# GRY Riddle **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 2, 1999, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gry-riddle/4415 "1999-11-02T19:59:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HelperGirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/7ba0ec/32.png) [@HelperGirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelperGirl)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gry-riddle/4415/1 "1999-11-02T19:59:00Z")
There are supposedly three words in the English language that end in GRY. One word is ANGRY and the other one is HUNGRY. What is the third word? ---
**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gry-riddle/4415/2 "1999-11-02T20:04:00Z")
Do you want smacked? Do you? Cripes, do you trollsters really think you’re coming up with something noone has ever heard? [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3\_251.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_251.html) Now begone, troll. * * * “I love God! He’s so deliciously evil!” - Stewie Griffin, _Family Guy_ ---
**Author:** ![HelperGirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/7ba0ec/32.png) [@HelperGirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelperGirl)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gry-riddle/4415/3 "1999-11-02T20:06:00Z")
I didn’t make the riddle up,I want to know if there is an answer, that’s all. I am going insane! ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gry-riddle/4415/4 "1999-11-02T20:06:00Z")
Helper: Change your screen name now. Come back in a new identity. You may be allowed to contribute in the future under a new name. This is important for your continued well-being. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gry-riddle/4415/5 "1999-11-02T20:07:00Z")
PLD, what happened to your usual calm reasoning and rapier wit? This response is more like killing flies with a shotgun. 🙂 * * * **Dopeler effect:** The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly. ---
**Author:** ![Mullinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@Mullinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mullinator)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gry-riddle/4415/6 "1999-11-02T20:07:00Z")
It is times like this that I curse the fact that the building I work in is only 3 stories tall and I would likely end up maimed rather than blissfully put out of my misery after reading this claptrap. * * * Well, shut my mouth. It’s also illegal to put squirrels down your pants for the purposes of gambling. ---
**Author:** ![Satan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Satan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satan)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gry-riddle/4415/7 "1999-11-02T20:09:00Z")
Methinks the Teeming Thousands are gonna make Hamburger out of Helpergirl… * * * Yer pal, Satan ---
**Author:** ![HelperGirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/7ba0ec/32.png) [@HelperGirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelperGirl)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gry-riddle/4415/8 "1999-11-02T20:09:00Z")
Is there an answer or not? ---
**Author:** ![Mullinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@Mullinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mullinator)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gry-riddle/4415/9 "1999-11-02T20:12:00Z")
Do you understand what those blue letters mean? No, it doesn’t mean they are forgetting to breathe. If you have opposable thumbs and at least one side of your brain working, I am sure you can figure out how to combine your mouse and this web page. * * * Well, shut my mouth. It’s also illegal to put squirrels down your pants for the purposes of gambling. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gry-riddle/4415/10 "1999-11-02T20:17:00Z")
There is no answer–it’s a joke. I’m assuming you asked this seriously–so I’ll respond civilly. I first heard this question about 15 years ago–before Al Gore invented the Internet. It was from a radio station. Well, I knew the answer–there isn’t one, and I had a book that quoted Merriam-Webster as saying such. A co-worker called the radio station, and read it to them verbatim. They didn’t buy it. I heard it from various radio stations about every 18-24 months–then it moved to the Internet. Now you’re gonna get flamed a lot by asking that question here. There are a lot of snobby, snooty types that don’t seem to understand that there are really people out in the world that are looking for some edification. So, there isn’t a third one. However, the Oxford English Dictionary contains about 100 words that end in “-gry,” including the word “gry” itself. None–NONE–of those other 100 words are common words like “angry” and “hungry.” They are typically a) dead words, b) alternate spellings, or c) proper nouns/adjectives. Hope that helps. It’s a wild goose chase if you’re seriously looking for an answer. And if you’re just trolling–😛 ---
**Author:** ![HelperGirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/7ba0ec/32.png) [@HelperGirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelperGirl)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gry-riddle/4415/11 "1999-11-02T20:19:00Z")
Sorry, not too intelligent. Thanks ---
