Why do you call your pet newt Tiny?~ - Because he\'s minute, of course!
A newt is a small salamander. The word minute, meaning very small, is pronounced \'my newt\'. Don\'t confuse it with minute, pronounced \'minit\', the 60th part of an hour!');
q(' 14What adjective best describes a pig that has lost its voice?~- disgruntled
The name for the sound a pig makes is \'grunt\'. If you are disgruntled, it means you are irritated and dissatisfied.');
q(' 15Why do you call your horse \"Blacksmith\"?~ - Because he\'s always making a bolt for the door!
A bolt is a metal rod that is pushed across a door to keep it from being opened from the outside. This kind of metal object is made by a blacksmith (who also makes horseshoes). The expression \'making a bolt for ..\' means \'running away to ..\'. So a horse that makes a bolt for the door is trying to escape out of the stables.');
q(' 16What\'s the difference between a robber and a church bell?~- A robber steals from the people and a church bell peals from the steeple!
The joke is in the play on the words steals/people and peals/steeple. (A steeple is a church tower where the bells are located; and to peal means to ring.)');
q(' 17How did the students feel when they were sent home because of the power cut?~- Delighted!
A power cut causes the electricity to go off, thus depriving people of light. One of the meanings of the prefix \'de-\' is \'remove\'; e.g. \'to debug\' is to \'remove bugs from ..\', \'to defuse a situation\' is \'to remove the tension from it\'. So, \'to delight\' is \'to remove the light from ..\'.');
q(' 18How many words are there in the English language?~At the last count about 820,000, which is far more than any other language. By way of comparison, French has less than 100,000. For more on this topic, read the article written by Wordman on the yourDictionary website at http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/ling006.html.');
q(' 19How do you pronounce the word \"ghoti\"?~It sounds exactly like the word \"fish\". Pronounce \"gh\" like the \"gh\" in \"laugh\" or \"cough\". Pronounce the \"o\" as in \"women\", and the \"ti\" as in \"station\" or \"fiction\". For more on this read the article written by Wordman on the yourDictionary website at http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/wordman005.html.');
q(' 20Why is the sky blue?~White light contains the 7 colors of the rainbow, all of which have different wavelengths. Blue light has the shortest wavelength which causes it to get scattered much more than the other colours by oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the atmosphere. The blue in the sky we see is scattered blue light.');
q(' 21You have two egg-timers, one measuring 4 minutes and the other measuring 7. You want to cook an egg for exactly 9 minutes - you like your eggs hard-boiled! How can you use the two timers to make sure that your egg is cooked to perfection?~Start both egg-timers. When the 4-minute timer runs out, turn it over. (Four minutes have passed.) When the 7-minute timer runs out, turn it over. (Seven minutes have passed.) When the 4-minute timer runs out for the second time, 8 minutes have passed in total and the 7-minute glass has been running for 1 minute. Turn it back over again and when it stops, after a minute, 9 minutes have passed!');
q(' 22At the beginning of the summer there is a water-lily in the middle of the lake. In 20 days it will fill the entire lake, doubling in size each day. On which day will it fill half of the lake?~The 19th day. When it dobles in size on the 20th day, it will fill the lake.');
q(' 23Two grade-10 students played 5 games of chess and each won the same number of games. How was this possible?~They weren\'t playing each other!');
q(' 24A new student in grade 9 walks up to you and says: \"Everything I say to you is a lie.\" Is she telling you the truth or is she lying?~The girl is lying.
A. She cannot be speaking the truth because that would make her statement a lie.
B. If she is lying, then the negative of her statement is true. If you believe the negative of \"everything\" is \"nothing\", then you have an impossible paradox. In fact, the negative of \"everything\" is \"not everything\". So although the girl is lying now, not everything she ever says is a lie!');
q(' 25What gets wetter as it dries?~A towel.');
q(' 26How is it possible to divide 9 Euros among 2 fathers and 2 sons so that each person receives exactly 3 Euros.~It\'s easy because there are only 3 people: grandfather, father and son. The father is both father AND son!');
q(' 27What number can be multiplied by a multiple of 3 below 30 so that the answer is always a 3-digit number containing the same digits, e.g. 222, or 444?~37
For example: 37 x 3 = 111; 37 x 18 = 666; 37 x 27 = 999.');
q(' 28John goes to a big Christmas party and is excited to learn that there are exactly 366 people there. \"Wow, cool!\" he says. This means that at least two people here have the same birthday!
Is he right? If not, what is the minimum possible number of people who must share a birthday?~jj');
q(' 29Which English word is always pronounced wrong, even by English native-speakers?~\"Wrong\", of course!');
q(' 30A light flashes every six minutes and a bell rings every eight minutes. If the light flashes as the bell is ringing, how long will it be until this happens again?~24 minutes');
q(' 0If hydrogen (H) is combustible and oxygen (O) is combustible, why does water (H2O) water not explode?
This is the second line of the puzzle.~This problem is a little misleading, as it compares apples and oranges
(Or atoms to molecules as it were). It is meaningless to talk about the combustibility of hydrogen (H) as an atom. Since combustion is a chemical reaction, it is a molecule of Hydrogen (H2) which we can say is combustible.
This is the next line - does it print?
This is another next line.');
q(' 1There are a total of 100 animals: cows, sheep and buffaloes. These 100 animals ate 100 bunches of grass.~There are three possibilities:
Cows: 4; Buffaloes: 18; Sheep: 78
Cows: 8; Buffaloes: 11; Sheep: 81
Cows: 12; Buffaloes: 4; Sheep: 84');
q(' 2Which 3 digit number has the most factors?~840
this is the next line');
q(' 3What is the longest word in the English language?~Smiles - there\'s a mile between the first and last letters. Alternatively, try floccinaucinihilipilification, which means \"holding or judging something to be worthless\".');
q(' 4Palindromes are words or sentences that read the same forwards as backwards. \"Noon\" is a palindrome, as are the first words in the history of the world: \"Madam, I\'m Adam!\" Can you think of any longer palindromes?~How about: \"Mr. Owl ate my metal worm\", or \"A man, a plan, a canal - Panama!\" or \"Einen Ledergurt trug Redelne nie\"? Your imagination is the limit!');
q(' 5What\'s the next letter in this sequence: M, T, W, T, F, ..., ...?~M, T, W, T, F, S, S = Saturday, Sunday');
q(' 6Today\'s puzzle is about adverbial puns. You have to think of a suitable adverb to finish the sentences below. Here are some some examples to get you thinking on the right lines: \"\'I\'m off to the racetrack,\' said Tom hoarsely.\" \"\'Would you like a ride in my new ambulance?\' said Tom hospitably.\" \"\'I like camping!\' said Tom intently.\"
\"\'No, Eve, I won\'t eat that apple!\' said Tom ..............\"
\"\'Don\'t come near me. I\'ve got the flu!\' laughed Tom .............\"
\"\'I\'m sore all over,\' said Tom .................\"
Can you think of any more complete sentences?~Possible answers:
\"\'No, Eve, I won\'t eat that apple!\' said Tom adamantly.\"
\"\'Don\'t come near me. I\'ve got the flu!\' laughed Tom infectiously.\"
\"\'I\'m sore all over,\' said Tom tenderly.\"');
q(' 7Tongue-twisters are not exactly puzzles, but they\'re good fun. The best and most difficult ones are the shortest. Try saying the following ten times quickly without making a mistake: \"Red lolly, yellow lolly.\" If you find this too easy, then try: \"Red lorry, yellow lorry!\"
Do you have any fiendish tongue-twisters to share with others? Tongue-twisters in other languages are welcome too! [Click Homepage feedback at the foot of this page to send your suggestions to the webmaster]~A favourite source for tongue-twisters are the Dr Seuss children\'s books. One of the best is from \"Fox in Socks\":
\"Now we come to ticks and tocks, sir
Try to say this Mr Knox, sir
Clocks on fox tick
Clocks on Knox tock
Six sick bricks tick
Six sick chicks tock.\"
To which poor Knox replies
\"Please sir. I don\'t
like this trick, sir.
My tongue isn\'t
quick or slick, sir.\"');
q(' 8Spoonerisms are named after the real-life Dr Spooner of New College Oxford, who often got his words in a twist. For example, he told his students that everyone has a half-warmed fish inside them. He talked about the pleasures of riding a well-boiled icicle, and referred to Queen Victoria as the queer old dean. Can you work out what he really wanted to say, and do you have any favourite spoonerisms to share with others?~a half-warmed fish = a half-formed wish
a well-boiled icicle = a well-oiled bicycle
the queer old dean = the dear old queen');
q(' 9A popular, groan-inducing pun is the \"Knock-knock\" joke. A typical example is: \"\'Knock-knock\' - \'Who\'s there?\' - \'Boo\' - \'Boo-Who?\' - \'Please don\'t cry!\'\" What\'s your favourite \"Knock-knock\" joke?~The pun is in the words \'Boo-Who?\', which is a play on \"Boohoo\", the noisy sound of a child crying.');
q(' 10Limericks are not puzzles, but they\'re fun to compose. Can you think of a good, clean (!) punchline to the following limerick?
\"A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
..................................\"
What\'s your favourite limerick?~Possible punchlines
A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
But about what he would never confess.
A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
But was kicked out of school nevertheless.');
q(' 11A palindrome is a word or expression spelled the same forwards or backwards, such as: \"Madam\" or \"Draw, O coward!\" or \"Sums are not set as a test on Erasmus.\" A semordnilap, palindromes spelled backwards, is the name someone has given to words that spell different words when reversed. For example: meet-teem, deliver-reviled, repaid-diaper. Three-letter semordnilaps are very common, but can you find any 4 or more-letter examples - in English or other languages?~How about: devil-lived, stressed-desserts, stinker-reknits, Nebel-Leben?');
q(' 12A fun word game is to try and guess words from a given definition. For example: a sailor\'s wedding day = maritime; an ex-spouse = stalemate; a faint noise = locomotion. Can you think of suitable words for the following definitions:
- add to this~add to this');
q(' 13Why do you call your pet newt Tiny?~ - Because he\'s minute, of course!
A newt is a small salamander. The word minute, meaning very small, is pronounced \'my newt\'. Don\'t confuse it with minute, pronounced \'minit\', the 60th part of an hour!');
q(' 14What adjective best describes a pig that has lost its voice?~- disgruntled
The name for the sound a pig makes is \'grunt\'. If you are disgruntled, it means you are irritated and dissatisfied.');
q(' 15Why do you call your horse \"Blacksmith\"?~ - Because he\'s always making a bolt for the door!
A bolt is a metal rod that is pushed across a door to keep it from being opened from the outside. This kind of metal object is made by a blacksmith (who also makes horseshoes). The expression \'making a bolt for ..\' means \'running away to ..\'. So a horse that makes a bolt for the door is trying to escape out of the stables.');
q(' 16What\'s the difference between a robber and a church bell?~- A robber steals from the people and a church bell peals from the steeple!
The joke is in the play on the words steals/people and peals/steeple. (A steeple is a church tower where the bells are located; and to peal means to ring.)');
q(' 17How did the students feel when they were sent home because of the power cut?~- Delighted!
