# ??? A Riddle ??? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 29, 2004, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-riddle/271815 "2004-10-29T07:01:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![START](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@START](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/START)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-riddle/271815/1 "2004-10-29T07:01:55Z")
I may not get back on the boards for a short while but I would like to leave you with this riddle and hopefully somebody will get the answer but not to soon. It’s weightless, can be seen by the naked eye, it gives off no heat and if you put it in a barrel it will make the barrel less heavy. What is it? ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-riddle/271815/2 "2004-10-29T07:02:26Z")
A hole? ---
**Author:** ![START](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@START](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/START)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-riddle/271815/3 "2004-10-29T07:03:52Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > A hole? Dammit Cisco!!! Anyone have a harder riddle? ---
**Author:** ![START](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@START](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/START)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-riddle/271815/4 "2004-10-29T07:05:24Z")
> [@START](#): > > Dammit Cisco!!! Anyone have a harder riddle? and why are you calling me an A hole your the A hole. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-riddle/271815/5 "2004-10-29T07:07:03Z")
Why is a raven like a writing desk? ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-riddle/271815/6 "2004-10-29T07:11:09Z")
> [@Ilsa\_Lund](#): > > Why is a raven like a writing desk? I haven’t the slightest idea. ---
**Author:** ![Slacker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Slacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slacker)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-riddle/271815/7 "2004-10-29T07:16:35Z")
> [@Ilsa\_Lund](#): > > Why is a raven like a writing desk? Neither can be ridden like a bicycle. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-riddle/271815/8 "2004-10-29T07:22:03Z")
Because there is an ‘b’ in both and an ‘n’ in neither. (I need sleeeeep…) ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-riddle/271815/9 "2004-10-29T07:26:36Z")
> [@Ilsa\_Lund](#): > > Why is a raven like a writing desk? Because Poe wrote on both, of course. ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-riddle/271815/10 "2004-10-29T07:28:04Z")
Oh, and isn’t that an Alice and Wonderland reference? ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-riddle/271815/11 "2004-10-29T07:46:12Z")
> [@clayton\_e](#): > > Oh, and isn’t that an Alice and Wonderland reference? _Through the Looking Glass_ ---
**Author:** ![coop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/87869e/32.png) [@coop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coop)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-riddle/271815/12 "2004-10-29T10:05:29Z")
Not a riddle, but… Punctuate this: john while james had had had had had had had had had had had a better effect on the teacher 😕😕😕 ---
**Author:** ![Iceland\_Blue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/4bbf92/32.png) [@Iceland\_Blue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iceland_Blue)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-riddle/271815/13 "2004-10-29T10:07:09Z")
> [@coop](#): > > Not a riddle, but… > > Punctuate this: > > john while james had had had had had had had had had had had a better effect on the teacher > > 😕😕😕 Easy easy John,while James had had ‘had’ had had ‘had had’.‘Had had’ had a better effect on the teacher ---
**Author:** ![coop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/87869e/32.png) [@coop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coop)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-riddle/271815/14 "2004-10-29T10:09:50Z")
> [@Iceland\_Blue](#): > > Easy easy > > John,while James had had ‘had’ had had ‘had had’.‘Had had’ had a better effect on the teacher Space after the first comma and you missed a “had.” You only have 10, there are 11… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Iceland\_Blue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/4bbf92/32.png) [@Iceland\_Blue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iceland_Blue)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-riddle/271815/15 "2004-10-29T10:12:47Z")
> [@Iceland\_Blue](#): > > Easy easy > > John,while James had had ‘had’ had had ‘had had’.‘Had had’ had had a better effect on the teacher You spotted the deliberate mistake. The space after the comma is a matter of personal preference and so cannot be regarded as a punctuation mistake 😃 ---
**Author:** ![coop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/87869e/32.png) [@coop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coop)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-riddle/271815/16 "2004-10-29T10:14:35Z")
> [@Iceland\_Blue](#): > > You spotted the deliberate mistake. The space after the comma is a matter of personal preference and so cannot be regarded as a punctuation mistake 😃 Oh, and you missed the full stop at the end. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Iceland\_Blue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/4bbf92/32.png) [@Iceland\_Blue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iceland_Blue)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-riddle/271815/17 "2004-10-29T10:17:18Z")
Ain’t necessarily so. Who knows how the sentence might have continued-a dash, a comma or semicolon may have been required 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dragwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dragwyr/32/2855_2.png) [@Dragwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragwyr)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-riddle/271815/18 "2004-10-29T12:47:41Z")
Here is another sentance where you have to put in the proper punctuation: that that is is that that is not is not is not that it it is ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-riddle/271815/19 "2004-10-29T13:22:10Z")
> [@Dragwyr](#): > > Here is another sentance where you have to put in the proper punctuation: > > that that is is that that is not is not is not that it it is That? That is. Is that? That is not. Is not? Is not that it? It is. Dunno if that’s right, but it’s the best I can do. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-riddle/271815/20 "2004-10-29T13:32:48Z")
> [@Dragwyr](#): > > Here is another sentance where you have to put in the proper punctuation: > > that that is is that that is not is not is not that it it is That that is, is. That that is not, is not. That it? It is. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-riddle/271815.md?page=2)