# Riddle me this!! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 2, 2009, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-me-this/487989 "2009-03-02T10:50:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![mutantmoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a87d85/32.png) [@mutantmoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mutantmoose)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2009, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-me-this/487989/101 "2009-03-07T02:44:51Z")
> [@Kilobyte70](#): > > Normally I admire pedanticalness Pedantry ---
**Author:** ![Kilobyte70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ebca7d/32.png) [@Kilobyte70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilobyte70)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2009, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-me-this/487989/102 "2009-03-07T12:16:17Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > What is the objection to the solution I posted? The major problem with that answeris that there is no way for the blind man to know the reason for the tappings unless it was agreed before-hand by some form of communication. > [@ianzin](#): > > Good, so we have achieved agreement! You concede that you have already received at least one answer that satisfies all the conditions of the riddle as posted in the OP. This is what I asserted back in post 79: that we have offered a valid solution. > By the way, to invalidate another answer by saying ‘please use your common sense’ is illegitimate. The given answer satisfies the conditions of the riddle as stated in the OP, which was the point under discussion. What you happen to think constitutes common sense is utterly irrelevant because (a) ‘common sense’ can be subjective, and (b) the answers to riddles often have nothing to do with common sense and are intentionally counter-intuitive or hinge on unusual interpretations of common words, concepts or conditions. It does satisfy the conditions if you take a different meaning to the word mute but as I said, the mute in this riddle is someone who is unable to speak. If you are unsure of the wording ofthe riddle please ask me before posting any potential answers to avoid arguments like this. > [@mutantmoose](#): > > Pedantry Actually pedanticalness is also correct: [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pedanticalness](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pedanticalness) Also as per a suggestion, I have asked my friend to seal the answer and entrust it to a 3rd person so that he cannot change the answer on a whim. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2009, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-me-this/487989/103 "2009-03-07T20:13:55Z")
Look, **Wendell Wagner** is right. There’s no point in us carrying on with all this. Just ask your friend what the answer is and put it to rest. ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-me-this/487989/104 "2009-03-08T00:59:14Z")
Another solution that possibly fits all of the conditions we have been given so far: The mute guy paints a picture of the incident or makes some sort of simple sketch of what took place. He shows this to the deaf man who describes it to the blind man. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-me-this/487989/105 "2009-03-08T01:35:50Z")
> [@ianzin](#): > > Another solution that possibly fits all of the conditions we have been given so far: The mute guy paints a picture of the incident or makes some sort of simple sketch of what took place. He shows this to the deaf man who describes it to the blind man. That’s pretty obviously incorrect according to the conditions as stated in the OP. The OP says there is no third person involved; if that is correct then that rules out communicating via the deaf person. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-me-this/487989/106 "2009-03-08T15:08:33Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > That’s pretty obviously incorrect according to the conditions as stated in the OP. The OP says there is no third person involved; if that is correct then that rules out communicating via the deaf person. I guess you could alter his solution to be: “The mute guy paints a picture using plenty of paint. The blind man traces out the picture with his fingers”. Of course, getting across the desired message with a thick painting is a tall order, but still… But anyway, I agree with the general sentiment of the last few posts: it’s pointless trying to solve this riddle; the goalposts are constantly moving. ---
**Author:** ![Kilobyte70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ebca7d/32.png) [@Kilobyte70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilobyte70)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-me-this/487989/107 "2009-03-08T20:07:13Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > But anyway, I agree with the general sentiment of the last few posts: it’s pointless trying to solve this riddle; the goalposts are constantly moving. I haven’t changed anything from the OP except confirm that the mute is actually someone who is unable to speak. Asking my friend for the answer would mean a forfeit and I am not prepared to do that yet. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-me-this/487989/108 "2009-03-08T20:50:26Z")
Be prepared to be angry both at us and at your friend when he finally tells you the answer. You’ll be angry at us because it’s going to be an arbitrary way of messing with the conditions of the riddle, and we’ll say so when you tell us the answer. You’ll probably tell us, “I thought you people were supposed to be so smart. Why couldn’t you answer this riddle?” Then you’ll be angry at your friend because you won’t like the answer to the riddle either. ---
**Author:** ![palindromemordnilap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@palindromemordnilap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/palindromemordnilap)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-me-this/487989/109 "2009-03-08T20:52:33Z")
> [@Kilobyte70](#): > > And no the mute in this riddle is really a mute. He is unable to speak or form any sound whatsoever. The riddle does not have a satisfactory answer. Forget the extraneous elements: the simple question is how does a mute person communicate without making a sound, writing, signing, gesturing or any other form of communication? Tautologically speaking, no one can communicate something without using some form of communication. That leaves us with two possiblilities: There never was a solution and somebody is just jerking someone’s chain; or there originally was a solution but it was accidentally eliminated as a possibility somewhere along the way. I guarantee your friend does not have an answer that will make this group of braniacs say, “Of course!” ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-me-this/487989/110 "2009-03-08T21:14:06Z")