A power cut causes the electricity to go off, thus depriving people of light. One of the meanings of the prefix \'de-\' is \'remove\'; e.g. \'to debug\' is to \'remove bugs from ..\', \'to defuse a situation\' is \'to remove the tension from it\'. So, \'to delight\' is \'to remove the light from ..\'.');
q(' 18How many words are there in the English language?~At the last count about 820,000, which is far more than any other language. By way of comparison, French has less than 100,000. For more on this topic, read the article written by Wordman on the yourDictionary website at http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/ling006.html.');
q(' 19How do you pronounce the word \"ghoti\"?~It sounds exactly like the word \"fish\". Pronounce \"gh\" like the \"gh\" in \"laugh\" or \"cough\". Pronounce the \"o\" as in \"women\", and the \"ti\" as in \"station\" or \"fiction\". For more on this read the article written by Wordman on the yourDictionary website at http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/wordman005.html.');
q(' 20Why is the sky blue?~White light contains the 7 colors of the rainbow, all of which have different wavelengths. Blue light has the shortest wavelength which causes it to get scattered much more than the other colours by oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the atmosphere. The blue in the sky we see is scattered blue light.');
q(' 21You have two egg-timers, one measuring 4 minutes and the other measuring 7. You want to cook an egg for exactly 9 minutes - you like your eggs hard-boiled! How can you use the two timers to make sure that your egg is cooked to perfection?~Start both egg-timers. When the 4-minute timer runs out, turn it over. (Four minutes have passed.) When the 7-minute timer runs out, turn it over. (Seven minutes have passed.) When the 4-minute timer runs out for the second time, 8 minutes have passed in total and the 7-minute glass has been running for 1 minute. Turn it back over again and when it stops, after a minute, 9 minutes have passed!');
q(' 22At the beginning of the summer there is a water-lily in the middle of the lake. In 20 days it will fill the entire lake, doubling in size each day. On which day will it fill half of the lake?~The 19th day. When it dobles in size on the 20th day, it will fill the lake.');
q(' 23Two grade-10 students played 5 games of chess and each won the same number of games. How was this possible?~They weren\'t playing each other!');
q(' 24A new student in grade 9 walks up to you and says: \"Everything I say to you is a lie.\" Is she telling you the truth or is she lying?~The girl is lying.
A. She cannot be speaking the truth because that would make her statement a lie.
B. If she is lying, then the negative of her statement is true. If you believe the negative of \"everything\" is \"nothing\", then you have an impossible paradox. In fact, the negative of \"everything\" is \"not everything\". So although the girl is lying now, not everything she ever says is a lie!');
q(' 25What gets wetter as it dries?~A towel.');
q(' 26How is it possible to divide 9 Euros among 2 fathers and 2 sons so that each person receives exactly 3 Euros.~It\'s easy because there are only 3 people: grandfather, father and son. The father is both father AND son!');
q(' 27What number can be multiplied by a multiple of 3 below 30 so that the answer is always a 3-digit number containing the same digits, e.g. 222, or 444?~37
For example: 37 x 3 = 111; 37 x 18 = 666; 37 x 27 = 999.');
q(' 28John goes to a big Christmas party and is excited to learn that there are exactly 366 people there. \"Wow, cool!\" he says. This means that at least two people here have the same birthday!
Is he right? If not, what is the minimum possible number of people who must share a birthday?~jj');
q(' 29Which English word is always pronounced wrong, even by English native-speakers?~\"Wrong\", of course!');
q(' 30A light flashes every six minutes and a bell rings every eight minutes. If the light flashes as the bell is ringing, how long will it be until this happens again?~24 minutes');
q(' 0If hydrogen (H) is combustible and oxygen (O) is combustible, why does water (H2O) water not explode?
This is the second line of the puzzle.~This problem is a little misleading, as it compares apples and oranges
(Or atoms to molecules as it were). It is meaningless to talk about the combustibility of hydrogen (H) as an atom. Since combustion is a chemical reaction, it is a molecule of Hydrogen (H2) which we can say is combustible.
This is the next line - does it print?
This is another next line.');
q(' 1There are a total of 100 animals: cows, sheep and buffaloes. These 100 animals ate 100 bunches of grass.~There are three possibilities:
Cows: 4; Buffaloes: 18; Sheep: 78
Cows: 8; Buffaloes: 11; Sheep: 81
Cows: 12; Buffaloes: 4; Sheep: 84');
q(' 2Which 3 digit number has the most factors?~840
this is the next line');
q(' 3What is the longest word in the English language?~Smiles - there\'s a mile between the first and last letters. Alternatively, try floccinaucinihilipilification, which means \"holding or judging something to be worthless\".');
q(' 4Palindromes are words or sentences that read the same forwards as backwards. \"Noon\" is a palindrome, as are the first words in the history of the world: \"Madam, I\'m Adam!\" Can you think of any longer palindromes?~How about: \"Mr. Owl ate my metal worm\", or \"A man, a plan, a canal - Panama!\" or \"Einen Ledergurt trug Redelne nie\"? Your imagination is the limit!');
q(' 5What\'s the next letter in this sequence: M, T, W, T, F, ..., ...?~M, T, W, T, F, S, S = Saturday, Sunday');
q(' 6Today\'s puzzle is about adverbial puns. You have to think of a suitable adverb to finish the sentences below. Here are some some examples to get you thinking on the right lines: \"\'I\'m off to the racetrack,\' said Tom hoarsely.\" \"\'Would you like a ride in my new ambulance?\' said Tom hospitably.\" \"\'I like camping!\' said Tom intently.\"
\"\'No, Eve, I won\'t eat that apple!\' said Tom ..............\"
\"\'Don\'t come near me. I\'ve got the flu!\' laughed Tom .............\"
\"\'I\'m sore all over,\' said Tom .................\"
Can you think of any more complete sentences?~Possible answers:
\"\'No, Eve, I won\'t eat that apple!\' said Tom adamantly.\"
\"\'Don\'t come near me. I\'ve got the flu!\' laughed Tom infectiously.\"
\"\'I\'m sore all over,\' said Tom tenderly.\"');
q(' 7Tongue-twisters are not exactly puzzles, but they\'re good fun. The best and most difficult ones are the shortest. Try saying the following ten times quickly without making a mistake: \"Red lolly, yellow lolly.\" If you find this too easy, then try: \"Red lorry, yellow lorry!\"
Do you have any fiendish tongue-twisters to share with others? Tongue-twisters in other languages are welcome too! [Click Homepage feedback at the foot of this page to send your suggestions to the webmaster]~A favourite source for tongue-twisters are the Dr Seuss children\'s books. One of the best is from \"Fox in Socks\":
\"Now we come to ticks and tocks, sir
Try to say this Mr Knox, sir
Clocks on fox tick
Clocks on Knox tock
Six sick bricks tick
Six sick chicks tock.\"
To which poor Knox replies
\"Please sir. I don\'t
like this trick, sir.
My tongue isn\'t
quick or slick, sir.\"');
q(' 8Spoonerisms are named after the real-life Dr Spooner of New College Oxford, who often got his words in a twist. For example, he told his students that everyone has a half-warmed fish inside them. He talked about the pleasures of riding a well-boiled icicle, and referred to Queen Victoria as the queer old dean. Can you work out what he really wanted to say, and do you have any favourite spoonerisms to share with others?~a half-warmed fish = a half-formed wish
a well-boiled icicle = a well-oiled bicycle
the queer old dean = the dear old queen');
q(' 9A popular, groan-inducing pun is the \"Knock-knock\" joke. A typical example is: \"\'Knock-knock\' - \'Who\'s there?\' - \'Boo\' - \'Boo-Who?\' - \'Please don\'t cry!\'\" What\'s your favourite \"Knock-knock\" joke?~The pun is in the words \'Boo-Who?\', which is a play on \"Boohoo\", the noisy sound of a child crying.');
q(' 10Limericks are not puzzles, but they\'re fun to compose. Can you think of a good, clean (!) punchline to the following limerick?
\"A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
..................................\"
What\'s your favourite limerick?~Possible punchlines
A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
But about what he would never confess.
A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
But was kicked out of school nevertheless.');
q(' 11A palindrome is a word or expression spelled the same forwards or backwards, such as: \"Madam\" or \"Draw, O coward!\" or \"Sums are not set as a test on Erasmus.\" A semordnilap, palindromes spelled backwards, is the name someone has given to words that spell different words when reversed. For example: meet-teem, deliver-reviled, repaid-diaper. Three-letter semordnilaps are very common, but can you find any 4 or more-letter examples - in English or other languages?~How about: devil-lived, stressed-desserts, stinker-reknits, Nebel-Leben?');
q(' 12A fun word game is to try and guess words from a given definition. For example: a sailor\'s wedding day = maritime; an ex-spouse = stalemate; a faint noise = locomotion. Can you think of suitable words for the following definitions:
- add to this~add to this');
q(' 13Why do you call your pet newt Tiny?~ - Because he\'s minute, of course!
A newt is a small salamander. The word minute, meaning very small, is pronounced \'my newt\'. Don\'t confuse it with minute, pronounced \'minit\', the 60th part of an hour!');
q(' 14What adjective best describes a pig that has lost its voice?~- disgruntled
The name for the sound a pig makes is \'grunt\'. If you are disgruntled, it means you are irritated and dissatisfied.');
q(' 15Why do you call your horse \"Blacksmith\"?~ - Because he\'s always making a bolt for the door!
A bolt is a metal rod that is pushed across a door to keep it from being opened from the outside. This kind of metal object is made by a blacksmith (who also makes horseshoes). The expression \'making a bolt for ..\' means \'running away to ..\'. So a horse that makes a bolt for the door is trying to escape out of the stables.');
q(' 16What\'s the difference between a robber and a church bell?~- A robber steals from the people and a church bell peals from the steeple!
The joke is in the play on the words steals/people and peals/steeple. (A steeple is a church tower where the bells are located; and to peal means to ring.)');
q(' 17How did the students feel when they were sent home because of the power cut?~- Delighted!
A power cut causes the electricity to go off, thus depriving people of light. One of the meanings of the prefix \'de-\' is \'remove\'; e.g. \'to debug\' is to \'remove bugs from ..\', \'to defuse a situation\' is \'to remove the tension from it\'. So, \'to delight\' is \'to remove the light from ..\'.');
q(' 18How many words are there in the English language?~At the last count about 820,000, which is far more than any other language. By way of comparison, French has less than 100,000. For more on this topic, read the article written by Wordman on the yourDictionary website at http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/ling006.html.');
q(' 19How do you pronounce the word \"ghoti\"?~It sounds exactly like the word \"fish\". Pronounce \"gh\" like the \"gh\" in \"laugh\" or \"cough\". Pronounce the \"o\" as in \"women\", and the \"ti\" as in \"station\" or \"fiction\". For more on this read the article written by Wordman on the yourDictionary website at http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/wordman005.html.');
q(' 20Why is the sky blue?~White light contains the 7 colors of the rainbow, all of which have different wavelengths. Blue light has the shortest wavelength which causes it to get scattered much more than the other colours by oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the atmosphere. The blue in the sky we see is scattered blue light.');
q(' 21You have two egg-timers, one measuring 4 minutes and the other measuring 7. You want to cook an egg for exactly 9 minutes - you like your eggs hard-boiled! How can you use the two timers to make sure that your egg is cooked to perfection?~Start both egg-timers. When the 4-minute timer runs out, turn it over. (Four minutes have passed.) When the 7-minute timer runs out, turn it over. (Seven minutes have passed.) When the 4-minute timer runs out for the second time, 8 minutes have passed in total and the 7-minute glass has been running for 1 minute. Turn it back over again and when it stops, after a minute, 9 minutes have passed!');
q(' 22At the beginning of the summer there is a water-lily in the middle of the lake. In 20 days it will fill the entire lake, doubling in size each day. On which day will it fill half of the lake?~The 19th day. When it dobles in size on the 20th day, it will fill the lake.');
q(' 23Two grade-10 students played 5 games of chess and each won the same number of games. How was this possible?~They weren\'t playing each other!');
q(' 24A new student in grade 9 walks up to you and says: \"Everything I say to you is a lie.\" Is she telling you the truth or is she lying?~The girl is lying.
