# Difficult Riddle **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [September 11, 2010, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difficult-riddle/553447 "2010-09-11T22:32:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Bith_Shuffle)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difficult-riddle/553447/1 "2010-09-11T22:32:03Z")
I’m can’t figure this riddle out, so I guess I’ll ask for any ideas anyone has. First the riddle, then some hints I’ve gleaned from the poser of the riddle. One for the front, Two for the back. You will never need three. This I know from the riddle-poser: - You do not need any specialized knowledge to know the answer. - The answer is satisfying. It is not a bad riddle (I believe him on this). - The answer is not “going to the bathroom”. I asked that and he said it wasn’t it, though he liked my response. - The word “for” is specifically important. He said that the riddle does not work if you substitute “in”, for example. “for” matters. - You could have three or more, you just won’t need that many (while you certainly could need one or two). Hence the answer is not a tricycle or a wheelbarrow. I have no idea whether the answer is something concrete (like “a jar”) or something abstract (like “love”). Any guesses? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difficult-riddle/553447/2 "2010-09-11T22:37:03Z")
Can for be four? ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difficult-riddle/553447/3 "2010-09-11T22:37:34Z")
House keys? ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difficult-riddle/553447/4 "2010-09-11T22:39:17Z")
I’m guessing the reason why “for” is important is because you can also use it as the number “four” but that doesn’t really help me. Thought I’d suggest that hint. I’m no good with riddles. Edit: Damn you, **Mahaloth**! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difficult-riddle/553447/5 "2010-09-11T22:49:43Z")
Was the riddle posed to you orally, or textually? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Bith_Shuffle)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difficult-riddle/553447/6 "2010-09-11T22:52:30Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Was the riddle posed to you orally, or textually? Orally? ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difficult-riddle/553447/7 "2010-09-11T22:57:07Z")
> [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](#): > > > [@Chronos](#): > > > > Was the riddle posed to you orally, or textually? > > Orally? Never had oral presentations in school? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Bith_Shuffle)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difficult-riddle/553447/8 "2010-09-11T23:01:37Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > > [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](#): > > > > Orally? > > Never had oral presentations in school? I meant to answer “orally” but added a question mark to imply that I was wondering why you asked. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difficult-riddle/553447/9 "2010-09-11T23:06:50Z")
> [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](#): > > > [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > > > Never had oral presentations in school? > > I meant to answer “orally” but added a question mark to imply that I was wondering why you asked. I think it has something to do with our suspicion regarding for/four. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difficult-riddle/553447/10 "2010-09-11T23:47:47Z")
The Doctor is the kid’s mom. A human; crawls in infancy, walks upright in life, uses a cane in old age. Take the fox over first. One. I’m the only one going to St. Ives. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Bith_Shuffle)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difficult-riddle/553447/11 "2010-09-12T00:11:01Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > House keys? Best answer yet, though I asked and it isn’t right. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difficult-riddle/553447/12 "2010-09-12T00:15:52Z")
String, or nothing! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difficult-riddle/553447/13 "2010-09-12T00:19:31Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > Take the fox over first. Then the chicken eats the seed. Take the chicken over first. > [@Hamlet](#): > > One. I’m the only one going to St. Ives. Unless they were also going to St. Ives. They may have stopped on the road or were traveling slowly and the guy overtook them, in which case 2,753 are going to St. Ives (2,802 if you count the 49 sacks). ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difficult-riddle/553447/14 "2010-09-12T00:22:11Z")
> [@](#): > > One for the front, > Two for the back. > You will never need three. Protrusions on a set of gun sights. One in the front, and two to form the notch at the rear. You can mount sights all over the gun if you want to, but you’ll never need more than three protrusions to aim the gun. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Bith_Shuffle)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difficult-riddle/553447/15 "2010-09-12T00:26:13Z")
> [@The\_Hamster\_King](#): > > String, or nothing! Why string? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difficult-riddle/553447/16 "2010-09-12T00:28:45Z")
> [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](#): > > Why string? Gollum, _The Hobbit_. . ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difficult-riddle/553447/17 "2010-09-12T00:34:04Z")
Mirrors. You use one to view your front. To view your back you need two, one facing your back and the other to see that mirror. You should never need three. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difficult-riddle/553447/18 "2010-09-12T00:42:00Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > Mirrors. You use one to view your front. To view your back you need two, one facing your back and the other to see that mirror. You should never need three. I like! ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difficult-riddle/553447/19 "2010-09-12T00:43:49Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > One for the front, > > Two for the back. > > You will never need three. > > Protrusions on a set of gun sights. > > One in the front, and two to form the notch at the rear. You can mount sights all over the gun if you want to, but you’ll never need more than three protrusions to aim the gun. You’ll never need three, not more than three. That’s the riddle, that “one for the front, two for the back” doesn’t actually add up to three things. That said, I’m pretty sure it has to do with digits, since the ‘for’ is important. Front: 14 Back: 24 You’ll never need a 3 in this case. The only question is what that applies to. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difficult-riddle/553447/20 "2010-09-12T00:50:50Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > You’ll never need three, not more than three. That’s the riddle, that “one for the front, two for the back” doesn’t actually add up to three things. I was just coming back to say that I’d misread the third line. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difficult-riddle/553447.md?page=2)