> [@Kilobyte70](#): > > I haven’t changed anything from the OP except confirm that the mute is actually someone who is unable to speak. Or move his lips. Unlike most mutes. Actually, what’s wrong with the “thick painting” solution given above? Although drawing the events is challenging, the mute is not deaf, and so the blind person can repeatedly ask for more diagrams to clarify what he means. Tactile pictionary. As for your “forfeit” I suggest you put in a clause that if the answer’s dumb, you don’t have to do it. I strongly suspect the “correct” answer will make you go :rolleyes: and not :smack:. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-me-this/487989/111 "2009-03-08T21:16:59Z")
I’ve just done a bit of searching for this riddle on Google. There are quite a few different versions circulating. Some involve the wife being murdered or kidnapped; others say the deaf man stole the blind man’s orange. Most of the discussion on other sites has been considerably less focused than here, to say the least.😉 Most haven’t come up with any solutions. However, I think there is one that most probably is the “trick” answer to the riddle as stated: > [@](#): > > A blind person, a mute person and a deaf person are friends. All 3 r married (to 3 separate women) and all 3 live together. One day the deaf person’s wife beats up the blind person’s wife (don’t ask me why). The only witness to this event is the mute person. Now the wife doesn’t want to tell her husband about this coz she is worried abt the consequences and so are the other wives so they don’t want to get involved either. The mute guy can’t hide this from his friend and wants to tell him. **The question is how.** As others have speculated, this version is probably somewhat garbled from the original. The original question at the end was probably something like “How **could** the mute person tell the blind person about what he saw?” The answer is “by speaking.” It’s irrelevant that the mute is actually unable to speak; the question just demands a general way to communicate the information. It doesn’t say that the mute actually succeeded in telling the blind man what he saw. This is just the kind of dopey “gotcha” overly-obvious answer that such riddles usually have. Actually, there is another answer out there that I like better: “The mute went to a wheelwright, got a wheel and spoke. The blind man went to a carpenter and got a hammer and saw.” ---
**Author:** ![mutantmoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a87d85/32.png) [@mutantmoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mutantmoose)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-me-this/487989/112 "2009-03-08T23:44:22Z")
> [@Kilobyte70](#): > > Actually pedanticalness is also correct: > > [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pedanticalness](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pedanticalness) Ok so I made a joke, it failed. Sue me. Once in a lifetime opportunity to correct someone on the use of the word pedant and I wasn’t gonna miss it, no sir. ---
**Author:** ![Gus\_Gusterson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Gus\_Gusterson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Gusterson)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-me-this/487989/113 "2009-03-09T14:12:28Z")
> [@Kilobyte70](#): > > I have an IQ of 145 and even \* I\* am ready to give up, the only reason I am holding hope is coz there is reward of £500 for the right answer (the cocky bastard)…:S Do you have to pay him £500 if you don’t come up with the answer? If so, that’s a terrible bet for you. If not, why would he offer so much money? What’s the upside for him? ---
**Author:** ![PoorWarblingOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4491bb/32.png) [@PoorWarblingOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorWarblingOne)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-me-this/487989/114 "2009-03-09T18:44:54Z")
Oh - can your friend also tell us the answer to 14 k of g in a f p d ? Thanks ever so much… ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-me-this/487989/115 "2009-03-10T10:29:35Z")
(Bump) Hi **Kilobyte** , we’re all eagerly looking forward to the real answer! ---
**Author:** ![Kilobyte70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ebca7d/32.png) [@Kilobyte70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilobyte70)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-me-this/487989/116 "2009-03-10T14:58:25Z")
> [@Gus\_Gusterson](#): > > Do you have to pay him £500 if you don’t come up with the answer? If so, that’s a terrible bet for you. If not, why would he offer so much money? What’s the upside for him? If i am unable to come up with an answer, then I have to do favour for him. I would rather not say what it is.:s > [@PoorWarblingOne](#): > > Oh - can your friend also tell us the answer to 14 k of g in a f p d ? What is that got to do with this? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-me-this/487989/117 "2009-03-10T17:45:57Z")
> [@Kilobyte70](#): > > What is that got to do with this? It was a previous “puzzle” for which no one was able to come up with a satisfactory answere. ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2009, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-me-this/487989/118 "2009-03-17T18:44:16Z")
(Bump) Calling **Kilobyte**. It’s been a while now. Could you please provide the correct answer, so as not to give rise to any suspicions that this thread involved a lot of time being wasted. ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-me-this/487989/119 "2009-03-18T02:25:59Z")
> [@ClintPhoenix](#): > > Could the blind man be able to see but have a job cleaning blinds? If he still has to have a disability it’s probably a learning disability - after all, he can’t read. > [@ianzin](#): > > (Bump) Calling **Kilobyte**. It’s been a while now. Could you please provide the correct answer, so as not to give rise to any suspicions that this thread involved a lot of time being wasted. I’m still waiting for him to deny that **ClintPhoenix** has the right answer. It meets all of the conditions of the OP, but whoever mentioned upthread that it’s the kind of riddle you solve by asking questions I think is right. If **Kilobyte** denies that it’s that kind of riddle, and we only have the OP to go by, then **ClintPhoenix** has a perfectly valid solution. The mute guy can draw a sketch for the “blind” guy, who happens to have a learning disability or cleft palate or something. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-me-this/487989/120 "2009-03-18T13:49:14Z")
So let me see if I understand this correctly: Your friend is offering you £500 if you can come up with an answer to this riddle. You come to us for the answer. We can’t find the answer quickly, so you insist we keep trying until we come up with it, even though it’s probably just an arbitrary trick. So what part of the £500 do we earn if we solve the riddle? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-me-this/487989.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-me-this/487989.md?page=7)