A. She cannot be speaking the truth because that would make her statement a lie.
B. If she is lying, then the negative of her statement is true. If you believe the negative of \"everything\" is \"nothing\", then you have an impossible paradox. In fact, the negative of \"everything\" is \"not everything\". So although the girl is lying now, not everything she ever says is a lie!');
q(' 25What gets wetter as it dries?~A towel.');
q(' 26How is it possible to divide 9 Euros among 2 fathers and 2 sons so that each person receives exactly 3 Euros.~It\'s easy because there are only 3 people: grandfather, father and son. The father is both father AND son!');
q(' 27What number can be multiplied by a multiple of 3 below 30 so that the answer is always a 3-digit number containing the same digits, e.g. 222, or 444?~37
For example: 37 x 3 = 111; 37 x 18 = 666; 37 x 27 = 999.');
q(' 28John goes to a big Christmas party and is excited to learn that there are exactly 366 people there. \"Wow, cool!\" he says. This means that at least two people here have the same birthday!
Is he right? If not, what is the minimum possible number of people who must share a birthday?~jj');
q(' 29Which English word is always pronounced wrong, even by English native-speakers?~\"Wrong\", of course!');
q(' 30A light flashes every six minutes and a bell rings every eight minutes. If the light flashes as the bell is ringing, how long will it be until this happens again?~24 minutes');
q(' 0If hydrogen (H) is combustible and oxygen (O) is combustible, why does water (H2O) water not explode?
This is the second line of the puzzle.~This problem is a little misleading, as it compares apples and oranges
(Or atoms to molecules as it were). It is meaningless to talk about the combustibility of hydrogen (H) as an atom. Since combustion is a chemical reaction, it is a molecule of Hydrogen (H2) which we can say is combustible.
This is the next line - does it print?
This is another next line.');
q(' 1There are a total of 100 animals: cows, sheep and buffaloes. These 100 animals ate 100 bunches of grass.~There are three possibilities:
Cows: 4; Buffaloes: 18; Sheep: 78
Cows: 8; Buffaloes: 11; Sheep: 81
Cows: 12; Buffaloes: 4; Sheep: 84');
q(' 2Which 3 digit number has the most factors?~840
this is the next line');
q(' 3What is the longest word in the English language?~Smiles - there\'s a mile between the first and last letters. Alternatively, try floccinaucinihilipilification, which means \"holding or judging something to be worthless\".');
q(' 4Palindromes are words or sentences that read the same forwards as backwards. \"Noon\" is a palindrome, as are the first words in the history of the world: \"Madam, I\'m Adam!\" Can you think of any longer palindromes?~How about: \"Mr. Owl ate my metal worm\", or \"A man, a plan, a canal - Panama!\" or \"Einen Ledergurt trug Redelne nie\"? Your imagination is the limit!');
q(' 5What\'s the next letter in this sequence: M, T, W, T, F, ..., ...?~M, T, W, T, F, S, S = Saturday, Sunday');
q(' 6Today\'s puzzle is about adverbial puns. You have to think of a suitable adverb to finish the sentences below. Here are some some examples to get you thinking on the right lines: \"\'I\'m off to the racetrack,\' said Tom hoarsely.\" \"\'Would you like a ride in my new ambulance?\' said Tom hospitably.\" \"\'I like camping!\' said Tom intently.\"
\"\'No, Eve, I won\'t eat that apple!\' said Tom ..............\"
\"\'Don\'t come near me. I\'ve got the flu!\' laughed Tom .............\"
\"\'I\'m sore all over,\' said Tom .................\"
Can you think of any more complete sentences?~Possible answers:
\"\'No, Eve, I won\'t eat that apple!\' said Tom adamantly.\"
\"\'Don\'t come near me. I\'ve got the flu!\' laughed Tom infectiously.\"
\"\'I\'m sore all over,\' said Tom tenderly.\"');
q(' 7Tongue-twisters are not exactly puzzles, but they\'re good fun. The best and most difficult ones are the shortest. Try saying the following ten times quickly without making a mistake: \"Red lolly, yellow lolly.\" If you find this too easy, then try: \"Red lorry, yellow lorry!\"
Do you have any fiendish tongue-twisters to share with others? Tongue-twisters in other languages are welcome too! [Click Homepage feedback at the foot of this page to send your suggestions to the webmaster]~A favourite source for tongue-twisters are the Dr Seuss children\'s books. One of the best is from \"Fox in Socks\":
\"Now we come to ticks and tocks, sir
Try to say this Mr Knox, sir
Clocks on fox tick
Clocks on Knox tock
Six sick bricks tick
Six sick chicks tock.\"
To which poor Knox replies
\"Please sir. I don\'t
like this trick, sir.
My tongue isn\'t
quick or slick, sir.\"');
q(' 8Spoonerisms are named after the real-life Dr Spooner of New College Oxford, who often got his words in a twist. For example, he told his students that everyone has a half-warmed fish inside them. He talked about the pleasures of riding a well-boiled icicle, and referred to Queen Victoria as the queer old dean. Can you work out what he really wanted to say, and do you have any favourite spoonerisms to share with others?~a half-warmed fish = a half-formed wish
a well-boiled icicle = a well-oiled bicycle
the queer old dean = the dear old queen');
q(' 9A popular, groan-inducing pun is the \"Knock-knock\" joke. A typical example is: \"\'Knock-knock\' - \'Who\'s there?\' - \'Boo\' - \'Boo-Who?\' - \'Please don\'t cry!\'\" What\'s your favourite \"Knock-knock\" joke?~The pun is in the words \'Boo-Who?\', which is a play on \"Boohoo\", the noisy sound of a child crying.');
q(' 10Limericks are not puzzles, but they\'re fun to compose. Can you think of a good, clean (!) punchline to the following limerick?
\"A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
..................................\"
What\'s your favourite limerick?~Possible punchlines
A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
But about what he would never confess.
A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
But was kicked out of school nevertheless.');
q(' 11A palindrome is a word or expression spelled the same forwards or backwards, such as: \"Madam\" or \"Draw, O coward!\" or \"Sums are not set as a test on Erasmus.\" A semordnilap, palindromes spelled backwards, is the name someone has given to words that spell different words when reversed. For example: meet-teem, deliver-reviled, repaid-diaper. Three-letter semordnilaps are very common, but can you find any 4 or more-letter examples - in English or other languages?~How about: devil-lived, stressed-desserts, stinker-reknits, Nebel-Leben?');
q(' 12A fun word game is to try and guess words from a given definition. For example: a sailor\'s wedding day = maritime; an ex-spouse = stalemate; a faint noise = locomotion. Can you think of suitable words for the following definitions:
- add to this~add to this');
q(' 13Why do you call your pet newt Tiny?~ - Because he\'s minute, of course!
A newt is a small salamander. The word minute, meaning very small, is pronounced \'my newt\'. Don\'t confuse it with minute, pronounced \'minit\', the 60th part of an hour!');
q(' 14What adjective best describes a pig that has lost its voice?~- disgruntled
The name for the sound a pig makes is \'grunt\'. If you are disgruntled, it means you are irritated and dissatisfied.');
q(' 15Why do you call your horse \"Blacksmith\"?~ - Because he\'s always making a bolt for the door!
A bolt is a metal rod that is pushed across a door to keep it from being opened from the outside. This kind of metal object is made by a blacksmith (who also makes horseshoes). The expression \'making a bolt for ..\' means \'running away to ..\'. So a horse that makes a bolt for the door is trying to escape out of the stables.');
q(' 16What\'s the difference between a robber and a church bell?~- A robber steals from the people and a church bell peals from the steeple!
The joke is in the play on the words steals/people and peals/steeple. (A steeple is a church tower where the bells are located; and to peal means to ring.)');
q(' 17How did the students feel when they were sent home because of the power cut?~- Delighted!
A power cut causes the electricity to go off, thus depriving people of light. One of the meanings of the prefix \'de-\' is \'remove\'; e.g. \'to debug\' is to \'remove bugs from ..\', \'to defuse a situation\' is \'to remove the tension from it\'. So, \'to delight\' is \'to remove the light from ..\'.');
q(' 18How many words are there in the English language?~At the last count about 820,000, which is far more than any other language. By way of comparison, French has less than 100,000. For more on this topic, read the article written by Wordman on the yourDictionary website at http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/ling006.html.');
q(' 19How do you pronounce the word \"ghoti\"?~It sounds exactly like the word \"fish\". Pronounce \"gh\" like the \"gh\" in \"laugh\" or \"cough\". Pronounce the \"o\" as in \"women\", and the \"ti\" as in \"station\" or \"fiction\". For more on this read the article written by Wordman on the yourDictionary website at http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/wordman005.html.');
q(' 20Why is the sky blue?~White light contains the 7 colors of the rainbow, all of which have different wavelengths. Blue light has the shortest wavelength which causes it to get scattered much more than the other colours by oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the atmosphere. The blue in the sky we see is scattered blue light.');
q(' 21You have two egg-timers, one measuring 4 minutes and the other measuring 7. You want to cook an egg for exactly 9 minutes - you like your eggs hard-boiled! How can you use the two timers to make sure that your egg is cooked to perfection?~Start both egg-timers. When the 4-minute timer runs out, turn it over. (Four minutes have passed.) When the 7-minute timer runs out, turn it over. (Seven minutes have passed.) When the 4-minute timer runs out for the second time, 8 minutes have passed in total and the 7-minute glass has been running for 1 minute. Turn it back over again and when it stops, after a minute, 9 minutes have passed!');
q(' 22At the beginning of the summer there is a water-lily in the middle of the lake. In 20 days it will fill the entire lake, doubling in size each day. On which day will it fill half of the lake?~The 19th day. When it dobles in size on the 20th day, it will fill the lake.');
q(' 23Two grade-10 students played 5 games of chess and each won the same number of games. How was this possible?~They weren\'t playing each other!');
q(' 24A new student in grade 9 walks up to you and says: \"Everything I say to you is a lie.\" Is she telling you the truth or is she lying?~The girl is lying.
A. She cannot be speaking the truth because that would make her statement a lie.
B. If she is lying, then the negative of her statement is true. If you believe the negative of \"everything\" is \"nothing\", then you have an impossible paradox. In fact, the negative of \"everything\" is \"not everything\". So although the girl is lying now, not everything she ever says is a lie!');
q(' 25What gets wetter as it dries?~A towel.');
q(' 26How is it possible to divide 9 Euros among 2 fathers and 2 sons so that each person receives exactly 3 Euros.~It\'s easy because there are only 3 people: grandfather, father and son. The father is both father AND son!');
q(' 27What number can be multiplied by a multiple of 3 below 30 so that the answer is always a 3-digit number containing the same digits, e.g. 222, or 444?~37
For example: 37 x 3 = 111; 37 x 18 = 666; 37 x 27 = 999.');
q(' 28John goes to a big Christmas party and is excited to learn that there are exactly 366 people there. \"Wow, cool!\" he says. This means that at least two people here have the same birthday!
Is he right? If not, what is the minimum possible number of people who must share a birthday?~jj');
q(' 29Which English word is always pronounced wrong, even by English native-speakers?~\"Wrong\", of course!');
q(' 30A light flashes every six minutes and a bell rings every eight minutes. If the light flashes as the bell is ringing, how long will it be until this happens again?~24 minutes');
q(' 0If hydrogen (H) is combustible and oxygen (O) is combustible, why does water (H2O) water not explode?
This is the second line of the puzzle.~This problem is a little misleading, as it compares apples and oranges
(Or atoms to molecules as it were). It is meaningless to talk about the combustibility of hydrogen (H) as an atom. Since combustion is a chemical reaction, it is a molecule of Hydrogen (H2) which we can say is combustible.
This is the next line - does it print?