**Author:** ![dfahs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@dfahs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dfahs)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gry-riddle/4415/12 "1999-11-02T20:30:00Z")
Basically, this is a trick question whose form was corrupted by people who did not realize it was a trick question. For the original form of the riddle and analysis, see [http://members.aol.com/WordPlays/gryriddle.html](http://members.aol.com/WordPlays/gryriddle.html) ---
**Author:** ![AuraSeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c2a13f/32.png) [@AuraSeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuraSeer)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gry-riddle/4415/13 "1999-11-02T20:35:00Z")
You’ve misstated the riddle. It really goes like this: “I’m thinking of common, everyday words that end with -gry. One is angry, and another is hungry. There are three words in the English language. What is the third word?” The first two sentences are a red herring. The real question being asked is this: “There are three words in ‘The English Language’. What is the third word?” It’s a trick question, of course. The answer is simply ‘language.’ (The first word is ‘the’, the second is ‘English’. Get it?) * * * Laugh hard; it’s a long way to the bank. ---
**Author:** ![dfahs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@dfahs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dfahs)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gry-riddle/4415/14 "1999-11-02T20:35:00Z")
Moe thourough discussion at [http://www.cybermegahub.com/brain\_teasers.htm](http://www.cybermegahub.com/brain_teasers.htm) ---
**Author:** ![dfahs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@dfahs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dfahs)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gry-riddle/4415/15 "1999-11-02T20:38:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Moe thourough discussion at… Sorry, that should be “More thorough” ---
**Author:** ![Keeves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f05b48/32.png) [@Keeves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeves)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gry-riddle/4415/16 "1999-11-02T20:45:00Z")
This post is respectfully addressed to pldennison, DrFidelius, and Mullinator: You have no right to complain. This thread is entitled “GRY Riddle”. Did you really think someone was going to post the answer for you? I don’t think so. As soon as you saw the title, you knew full well that it was posted by a newbie who didn’t realize what’s going on. And then you complain that she’s annoying you? It’s your own fault. If such questions bother you, you shouldn’t have entered the thread to begin with. I think HelperGirl deserves an apology. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gry-riddle/4415/17 "1999-11-02T20:47:00Z")
I’ve seen these “original” versions of the wording before, and I wonder are the really “original”–or were they reworded to make a real answer. That is, what are the earliest citations of the original versions? I’m thinking about the Mad Hatter’s riddle, and how it really didn’t have an answer–he was nuts. There was no answer. But that didn’t prevent a poster from coming up with a great and plausible answer: [http://www.straightdope.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000248.html](http://www.straightdope.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000248.html) ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Crunch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@Chief\_Crunch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Crunch)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gry-riddle/4415/18 "1999-11-02T20:48:00Z")
It should be obvious that “HelperGirl” is another poster using a different name. Look at her profile and how contrived it is. AOL user? She’s a secretary who list her interests as “Theater”? ---
**Author:** ![HelperGirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/7ba0ec/32.png) [@HelperGirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelperGirl)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gry-riddle/4415/19 "1999-11-02T20:57:00Z")
Hey, I am in highschool and just got a stupid forward that I couldn’t figure out. So, I decided to post it. Sorry if it took me awhile to catch on! And yes, I happen to be a secretary and yes, I happen to be interested in theater! ---
**Author:** ![Strainger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strainger/32/244_2.png) [@Strainger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strainger)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gry-riddle/4415/20 "1999-11-02T21:08:00Z")
HelperGirl, asking the “-gry” question is likely to incur the wrath of several of the Teeming Thousands here. Here are some suggestions I think you should follow if you want to continue to enjoy this message board (I’m sincerely trying to help you out here): 1. Change your screen name. NOW. 2. Beg Nickrz and/or the administrators to delete this thread (I doubt that’ll work, but it’s worth a shot). 3. Familiarize yourself with the archives. 4. Read the FAQs and this - [http://fathom.org/teemingmillions/injokes.html](http://fathom.org/teemingmillions/injokes.html) I like the response to this same question in OpalCat’s Page O’ Flames. “I suggest you do an archive search, right after you change your screen name.” That should be a standard. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gry-riddle/4415.md?page=2)