This is another next line.');
q(' 1There are a total of 100 animals: cows, sheep and buffaloes. These 100 animals ate 100 bunches of grass.~There are three possibilities:
Cows: 4; Buffaloes: 18; Sheep: 78
Cows: 8; Buffaloes: 11; Sheep: 81
Cows: 12; Buffaloes: 4; Sheep: 84');
q(' 2Which 3 digit number has the most factors?~840
this is the next line');
q(' 3What is the longest word in the English language?~Smiles - there\'s a mile between the first and last letters. Alternatively, try floccinaucinihilipilification, which means \"holding or judging something to be worthless\".');
q(' 4Palindromes are words or sentences that read the same forwards as backwards. \"Noon\" is a palindrome, as are the first words in the history of the world: \"Madam, I\'m Adam!\" Can you think of any longer palindromes?~How about: \"Mr. Owl ate my metal worm\", or \"A man, a plan, a canal - Panama!\" or \"Einen Ledergurt trug Redelne nie\"? Your imagination is the limit!');
q(' 5What\'s the next letter in this sequence: M, T, W, T, F, ..., ...?~M, T, W, T, F, S, S = Saturday, Sunday');
q(' 6Today\'s puzzle is about adverbial puns. You have to think of a suitable adverb to finish the sentences below. Here are some some examples to get you thinking on the right lines: \"\'I\'m off to the racetrack,\' said Tom hoarsely.\" \"\'Would you like a ride in my new ambulance?\' said Tom hospitably.\" \"\'I like camping!\' said Tom intently.\"
\"\'No, Eve, I won\'t eat that apple!\' said Tom ..............\"
\"\'Don\'t come near me. I\'ve got the flu!\' laughed Tom .............\"
\"\'I\'m sore all over,\' said Tom .................\"
Can you think of any more complete sentences?~Possible answers:
\"\'No, Eve, I won\'t eat that apple!\' said Tom adamantly.\"
\"\'Don\'t come near me. I\'ve got the flu!\' laughed Tom infectiously.\"
\"\'I\'m sore all over,\' said Tom tenderly.\"');
q(' 7Tongue-twisters are not exactly puzzles, but they\'re good fun. The best and most difficult ones are the shortest. Try saying the following ten times quickly without making a mistake: \"Red lolly, yellow lolly.\" If you find this too easy, then try: \"Red lorry, yellow lorry!\"
Do you have any fiendish tongue-twisters to share with others? Tongue-twisters in other languages are welcome too! [Click Homepage feedback at the foot of this page to send your suggestions to the webmaster]~A favourite source for tongue-twisters are the Dr Seuss children\'s books. One of the best is from \"Fox in Socks\":
\"Now we come to ticks and tocks, sir
Try to say this Mr Knox, sir
Clocks on fox tick
Clocks on Knox tock
Six sick bricks tick
Six sick chicks tock.\"
To which poor Knox replies
\"Please sir. I don\'t
like this trick, sir.
My tongue isn\'t
quick or slick, sir.\"');
q(' 8Spoonerisms are named after the real-life Dr Spooner of New College Oxford, who often got his words in a twist. For example, he told his students that everyone has a half-warmed fish inside them. He talked about the pleasures of riding a well-boiled icicle, and referred to Queen Victoria as the queer old dean. Can you work out what he really wanted to say, and do you have any favourite spoonerisms to share with others?~a half-warmed fish = a half-formed wish
a well-boiled icicle = a well-oiled bicycle
the queer old dean = the dear old queen');
q(' 9A popular, groan-inducing pun is the \"Knock-knock\" joke. A typical example is: \"\'Knock-knock\' - \'Who\'s there?\' - \'Boo\' - \'Boo-Who?\' - \'Please don\'t cry!\'\" What\'s your favourite \"Knock-knock\" joke?~The pun is in the words \'Boo-Who?\', which is a play on \"Boohoo\", the noisy sound of a child crying.');
q(' 10Limericks are not puzzles, but they\'re fun to compose. Can you think of a good, clean (!) punchline to the following limerick?
\"A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
..................................\"
What\'s your favourite limerick?~Possible punchlines
A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
But about what he would never confess.
A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
But was kicked out of school nevertheless.');
q(' 11A palindrome is a word or expression spelled the same forwards or backwards, such as: \"Madam\" or \"Draw, O coward!\" or \"Sums are not set as a test on Erasmus.\" A semordnilap, palindromes spelled backwards, is the name someone has given to words that spell different words when reversed. For example: meet-teem, deliver-reviled, repaid-diaper. Three-letter semordnilaps are very common, but can you find any 4 or more-letter examples - in English or other languages?~How about: devil-lived, stressed-desserts, stinker-reknits, Nebel-Leben?');
q(' 12A fun word game is to try and guess words from a given definition. For example: a sailor\'s wedding day = maritime; an ex-spouse = stalemate; a faint noise = locomotion. Can you think of suitable words for the following definitions:
- add to this~add to this');
q(' 13Why do you call your pet newt Tiny?~ - Because he\'s minute, of course!
A newt is a small salamander. The word minute, meaning very small, is pronounced \'my newt\'. Don\'t confuse it with minute, pronounced \'minit\', the 60th part of an hour!');
q(' 14What adjective best describes a pig that has lost its voice?~- disgruntled
The name for the sound a pig makes is \'grunt\'. If you are disgruntled, it means you are irritated and dissatisfied.');
q(' 15Why do you call your horse \"Blacksmith\"?~ - Because he\'s always making a bolt for the door!
A bolt is a metal rod that is pushed across a door to keep it from being opened from the outside. This kind of metal object is made by a blacksmith (who also makes horseshoes). The expression \'making a bolt for ..\' means \'running away to ..\'. So a horse that makes a bolt for the door is trying to escape out of the stables.');
q(' 16What\'s the difference between a robber and a church bell?~- A robber steals from the people and a church bell peals from the steeple!
The joke is in the play on the words steals/people and peals/steeple. (A steeple is a church tower where the bells are located; and to peal means to ring.)');
q(' 17How did the students feel when they were sent home because of the power cut?~- Delighted!
A power cut causes the electricity to go off, thus depriving people of light. One of the meanings of the prefix \'de-\' is \'remove\'; e.g. \'to debug\' is to \'remove bugs from ..\', \'to defuse a situation\' is \'to remove the tension from it\'. So, \'to delight\' is \'to remove the light from ..\'.');
q(' 18How many words are there in the English language?~At the last count about 820,000, which is far more than any other language. By way of comparison, French has less than 100,000. For more on this topic, read the article written by Wordman on the yourDictionary website at http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/ling006.html.');
q(' 19How do you pronounce the word \"ghoti\"?~It sounds exactly like the word \"fish\". Pronounce \"gh\" like the \"gh\" in \"laugh\" or \"cough\". Pronounce the \"o\" as in \"women\", and the \"ti\" as in \"station\" or \"fiction\". For more on this read the article written by Wordman on the yourDictionary website at http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/wordman005.html.');
q(' 20Why is the sky blue?~White light contains the 7 colors of the rainbow, all of which have different wavelengths. Blue light has the shortest wavelength which causes it to get scattered much more than the other colours by oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the atmosphere. The blue in the sky we see is scattered blue light.');
q(' 21You have two egg-timers, one measuring 4 minutes and the other measuring 7. You want to cook an egg for exactly 9 minutes - you like your eggs hard-boiled! How can you use the two timers to make sure that your egg is cooked to perfection?~Start both egg-timers. When the 4-minute timer runs out, turn it over. (Four minutes have passed.) When the 7-minute timer runs out, turn it over. (Seven minutes have passed.) When the 4-minute timer runs out for the second time, 8 minutes have passed in total and the 7-minute glass has been running for 1 minute. Turn it back over again and when it stops, after a minute, 9 minutes have passed!');
q(' 22At the beginning of the summer there is a water-lily in the middle of the lake. In 20 days it will fill the entire lake, doubling in size each day. On which day will it fill half of the lake?~The 19th day. When it dobles in size on the 20th day, it will fill the lake.');
q(' 23Two grade-10 students played 5 games of chess and each won the same number of games. How was this possible?~They weren\'t playing each other!');
q(' 24A new student in grade 9 walks up to you and says: \"Everything I say to you is a lie.\" Is she telling you the truth or is she lying?~The girl is lying.
A. She cannot be speaking the truth because that would make her statement a lie.
B. If she is lying, then the negative of her statement is true. If you believe the negative of \"everything\" is \"nothing\", then you have an impossible paradox. In fact, the negative of \"everything\" is \"not everything\". So although the girl is lying now, not everything she ever says is a lie!');
q(' 25What gets wetter as it dries?~A towel.');
q(' 26How is it possible to divide 9 Euros among 2 fathers and 2 sons so that each person receives exactly 3 Euros.~It\'s easy because there are only 3 people: grandfather, father and son. The father is both father AND son!');
q(' 27What number can be multiplied by a multiple of 3 below 30 so that the answer is always a 3-digit number containing the same digits, e.g. 222, or 444?~37
For example: 37 x 3 = 111; 37 x 18 = 666; 37 x 27 = 999.');
q(' 28John goes to a big Christmas party and is excited to learn that there are exactly 366 people there. \"Wow, cool!\" he says. This means that at least two people here have the same birthday!
Is he right? If not, what is the minimum possible number of people who must share a birthday?~jj');
q(' 29Which English word is always pronounced wrong, even by English native-speakers?~\"Wrong\", of course!');
q(' 30A light flashes every six minutes and a bell rings every eight minutes. If the light flashes as the bell is ringing, how long will it be until this happens again?~24 minutes');
q(' 0If hydrogen (H) is combustible and oxygen (O) is combustible, why does water (H2O) water not explode?
This is the second line of the puzzle.~This problem is a little misleading, as it compares apples and oranges
(Or atoms to molecules as it were). It is meaningless to talk about the combustibility of hydrogen (H) as an atom. Since combustion is a chemical reaction, it is a molecule of Hydrogen (H2) which we can say is combustible.
This is the next line - does it print?
This is another next line.');
q(' 1There are a total of 100 animals: cows, sheep and buffaloes. These 100 animals ate 100 bunches of grass.~There are three possibilities:
Cows: 4; Buffaloes: 18; Sheep: 78
Cows: 8; Buffaloes: 11; Sheep: 81
Cows: 12; Buffaloes: 4; Sheep: 84');
q(' 2Which 3 digit number has the most factors?~840
this is the next line');
q(' 3What is the longest word in the English language?~Smiles - there\'s a mile between the first and last letters. Alternatively, try floccinaucinihilipilification, which means \"holding or judging something to be worthless\".');
q(' 4Palindromes are words or sentences that read the same forwards as backwards. \"Noon\" is a palindrome, as are the first words in the history of the world: \"Madam, I\'m Adam!\" Can you think of any longer palindromes?~How about: \"Mr. Owl ate my metal worm\", or \"A man, a plan, a canal - Panama!\" or \"Einen Ledergurt trug Redelne nie\"? Your imagination is the limit!');
q(' 5What\'s the next letter in this sequence: M, T, W, T, F, ..., ...?~M, T, W, T, F, S, S = Saturday, Sunday');
q(' 6Today\'s puzzle is about adverbial puns. You have to think of a suitable adverb to finish the sentences below. Here are some some examples to get you thinking on the right lines: \"\'I\'m off to the racetrack,\' said Tom hoarsely.\" \"\'Would you like a ride in my new ambulance?\' said Tom hospitably.\" \"\'I like camping!\' said Tom intently.\"
\"\'No, Eve, I won\'t eat that apple!\' said Tom ..............\"
\"\'Don\'t come near me. I\'ve got the flu!\' laughed Tom .............\"
\"\'I\'m sore all over,\' said Tom .................\"
Can you think of any more complete sentences?~Possible answers:
\"\'No, Eve, I won\'t eat that apple!\' said Tom adamantly.\"
\"\'Don\'t come near me. I\'ve got the flu!\' laughed Tom infectiously.\"
\"\'I\'m sore all over,\' said Tom tenderly.\"');
q(' 7Tongue-twisters are not exactly puzzles, but they\'re good fun. The best and most difficult ones are the shortest. Try saying the following ten times quickly without making a mistake: \"Red lolly, yellow lolly.\" If you find this too easy, then try: \"Red lorry, yellow lorry!\"
Do you have any fiendish tongue-twisters to share with others? Tongue-twisters in other languages are welcome too! [Click Homepage feedback at the foot of this page to send your suggestions to the webmaster]~A favourite source for tongue-twisters are the Dr Seuss children\'s books. One of the best is from \"Fox in Socks\":
\"Now we come to ticks and tocks, sir
Try to say this Mr Knox, sir
Clocks on fox tick
Clocks on Knox tock
Six sick bricks tick
Six sick chicks tock.\"
To which poor Knox replies
\"Please sir. I don\'t
like this trick, sir.
My tongue isn\'t
quick or slick, sir.\"');
q(' 8Spoonerisms are named after the real-life Dr Spooner of New College Oxford, who often got his words in a twist. For example, he told his students that everyone has a half-warmed fish inside them. He talked about the pleasures of riding a well-boiled icicle, and referred to Queen Victoria as the queer old dean. Can you work out what he really wanted to say, and do you have any favourite spoonerisms to share with others?~a half-warmed fish = a half-formed wish
a well-boiled icicle = a well-oiled bicycle
the queer old dean = the dear old queen');
q(' 9A popular, groan-inducing pun is the \"Knock-knock\" joke. A typical example is: \"\'Knock-knock\' - \'Who\'s there?\' - \'Boo\' - \'Boo-Who?\' - \'Please don\'t cry!\'\" What\'s your favourite \"Knock-knock\" joke?~The pun is in the words \'Boo-Who?\', which is a play on \"Boohoo\", the noisy sound of a child crying.');
q(' 10Limericks are not puzzles, but they\'re fun to compose. Can you think of a good, clean (!) punchline to the following limerick?
\"A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
..................................\"
What\'s your favourite limerick?~Possible punchlines
A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
But about what he would never confess.
A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
But was kicked out of school nevertheless.');
q(' 11A palindrome is a word or expression spelled the same forwards or backwards, such as: \"Madam\" or \"Draw, O coward!\" or \"Sums are not set as a test on Erasmus.\" A semordnilap, palindromes spelled backwards, is the name someone has given to words that spell different words when reversed. For example: meet-teem, deliver-reviled, repaid-diaper. Three-letter semordnilaps are very common, but can you find any 4 or more-letter examples - in English or other languages?~How about: devil-lived, stressed-desserts, stinker-reknits, Nebel-Leben?');
q(' 12A fun word game is to try and guess words from a given definition. For example: a sailor\'s wedding day = maritime; an ex-spouse = stalemate; a faint noise = locomotion. Can you think of suitable words for the following definitions:
- add to this~add to this');
q(' 13Why do you call your pet newt Tiny?~ - Because he\'s minute, of course!
A newt is a small salamander. The word minute, meaning very small, is pronounced \'my newt\'. Don\'t confuse it with minute, pronounced \'minit\', the 60th part of an hour!');
q(' 14What adjective best describes a pig that has lost its voice?~- disgruntled
The name for the sound a pig makes is \'grunt\'. If you are disgruntled, it means you are irritated and dissatisfied.');
q(' 15Why do you call your horse \"Blacksmith\"?~ - Because he\'s always making a bolt for the door!
A bolt is a metal rod that is pushed across a door to keep it from being opened from the outside. This kind of metal object is made by a blacksmith (who also makes horseshoes). The expression \'making a bolt for ..\' means \'running away to ..\'. So a horse that makes a bolt for the door is trying to escape out of the stables.');
q(' 16What\'s the difference between a robber and a church bell?~- A robber steals from the people and a church bell peals from the steeple!
The joke is in the play on the words steals/people and peals/steeple. (A steeple is a church tower where the bells are located; and to peal means to ring.)');
q(' 17How did the students feel when they were sent home because of the power cut?~- Delighted!
A power cut causes the electricity to go off, thus depriving people of light. One of the meanings of the prefix \'de-\' is \'remove\'; e.g. \'to debug\' is to \'remove bugs from ..\', \'to defuse a situation\' is \'to remove the tension from it\'. So, \'to delight\' is \'to remove the light from ..\'.');
q(' 18How many words are there in the English language?~At the last count about 820,000, which is far more than any other language. By way of comparison, French has less than 100,000. For more on this topic, read the article written by Wordman on the yourDictionary website at http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/ling006.html.');
q(' 19How do you pronounce the word \"ghoti\"?~It sounds exactly like the word \"fish\". Pronounce \"gh\" like the \"gh\" in \"laugh\" or \"cough\". Pronounce the \"o\" as in \"women\", and the \"ti\" as in \"station\" or \"fiction\". For more on this read the article written by Wordman on the yourDictionary website at http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/wordman005.html.');
q(' 20Why is the sky blue?~White light contains the 7 colors of the rainbow, all of which have different wavelengths. Blue light has the shortest wavelength which causes it to get scattered much more than the other colours by oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the atmosphere. The blue in the sky we see is scattered blue light.');
q(' 21You have two egg-timers, one measuring 4 minutes and the other measuring 7. You want to cook an egg for exactly 9 minutes - you like your eggs hard-boiled! How can you use the two timers to make sure that your egg is cooked to perfection?~Start both egg-timers. When the 4-minute timer runs out, turn it over. (Four minutes have passed.) When the 7-minute timer runs out, turn it over. (Seven minutes have passed.) When the 4-minute timer runs out for the second time, 8 minutes have passed in total and the 7-minute glass has been running for 1 minute. Turn it back over again and when it stops, after a minute, 9 minutes have passed!');
q(' 22At the beginning of the summer there is a water-lily in the middle of the lake. In 20 days it will fill the entire lake, doubling in size each day. On which day will it fill half of the lake?~The 19th day. When it dobles in size on the 20th day, it will fill the lake.');
q(' 23Two grade-10 students played 5 games of chess and each won the same number of games. How was this possible?~They weren\'t playing each other!');
q(' 24A new student in grade 9 walks up to you and says: \"Everything I say to you is a lie.\" Is she telling you the truth or is she lying?~The girl is lying.
A. She cannot be speaking the truth because that would make her statement a lie.
B. If she is lying, then the negative of her statement is true. If you believe the negative of \"everything\" is \"nothing\", then you have an impossible paradox. In fact, the negative of \"everything\" is \"not everything\". So although the girl is lying now, not everything she ever says is a lie!');
q(' 25What gets wetter as it dries?~A towel.');
q(' 26How is it possible to divide 9 Euros among 2 fathers and 2 sons so that each person receives exactly 3 Euros.~It\'s easy because there are only 3 people: grandfather, father and son. The father is both father AND son!');
q(' 27What number can be multiplied by a multiple of 3 below 30 so that the answer is always a 3-digit number containing the same digits, e.g. 222, or 444?~37
For example: 37 x 3 = 111; 37 x 18 = 666; 37 x 27 = 999.');
q(' 28John goes to a big Christmas party and is excited to learn that there are exactly 366 people there. \"Wow, cool!\" he says. This means that at least two people here have the same birthday!
Is he right? If not, what is the minimum possible number of people who must share a birthday?~jj');
q(' 29Which English word is always pronounced wrong, even by English native-speakers?~\"Wrong\", of course!');
q(' 30A light flashes every six minutes and a bell rings every eight minutes. If the light flashes as the bell is ringing, how long will it be until this happens again?~24 minutes');
q(' 0If hydrogen (H) is combustible and oxygen (O) is combustible, why does water (H2O) water not explode?
This is the second line of the puzzle.~This problem is a little misleading, as it compares apples and oranges
(Or atoms to molecules as it were). It is meaningless to talk about the combustibility of hydrogen (H) as an atom. Since combustion is a chemical reaction, it is a molecule of Hydrogen (H2) which we can say is combustible.
This is the next line - does it print?
This is another next line.');
q(' 1There are a total of 100 animals: cows, sheep and buffaloes. These 100 animals ate 100 bunches of grass.~There are three possibilities:
Cows: 4; Buffaloes: 18; Sheep: 78
Cows: 8; Buffaloes: 11; Sheep: 81
Cows: 12; Buffaloes: 4; Sheep: 84');
q(' 2Which 3 digit number has the most factors?~840
this is the next line');
q(' 3What is the longest word in the English language?~Smiles - there\'s a mile between the first and last letters. Alternatively, try floccinaucinihilipilification, which means \"holding or judging something to be worthless\".');
q(' 4Palindromes are words or sentences that read the same forwards as backwards. \"Noon\" is a palindrome, as are the first words in the history of the world: \"Madam, I\'m Adam!\" Can you think of any longer palindromes?~How about: \"Mr. Owl ate my metal worm\", or \"A man, a plan, a canal - Panama!\" or \"Einen Ledergurt trug Redelne nie\"? Your imagination is the limit!');
q(' 5What\'s the next letter in this sequence: M, T, W, T, F, ..., ...?~M, T, W, T, F, S, S = Saturday, Sunday');
q(' 6Today\'s puzzle is about adverbial puns. You have to think of a suitable adverb to finish the sentences below. Here are some some examples to get you thinking on the right lines: \"\'I\'m off to the racetrack,\' said Tom hoarsely.\" \"\'Would you like a ride in my new ambulance?\' said Tom hospitably.\" \"\'I like camping!\' said Tom intently.\"
\"\'No, Eve, I won\'t eat that apple!\' said Tom ..............\"
\"\'Don\'t come near me. I\'ve got the flu!\' laughed Tom .............\"
\"\'I\'m sore all over,\' said Tom .................\"
Can you think of any more complete sentences?~Possible answers:
\"\'No, Eve, I won\'t eat that apple!\' said Tom adamantly.\"
\"\'Don\'t come near me. I\'ve got the flu!\' laughed Tom infectiously.\"
\"\'I\'m sore all over,\' said Tom tenderly.\"');
q(' 7Tongue-twisters are not exactly puzzles, but they\'re good fun. The best and most difficult ones are the shortest. Try saying the following ten times quickly without making a mistake: \"Red lolly, yellow lolly.\" If you find this too easy, then try: \"Red lorry, yellow lorry!\"
Do you have any fiendish tongue-twisters to share with others? Tongue-twisters in other languages are welcome too! [Click Homepage feedback at the foot of this page to send your suggestions to the webmaster]~A favourite source for tongue-twisters are the Dr Seuss children\'s books. One of the best is from \"Fox in Socks\":
\"Now we come to ticks and tocks, sir
Try to say this Mr Knox, sir
Clocks on fox tick
Clocks on Knox tock
Six sick bricks tick
Six sick chicks tock.\"
To which poor Knox replies
\"Please sir. I don\'t
like this trick, sir.
My tongue isn\'t
quick or slick, sir.\"');
q(' 8Spoonerisms are named after the real-life Dr Spooner of New College Oxford, who often got his words in a twist. For example, he told his students that everyone has a half-warmed fish inside them. He talked about the pleasures of riding a well-boiled icicle, and referred to Queen Victoria as the queer old dean. Can you work out what he really wanted to say, and do you have any favourite spoonerisms to share with others?~a half-warmed fish = a half-formed wish
a well-boiled icicle = a well-oiled bicycle
the queer old dean = the dear old queen');
q(' 9A popular, groan-inducing pun is the \"Knock-knock\" joke. A typical example is: \"\'Knock-knock\' - \'Who\'s there?\' - \'Boo\' - \'Boo-Who?\' - \'Please don\'t cry!\'\" What\'s your favourite \"Knock-knock\" joke?~The pun is in the words \'Boo-Who?\', which is a play on \"Boohoo\", the noisy sound of a child crying.');
q(' 10Limericks are not puzzles, but they\'re fun to compose. Can you think of a good, clean (!) punchline to the following limerick?
\"A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
..................................\"
What\'s your favourite limerick?~Possible punchlines
A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
But about what he would never confess.
A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
But was kicked out of school nevertheless.');
q(' 11A palindrome is a word or expression spelled the same forwards or backwards, such as: \"Madam\" or \"Draw, O coward!\" or \"Sums are not set as a test on Erasmus.\" A semordnilap, palindromes spelled backwards, is the name someone has given to words that spell different words when reversed. For example: meet-teem, deliver-reviled, repaid-diaper. Three-letter semordnilaps are very common, but can you find any 4 or more-letter examples - in English or other languages?~How about: devil-lived, stressed-desserts, stinker-reknits, Nebel-Leben?');
q(' 12A fun word game is to try and guess words from a given definition. For example: a sailor\'s wedding day = maritime; an ex-spouse = stalemate; a faint noise = locomotion. Can you think of suitable words for the following definitions:
- add to this~add to this');
q(' 13Why do you call your pet newt Tiny?~ - Because he\'s minute, of course!
A newt is a small salamander. The word minute, meaning very small, is pronounced \'my newt\'. Don\'t confuse it with minute, pronounced \'minit\', the 60th part of an hour!');
q(' 14What adjective best describes a pig that has lost its voice?~- disgruntled
The name for the sound a pig makes is \'grunt\'. If you are disgruntled, it means you are irritated and dissatisfied.');
q(' 15Why do you call your horse \"Blacksmith\"?~ - Because he\'s always making a bolt for the door!
A bolt is a metal rod that is pushed across a door to keep it from being opened from the outside. This kind of metal object is made by a blacksmith (who also makes horseshoes). The expression \'making a bolt for ..\' means \'running away to ..\'. So a horse that makes a bolt for the door is trying to escape out of the stables.');
q(' 16What\'s the difference between a robber and a church bell?~- A robber steals from the people and a church bell peals from the steeple!
The joke is in the play on the words steals/people and peals/steeple. (A steeple is a church tower where the bells are located; and to peal means to ring.)');
q(' 17How did the students feel when they were sent home because of the power cut?~- Delighted!
A power cut causes the electricity to go off, thus depriving people of light. One of the meanings of the prefix \'de-\' is \'remove\'; e.g. \'to debug\' is to \'remove bugs from ..\', \'to defuse a situation\' is \'to remove the tension from it\'. So, \'to delight\' is \'to remove the light from ..\'.');
q(' 18How many words are there in the English language?~At the last count about 820,000, which is far more than any other language. By way of comparison, French has less than 100,000. For more on this topic, read the article written by Wordman on the yourDictionary website at http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/ling006.html.');
q(' 19How do you pronounce the word \"ghoti\"?~It sounds exactly like the word \"fish\". Pronounce \"gh\" like the \"gh\" in \"laugh\" or \"cough\". Pronounce the \"o\" as in \"women\", and the \"ti\" as in \"station\" or \"fiction\". For more on this read the article written by Wordman on the yourDictionary website at http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/wordman005.html.');
q(' 20Why is the sky blue?~White light contains the 7 colors of the rainbow, all of which have different wavelengths. Blue light has the shortest wavelength which causes it to get scattered much more than the other colours by oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the atmosphere. The blue in the sky we see is scattered blue light.');
q(' 21You have two egg-timers, one measuring 4 minutes and the other measuring 7. You want to cook an egg for exactly 9 minutes - you like your eggs hard-boiled! How can you use the two timers to make sure that your egg is cooked to perfection?~Start both egg-timers. When the 4-minute timer runs out, turn it over. (Four minutes have passed.) When the 7-minute timer runs out, turn it over. (Seven minutes have passed.) When the 4-minute timer runs out for the second time, 8 minutes have passed in total and the 7-minute glass has been running for 1 minute. Turn it back over again and when it stops, after a minute, 9 minutes have passed!');
q(' 22At the beginning of the summer there is a water-lily in the middle of the lake. In 20 days it will fill the entire lake, doubling in size each day. On which day will it fill half of the lake?~The 19th day. When it dobles in size on the 20th day, it will fill the lake.');
q(' 23Two grade-10 students played 5 games of chess and each won the same number of games. How was this possible?~They weren\'t playing each other!');
q(' 24A new student in grade 9 walks up to you and says: \"Everything I say to you is a lie.\" Is she telling you the truth or is she lying?~The girl is lying.
A. She cannot be speaking the truth because that would make her statement a lie.
B. If she is lying, then the negative of her statement is true. If you believe the negative of \"everything\" is \"nothing\", then you have an impossible paradox. In fact, the negative of \"everything\" is \"not everything\". So although the girl is lying now, not everything she ever says is a lie!');
q(' 25What gets wetter as it dries?~A towel.');
q(' 26How is it possible to divide 9 Euros among 2 fathers and 2 sons so that each person receives exactly 3 Euros.~It\'s easy because there are only 3 people: grandfather, father and son. The father is both father AND son!');
q(' 27What number can be multiplied by a multiple of 3 below 30 so that the answer is always a 3-digit number containing the same digits, e.g. 222, or 444?~37
For example: 37 x 3 = 111; 37 x 18 = 666; 37 x 27 = 999.');
q(' 28John goes to a big Christmas party and is excited to learn that there are exactly 366 people there. \"Wow, cool!\" he says. This means that at least two people here have the same birthday!
Is he right? If not, what is the minimum possible number of people who must share a birthday?~jj');
q(' 29Which English word is always pronounced wrong, even by English native-speakers?~\"Wrong\", of course!');
q(' 30A light flashes every six minutes and a bell rings every eight minutes. If the light flashes as the bell is ringing, how long will it be until this happens again?~24 minutes');
q(' 0If hydrogen (H) is combustible and oxygen (O) is combustible, why does water (H2O) water not explode?
This is the second line of the puzzle.~This problem is a little misleading, as it compares apples and oranges
(Or atoms to molecules as it were). It is meaningless to talk about the combustibility of hydrogen (H) as an atom. Since combustion is a chemical reaction, it is a molecule of Hydrogen (H2) which we can say is combustible.
This is the next line - does it print?
This is another next line.');
q(' 1There are a total of 100 animals: cows, sheep and buffaloes. These 100 animals ate 100 bunches of grass.~There are three possibilities:
Cows: 4; Buffaloes: 18; Sheep: 78
Cows: 8; Buffaloes: 11; Sheep: 81
Cows: 12; Buffaloes: 4; Sheep: 84');
q(' 2Which 3 digit number has the most factors?~840
this is the next line');
q(' 3What is the longest word in the English language?~Smiles - there\'s a mile between the first and last letters. Alternatively, try floccinaucinihilipilification, which means \"holding or judging something to be worthless\".');
q(' 4Palindromes are words or sentences that read the same forwards as backwards. \"Noon\" is a palindrome, as are the first words in the history of the world: \"Madam, I\'m Adam!\" Can you think of any longer palindromes?~How about: \"Mr. Owl ate my metal worm\", or \"A man, a plan, a canal - Panama!\" or \"Einen Ledergurt trug Redelne nie\"? Your imagination is the limit!');
q(' 5What\'s the next letter in this sequence: M, T, W, T, F, ..., ...?~M, T, W, T, F, S, S = Saturday, Sunday');
q(' 6Today\'s puzzle is about adverbial puns. You have to think of a suitable adverb to finish the sentences below. Here are some some examples to get you thinking on the right lines: \"\'I\'m off to the racetrack,\' said Tom hoarsely.\" \"\'Would you like a ride in my new ambulance?\' said Tom hospitably.\" \"\'I like camping!\' said Tom intently.\"
\"\'No, Eve, I won\'t eat that apple!\' said Tom ..............\"
\"\'Don\'t come near me. I\'ve got the flu!\' laughed Tom .............\"
\"\'I\'m sore all over,\' said Tom .................\"
Can you think of any more complete sentences?~Possible answers:
\"\'No, Eve, I won\'t eat that apple!\' said Tom adamantly.\"
\"\'Don\'t come near me. I\'ve got the flu!\' laughed Tom infectiously.\"
\"\'I\'m sore all over,\' said Tom tenderly.\"');
q(' 7Tongue-twisters are not exactly puzzles, but they\'re good fun. The best and most difficult ones are the shortest. Try saying the following ten times quickly without making a mistake: \"Red lolly, yellow lolly.\" If you find this too easy, then try: \"Red lorry, yellow lorry!\"
Do you have any fiendish tongue-twisters to share with others? Tongue-twisters in other languages are welcome too! [Click Homepage feedback at the foot of this page to send your suggestions to the webmaster]~A favourite source for tongue-twisters are the Dr Seuss children\'s books. One of the best is from \"Fox in Socks\":
\"Now we come to ticks and tocks, sir
Try to say this Mr Knox, sir
Clocks on fox tick
Clocks on Knox tock
Six sick bricks tick
Six sick chicks tock.\"
To which poor Knox replies
\"Please sir. I don\'t
like this trick, sir.
My tongue isn\'t
quick or slick, sir.\"');
q(' 8Spoonerisms are named after the real-life Dr Spooner of New College Oxford, who often got his words in a twist. For example, he told his students that everyone has a half-warmed fish inside them. He talked about the pleasures of riding a well-boiled icicle, and referred to Queen Victoria as the queer old dean. Can you work out what he really wanted to say, and do you have any favourite spoonerisms to share with others?~a half-warmed fish = a half-formed wish
a well-boiled icicle = a well-oiled bicycle
the queer old dean = the dear old queen');
q(' 9A popular, groan-inducing pun is the \"Knock-knock\" joke. A typical example is: \"\'Knock-knock\' - \'Who\'s there?\' - \'Boo\' - \'Boo-Who?\' - \'Please don\'t cry!\'\" What\'s your favourite \"Knock-knock\" joke?~The pun is in the words \'Boo-Who?\', which is a play on \"Boohoo\", the noisy sound of a child crying.');
q(' 10Limericks are not puzzles, but they\'re fun to compose. Can you think of a good, clean (!) punchline to the following limerick?
\"A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
..................................\"
What\'s your favourite limerick?~Possible punchlines
A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
But about what he would never confess.
A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
But was kicked out of school nevertheless.');
q(' 11A palindrome is a word or expression spelled the same forwards or backwards, such as: \"Madam\" or \"Draw, O coward!\" or \"Sums are not set as a test on Erasmus.\" A semordnilap, palindromes spelled backwards, is the name someone has given to words that spell different words when reversed. For example: meet-teem, deliver-reviled, repaid-diaper. Three-letter semordnilaps are very common, but can you find any 4 or more-letter examples - in English or other languages?~How about: devil-lived, stressed-desserts, stinker-reknits, Nebel-Leben?');
q(' 12A fun word game is to try and guess words from a given definition. For example: a sailor\'s wedding day = maritime; an ex-spouse = stalemate; a faint noise = locomotion. Can you think of suitable words for the following definitions:
- add to this~add to this');
q(' 13Why do you call your pet newt Tiny?~ - Because he\'s minute, of course!
A newt is a small salamander. The word minute, meaning very small, is pronounced \'my newt\'. Don\'t confuse it with minute, pronounced \'minit\', the 60th part of an hour!');
q(' 14What adjective best describes a pig that has lost its voice?~- disgruntled
The name for the sound a pig makes is \'grunt\'. If you are disgruntled, it means you are irritated and dissatisfied.');
q(' 15Why do you call your horse \"Blacksmith\"?~ - Because he\'s always making a bolt for the door!
A bolt is a metal rod that is pushed across a door to keep it from being opened from the outside. This kind of metal object is made by a blacksmith (who also makes horseshoes). The expression \'making a bolt for ..\' means \'running away to ..\'. So a horse that makes a bolt for the door is trying to escape out of the stables.');
q(' 16What\'s the difference between a robber and a church bell?~- A robber steals from the people and a church bell peals from the steeple!
The joke is in the play on the words steals/people and peals/steeple. (A steeple is a church tower where the bells are located; and to peal means to ring.)');
q(' 17How did the students feel when they were sent home because of the power cut?~- Delighted!
A power cut causes the electricity to go off, thus depriving people of light. One of the meanings of the prefix \'de-\' is \'remove\'; e.g. \'to debug\' is to \'remove bugs from ..\', \'to defuse a situation\' is \'to remove the tension from it\'. So, \'to delight\' is \'to remove the light from ..\'.');
q(' 18How many words are there in the English language?~At the last count about 820,000, which is far more than any other language. By way of comparison, French has less than 100,000. For more on this topic, read the article written by Wordman on the yourDictionary website at http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/ling006.html.');
q(' 19How do you pronounce the word \"ghoti\"?~It sounds exactly like the word \"fish\". Pronounce \"gh\" like the \"gh\" in \"laugh\" or \"cough\". Pronounce the \"o\" as in \"women\", and the \"ti\" as in \"station\" or \"fiction\". For more on this read the article written by Wordman on the yourDictionary website at http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/wordman005.html.');
q(' 20Why is the sky blue?~White light contains the 7 colors of the rainbow, all of which have different wavelengths. Blue light has the shortest wavelength which causes it to get scattered much more than the other colours by oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the atmosphere. The blue in the sky we see is scattered blue light.');
q(' 21You have two egg-timers, one measuring 4 minutes and the other measuring 7. You want to cook an egg for exactly 9 minutes - you like your eggs hard-boiled! How can you use the two timers to make sure that your egg is cooked to perfection?~Start both egg-timers. When the 4-minute timer runs out, turn it over. (Four minutes have passed.) When the 7-minute timer runs out, turn it over. (Seven minutes have passed.) When the 4-minute timer runs out for the second time, 8 minutes have passed in total and the 7-minute glass has been running for 1 minute. Turn it back over again and when it stops, after a minute, 9 minutes have passed!');
q(' 22At the beginning of the summer there is a water-lily in the middle of the lake. In 20 days it will fill the entire lake, doubling in size each day. On which day will it fill half of the lake?~The 19th day. When it dobles in size on the 20th day, it will fill the lake.');
q(' 23Two grade-10 students played 5 games of chess and each won the same number of games. How was this possible?~They weren\'t playing each other!');
q(' 24A new student in grade 9 walks up to you and says: \"Everything I say to you is a lie.\" Is she telling you the truth or is she lying?~The girl is lying.
A. She cannot be speaking the truth because that would make her statement a lie.
B. If she is lying, then the negative of her statement is true. If you believe the negative of \"everything\" is \"nothing\", then you have an impossible paradox. In fact, the negative of \"everything\" is \"not everything\". So although the girl is lying now, not everything she ever says is a lie!');
q(' 25What gets wetter as it dries?~A towel.');
q(' 26How is it possible to divide 9 Euros among 2 fathers and 2 sons so that each person receives exactly 3 Euros.~It\'s easy because there are only 3 people: grandfather, father and son. The father is both father AND son!');
q(' 27What number can be multiplied by a multiple of 3 below 30 so that the answer is always a 3-digit number containing the same digits, e.g. 222, or 444?~37
For example: 37 x 3 = 111; 37 x 18 = 666; 37 x 27 = 999.');
q(' 28John goes to a big Christmas party and is excited to learn that there are exactly 366 people there. \"Wow, cool!\" he says. This means that at least two people here have the same birthday!
Is he right? If not, what is the minimum possible number of people who must share a birthday?~jj');
q(' 29Which English word is always pronounced wrong, even by English native-speakers?~\"Wrong\", of course!');
q(' 30A light flashes every six minutes and a bell rings every eight minutes. If the light flashes as the bell is ringing, how long will it be until this happens again?~24 minutes');
q(' 0If hydrogen (H) is combustible and oxygen (O) is combustible, why does water (H2O) water not explode?
This is the second line of the puzzle.~This problem is a little misleading, as it compares apples and oranges
(Or atoms to molecules as it were). It is meaningless to talk about the combustibility of hydrogen (H) as an atom. Since combustion is a chemical reaction, it is a molecule of Hydrogen (H2) which we can say is combustible.
This is the next line - does it print?
This is another next line.');
q(' 1There are a total of 100 animals: cows, sheep and buffaloes. These 100 animals ate 100 bunches of grass.~There are three possibilities:
Cows: 4; Buffaloes: 18; Sheep: 78
Cows: 8; Buffaloes: 11; Sheep: 81
Cows: 12; Buffaloes: 4; Sheep: 84');
q(' 2Which 3 digit number has the most factors?~840
this is the next line');
q(' 3What is the longest word in the English language?~Smiles - there\'s a mile between the first and last letters. Alternatively, try floccinaucinihilipilification, which means \"holding or judging something to be worthless\".');
q(' 4Palindromes are words or sentences that read the same forwards as backwards. \"Noon\" is a palindrome, as are the first words in the history of the world: \"Madam, I\'m Adam!\" Can you think of any longer palindromes?~How about: \"Mr. Owl ate my metal worm\", or \"A man, a plan, a canal - Panama!\" or \"Einen Ledergurt trug Redelne nie\"? Your imagination is the limit!');
q(' 5What\'s the next letter in this sequence: M, T, W, T, F, ..., ...?~M, T, W, T, F, S, S = Saturday, Sunday');
q(' 6Today\'s puzzle is about adverbial puns. You have to think of a suitable adverb to finish the sentences below. Here are some some examples to get you thinking on the right lines: \"\'I\'m off to the racetrack,\' said Tom hoarsely.\" \"\'Would you like a ride in my new ambulance?\' said Tom hospitably.\" \"\'I like camping!\' said Tom intently.\"
\"\'No, Eve, I won\'t eat that apple!\' said Tom ..............\"
\"\'Don\'t come near me. I\'ve got the flu!\' laughed Tom .............\"
\"\'I\'m sore all over,\' said Tom .................\"
Can you think of any more complete sentences?~Possible answers:
\"\'No, Eve, I won\'t eat that apple!\' said Tom adamantly.\"
\"\'Don\'t come near me. I\'ve got the flu!\' laughed Tom infectiously.\"
\"\'I\'m sore all over,\' said Tom tenderly.\"');
q(' 7Tongue-twisters are not exactly puzzles, but they\'re good fun. The best and most difficult ones are the shortest. Try saying the following ten times quickly without making a mistake: \"Red lolly, yellow lolly.\" If you find this too easy, then try: \"Red lorry, yellow lorry!\"
Do you have any fiendish tongue-twisters to share with others? Tongue-twisters in other languages are welcome too! [Click Homepage feedback at the foot of this page to send your suggestions to the webmaster]~A favourite source for tongue-twisters are the Dr Seuss children\'s books. One of the best is from \"Fox in Socks\":
\"Now we come to ticks and tocks, sir
Try to say this Mr Knox, sir
Clocks on fox tick
Clocks on Knox tock
Six sick bricks tick
Six sick chicks tock.\"
To which poor Knox replies
\"Please sir. I don\'t
like this trick, sir.
My tongue isn\'t
quick or slick, sir.\"');
q(' 8Spoonerisms are named after the real-life Dr Spooner of New College Oxford, who often got his words in a twist. For example, he told his students that everyone has a half-warmed fish inside them. He talked about the pleasures of riding a well-boiled icicle, and referred to Queen Victoria as the queer old dean. Can you work out what he really wanted to say, and do you have any favourite spoonerisms to share with others?~a half-warmed fish = a half-formed wish
a well-boiled icicle = a well-oiled bicycle
the queer old dean = the dear old queen');
q(' 9A popular, groan-inducing pun is the \"Knock-knock\" joke. A typical example is: \"\'Knock-knock\' - \'Who\'s there?\' - \'Boo\' - \'Boo-Who?\' - \'Please don\'t cry!\'\" What\'s your favourite \"Knock-knock\" joke?~The pun is in the words \'Boo-Who?\', which is a play on \"Boohoo\", the noisy sound of a child crying.');
q(' 10Limericks are not puzzles, but they\'re fun to compose. Can you think of a good, clean (!) punchline to the following limerick?
\"A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
..................................\"
What\'s your favourite limerick?~Possible punchlines
A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
But about what he would never confess.
A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
But was kicked out of school nevertheless.');
q(' 11A palindrome is a word or expression spelled the same forwards or backwards, such as: \"Madam\" or \"Draw, O coward!\" or \"Sums are not set as a test on Erasmus.\" A semordnilap, palindromes spelled backwards, is the name someone has given to words that spell different words when reversed. For example: meet-teem, deliver-reviled, repaid-diaper. Three-letter semordnilaps are very common, but can you find any 4 or more-letter examples - in English or other languages?~How about: devil-lived, stressed-desserts, stinker-reknits, Nebel-Leben?');
q(' 12A fun word game is to try and guess words from a given definition. For example: a sailor\'s wedding day = maritime; an ex-spouse = stalemate; a faint noise = locomotion. Can you think of suitable words for the following definitions:
- add to this~add to this');
q(' 13Why do you call your pet newt Tiny?~ - Because he\'s minute, of course!
A newt is a small salamander. The word minute, meaning very small, is pronounced \'my newt\'. Don\'t confuse it with minute, pronounced \'minit\', the 60th part of an hour!');
q(' 14What adjective best describes a pig that has lost its voice?~- disgruntled
The name for the sound a pig makes is \'grunt\'. If you are disgruntled, it means you are irritated and dissatisfied.');
q(' 15Why do you call your horse \"Blacksmith\"?~ - Because he\'s always making a bolt for the door!
A bolt is a metal rod that is pushed across a door to keep it from being opened from the outside. This kind of metal object is made by a blacksmith (who also makes horseshoes). The expression \'making a bolt for ..\' means \'running away to ..\'. So a horse that makes a bolt for the door is trying to escape out of the stables.');
q(' 16What\'s the difference between a robber and a church bell?~- A robber steals from the people and a church bell peals from the steeple!
The joke is in the play on the words steals/people and peals/steeple. (A steeple is a church tower where the bells are located; and to peal means to ring.)');
q(' 17How did the students feel when they were sent home because of the power cut?~- Delighted!
A power cut causes the electricity to go off, thus depriving people of light. One of the meanings of the prefix \'de-\' is \'remove\'; e.g. \'to debug\' is to \'remove bugs from ..\', \'to defuse a situation\' is \'to remove the tension from it\'. So, \'to delight\' is \'to remove the light from ..\'.');
q(' 18How many words are there in the English language?~At the last count about 820,000, which is far more than any other language. By way of comparison, French has less than 100,000. For more on this topic, read the article written by Wordman on the yourDictionary website at http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/ling006.html.');
q(' 19How do you pronounce the word \"ghoti\"?~It sounds exactly like the word \"fish\". Pronounce \"gh\" like the \"gh\" in \"laugh\" or \"cough\". Pronounce the \"o\" as in \"women\", and the \"ti\" as in \"station\" or \"fiction\". For more on this read the article written by Wordman on the yourDictionary website at http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/wordman005.html.');
q(' 20Why is the sky blue?~White light contains the 7 colors of the rainbow, all of which have different wavelengths. Blue light has the shortest wavelength which causes it to get scattered much more than the other colours by oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the atmosphere. The blue in the sky we see is scattered blue light.');
q(' 21You have two egg-timers, one measuring 4 minutes and the other measuring 7. You want to cook an egg for exactly 9 minutes - you like your eggs hard-boiled! How can you use the two timers to make sure that your egg is cooked to perfection?~Start both egg-timers. When the 4-minute timer runs out, turn it over. (Four minutes have passed.) When the 7-minute timer runs out, turn it over. (Seven minutes have passed.) When the 4-minute timer runs out for the second time, 8 minutes have passed in total and the 7-minute glass has been running for 1 minute. Turn it back over again and when it stops, after a minute, 9 minutes have passed!');
q(' 22At the beginning of the summer there is a water-lily in the middle of the lake. In 20 days it will fill the entire lake, doubling in size each day. On which day will it fill half of the lake?~The 19th day. When it dobles in size on the 20th day, it will fill the lake.');
q(' 23Two grade-10 students played 5 games of chess and each won the same number of games. How was this possible?~They weren\'t playing each other!');
q(' 24A new student in grade 9 walks up to you and says: \"Everything I say to you is a lie.\" Is she telling you the truth or is she lying?~The girl is lying.
A. She cannot be speaking the truth because that would make her statement a lie.
B. If she is lying, then the negative of her statement is true. If you believe the negative of \"everything\" is \"nothing\", then you have an impossible paradox. In fact, the negative of \"everything\" is \"not everything\". So although the girl is lying now, not everything she ever says is a lie!');
q(' 25What gets wetter as it dries?~A towel.');
q(' 26How is it possible to divide 9 Euros among 2 fathers and 2 sons so that each person receives exactly 3 Euros.~It\'s easy because there are only 3 people: grandfather, father and son. The father is both father AND son!');
q(' 27What number can be multiplied by a multiple of 3 below 30 so that the answer is always a 3-digit number containing the same digits, e.g. 222, or 444?~37
For example: 37 x 3 = 111; 37 x 18 = 666; 37 x 27 = 999.');
q(' 28John goes to a big Christmas party and is excited to learn that there are exactly 366 people there. \"Wow, cool!\" he says. This means that at least two people here have the same birthday!
Is he right? If not, what is the minimum possible number of people who must share a birthday?~jj');
q(' 29Which English word is always pronounced wrong, even by English native-speakers?~\"Wrong\", of course!');
q(' 30A light flashes every six minutes and a bell rings every eight minutes. If the light flashes as the bell is ringing, how long will it be until this happens again?~24 minutes');
q(' 0If hydrogen (H) is combustible and oxygen (O) is combustible, why does water (H2O) water not explode?
This is the second line of the puzzle.~This problem is a little misleading, as it compares apples and oranges
(Or atoms to molecules as it were). It is meaningless to talk about the combustibility of hydrogen (H) as an atom. Since combustion is a chemical reaction, it is a molecule of Hydrogen (H2) which we can say is combustible.
This is the next line - does it print?
This is another next line.');
q(' 1There are a total of 100 animals: cows, sheep and buffaloes. These 100 animals ate 100 bunches of grass.~There are three possibilities:
Cows: 4; Buffaloes: 18; Sheep: 78
Cows: 8; Buffaloes: 11; Sheep: 81
Cows: 12; Buffaloes: 4; Sheep: 84');
q(' 2Which 3 digit number has the most factors?~840
this is the next line');
q(' 3What is the longest word in the English language?~Smiles - there\'s a mile between the first and last letters. Alternatively, try floccinaucinihilipilification, which means \"holding or judging something to be worthless\".');
q(' 4Palindromes are words or sentences that read the same forwards as backwards. \"Noon\" is a palindrome, as are the first words in the history of the world: \"Madam, I\'m Adam!\" Can you think of any longer palindromes?~How about: \"Mr. Owl ate my metal worm\", or \"A man, a plan, a canal - Panama!\" or \"Einen Ledergurt trug Redelne nie\"? Your imagination is the limit!');
q(' 5What\'s the next letter in this sequence: M, T, W, T, F, ..., ...?~M, T, W, T, F, S, S = Saturday, Sunday');
q(' 6Today\'s puzzle is about adverbial puns. You have to think of a suitable adverb to finish the sentences below. Here are some some examples to get you thinking on the right lines: \"\'I\'m off to the racetrack,\' said Tom hoarsely.\" \"\'Would you like a ride in my new ambulance?\' said Tom hospitably.\" \"\'I like camping!\' said Tom intently.\"
\"\'No, Eve, I won\'t eat that apple!\' said Tom ..............\"
\"\'Don\'t come near me. I\'ve got the flu!\' laughed Tom .............\"
\"\'I\'m sore all over,\' said Tom .................\"
Can you think of any more complete sentences?~Possible answers:
\"\'No, Eve, I won\'t eat that apple!\' said Tom adamantly.\"
\"\'Don\'t come near me. I\'ve got the flu!\' laughed Tom infectiously.\"
\"\'I\'m sore all over,\' said Tom tenderly.\"');
q(' 7Tongue-twisters are not exactly puzzles, but they\'re good fun. The best and most difficult ones are the shortest. Try saying the following ten times quickly without making a mistake: \"Red lolly, yellow lolly.\" If you find this too easy, then try: \"Red lorry, yellow lorry!\"
Do you have any fiendish tongue-twisters to share with others? Tongue-twisters in other languages are welcome too! [Click Homepage feedback at the foot of this page to send your suggestions to the webmaster]~A favourite source for tongue-twisters are the Dr Seuss children\'s books. One of the best is from \"Fox in Socks\":
\"Now we come to ticks and tocks, sir
Try to say this Mr Knox, sir
Clocks on fox tick
Clocks on Knox tock
Six sick bricks tick
Six sick chicks tock.\"
To which poor Knox replies
\"Please sir. I don\'t
like this trick, sir.
My tongue isn\'t
quick or slick, sir.\"');
q(' 8Spoonerisms are named after the real-life Dr Spooner of New College Oxford, who often got his words in a twist. For example, he told his students that everyone has a half-warmed fish inside them. He talked about the pleasures of riding a well-boiled icicle, and referred to Queen Victoria as the queer old dean. Can you work out what he really wanted to say, and do you have any favourite spoonerisms to share with others?~a half-warmed fish = a half-formed wish
a well-boiled icicle = a well-oiled bicycle
the queer old dean = the dear old queen');
q(' 9A popular, groan-inducing pun is the \"Knock-knock\" joke. A typical example is: \"\'Knock-knock\' - \'Who\'s there?\' - \'Boo\' - \'Boo-Who?\' - \'Please don\'t cry!\'\" What\'s your favourite \"Knock-knock\" joke?~The pun is in the words \'Boo-Who?\', which is a play on \"Boohoo\", the noisy sound of a child crying.');
q(' 10Limericks are not puzzles, but they\'re fun to compose. Can you think of a good, clean (!) punchline to the following limerick?
\"A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
..................................\"
What\'s your favourite limerick?~Possible punchlines
A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
But about what he would never confess.
A new student at FIS
Whose locker was always a mess
Was observed one day
To kneel down and pray
But was kicked out of school nevertheless.');
q(' 11A palindrome is a word or expression spelled the same forwards or backwards, such as: \"Madam\" or \"Draw, O coward!\" or \"Sums are not set as a test on Erasmus.\" A semordnilap, palindromes spelled backwards, is the name someone has given to words that spell different words when reversed. For example: meet-teem, deliver-reviled, repaid-diaper. Three-letter semordnilaps are very common, but can you find any 4 or more-letter examples - in English or other languages?~How about: devil-lived, stressed-desserts, stinker-reknits, Nebel-Leben?');
q(' 12A fun word game is to try and guess words from a given definition. For example: a sailor\'s wedding day = maritime; an ex-spouse = stalemate; a faint noise = locomotion. Can you think of suitable words for the following definitions:
- add to this~add to this');
q(' 13Why do you call your pet newt Tiny?~ - Because he\'s minute, of course!
A newt is a small salamander. The word minute, meaning very small, is pronounced \'my newt\'. Don\'t confuse it with minute, pronounced \'minit\', the 60th part of an hour!');
q(' 14What adjective best describes a pig that has lost its voice?~- disgruntled
The name for the sound a pig makes is \'grunt\'. If you are disgruntled, it means you are irritated and dissatisfied.');
q(' 15Why do you call your horse \"Blacksmith\"?~ - Because he\'s always making a bolt for the door!
A bolt is a metal rod that is pushed across a door to keep it from being opened from the outside. This kind of metal object is made by a blacksmith (who also makes horseshoes). The expression \'making a bolt for ..\' means \'running away to ..\'. So a horse that makes a bolt for the door is trying to escape out of the stables.');
q(' 16What\'s the difference between a robber and a church bell?~- A robber steals from the people and a church bell peals from the steeple!
The joke is in the play on the words steals/people and peals/steeple. (A steeple is a church tower where the bells are located; and to peal means to ring.)');
q(' 17How did the students feel when they were sent home because of the power cut?~- Delighted!
A power cut causes the electricity to go off, thus depriving people of light. One of the meanings of the prefix \'de-\' is \'remove\'; e.g. \'to debug\' is to \'remove bugs from ..\', \'to defuse a situation\' is \'to remove the tension from it\'. So, \'to delight\' is \'to remove the light from ..\'.');
q(' 18How many words are there in the English language?~At the last count about 820,000, which is far more than any other language. By way of comparison, French has less than 100,000. For more on this topic, read the article written by Wordman on the yourDictionary website at http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/ling006.html.');
q(' 19How do you pronounce the word \"ghoti\"?~It sounds exactly like the word \"fish\". Pronounce \"gh\" like the \"gh\" in \"laugh\" or \"cough\". Pronounce the \"o\" as in \"women\", and the \"ti\" as in \"station\" or \"fiction\". For more on this read the article written by Wordman on the yourDictionary website at http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/wordman005.html.');
q(' 20Why is the sky blue?~White light contains the 7 colors of the rainbow, all of which have different wavelengths. Blue light has the shortest wavelength which causes it to get scattered much more than the other colours by oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the atmosphere. The blue in the sky we see is scattered blue light.');
q(' 21You have two egg-timers, one measuring 4 minutes and the other measuring 7. You want to cook an egg for exactly 9 minutes - you like your eggs hard-boiled! How can you use the two timers to make sure that your egg is cooked to perfection?~Start both egg-timers. When the 4-minute timer runs out, turn it over. (Four minutes have passed.) When the 7-minute timer runs out, turn it over. (Seven minutes have passed.) When the 4-minute timer runs out for the second time, 8 minutes have passed in total and the 7-minute glass has been running for 1 minute. Turn it back over again and when it stops, after a minute, 9 minutes have passed!');
q(' 22At the beginning of the summer there is a water-lily in the middle of the lake. In 20 days it will fill the entire lake, doubling in size each day. On which day will it fill half of the lake?~The 19th day. When it dobles in size on the 20th day, it will fill the lake.');
q(' 23Two grade-10 students played 5 games of chess and each won the same number of games. How was this possible?~They weren\'t playing each other!');
q(' 24A new student in grade 9 walks up to you and says: \"Everything I say to you is a lie.\" Is she telling you the truth or is she lying?~The girl is lying.
A. She cannot be speaking the truth because that would make her statement a lie.
B. If she is lying, then the negative of her statement is true. If you believe the negative of \"everything\" is \"nothing\", then you have an impossible paradox. In fact, the negative of \"everything\" is \"not everything\". So although the girl is lying now, not everything she ever says is a lie!');
q(' 25What gets wetter as it dries?~A towel.');
q(' 26How is it possible to divide 9 Euros among 2 fathers and 2 sons so that each person receives exactly 3 Euros.~It\'s easy because there are only 3 people: grandfather, father and son. The father is both father AND son!');
q(' 27What number can be multiplied by a multiple of 3 below 30 so that the answer is always a 3-digit number containing the same digits, e.g. 222, or 444?~37
For example: 37 x 3 = 111; 37 x 18 = 666; 37 x 27 = 999.');
q(' 28John goes to a big Christmas party and is excited to learn that there are exactly 366 people there. \"Wow, cool!\" he says. This means that at least two people here have the same birthday!
Is he right? If not, what is the minimum possible number of people who must share a birthday?~jj');
q(' 29Which English word is always pronounced wrong, even by English native-speakers?~\"Wrong\", of course!');
q(' 30A light flashes every six minutes and a bell rings every eight minutes. If the light flashes as the bell is ringing, how long will it be until this happens again?~24 minutes');