I don't think I've seen a riddles thread... So I thought I'd start one :)
Posts attempt to answer the previous riddle and whoever's right posts a new one :)
Easy one to start? :P
The beginning of eternity,
The end of time and space,
The beginning of every end,
The end of every place.
E?
E = mc²
By the way it's supposed to be "The end of every place and time" at the end.
A detective found a dead man sitting at his desk with a gun in his hand, and a tape recorder was on his desk... the detective came in and picked up the tape recorder and pressed the play button... he heard "I'm sick of my life. I have no purpose to live" and then a gunshot.
The detective instantly knew it was murder, not suicide. How?
Since I'm basically a relict from the ages long past, I know for a fact that tapes need to be stopped and rewinded before being played.
So, that's probably it.
Yup, anyone else got one?
I think Khan's counts as a puzzle more than a traditional riddle...
Right, I'll do one.
My tail is long, my shell is strong
I cannot see, nor hear a sound
I only sense a grasping hand
And the egg that I nestle upon the ground.
A lame turtle... with a long tail?
A blind and deaf Armadillo?
You're both being way too literal. :P
One of those old mouses with the ball on the bottom?
Exactly! :)
Okay, since Khan doesn't seem to be coming up with one, I'll give you all another riddle:
Brighter than a songbird
But rustling like a mouse
Floating like a swift so free
Higher than a house
Once a beast of burden,
Carrying a load,
Then set free to toss and roll,
Down along the road.
Some kind of a leather ball.
Well with the first bit it made me think of the Sun. But the second bit lost it for me. Are they the one riddle or not?
It's all one riddle.
Leather balls don't rustle and aren't used to carry things, so not that.
Ditto the sun doesn't do either of those things.
I thought when it said it carried a load that it was when it was still a beast of burden.
Ahh, the leather. Clever. Wrong, but clever. :P
We give up, precious.
The first part makes me think an autumnal leaf in the wind, but it doesn't really carry a load so much.
It's not a leaf - but thinking of things that blow around in the wind is a good route to go down.
Plastic bag?
Correctamundo. :P
Your turn, either make one up or find and post it. :)
You must have some bright plastic bags over there. :P
Born in winter, dies in summer, grows with its root upwards.
Pretty damn simple but I'm too tired for any fancy crap right now.
An annual plant from Australia? :P
Hahaha no.
Icicles! :o
Yarp.
CG, you got one for us? :)
No. :P
Try this:
I spin and bulge, I bloated tell
Of where the fish or people dwell
No sky above them or soil beneath
No forest there nor barren heath
But land and water clear as day
And dot-like cities far away.
The Moon?
Nope, not too bad a guess but not there.
A globe of the world...?
Yus! :D
Your turn :)
This seems a bit easy... but oh, well...
Hands she has but does not hold,
teeth she has but does not bite,
feet she has but they are cold,
eyes she has but without sight.
To get the obvious guesses done - a corpse? Or a statue?
Close... that kind of thing... :P
A doll? Or a painting?
It is a doll :)
Your turn :)
A plain of blood, of tree or bone
Around which friend and foe are grown;
A war without chance, a death without pain
Where knights may fall then rise again
As eyes stare down in fading light
On fields of black and forts of white.
Chess board?
Yeah, it was a fairly obvious one. Your go :)
QuoteThe duke, the wanderer, the philosopher, the mariner, the warrior, the strategist, the storyteller, the wizard, the wayfarer...
Is it a Jubal?
Nope, it's me...
Okay, here's another one.
One stood by two, shot straight and true
While two stood bold and tall
Three was showered in gold and jewels
And four was wan and small
Five opposed the all of them,
Across a barren plain,
All criss-crossed with long riverbeds
But what, then, was their name?
Fingers?
I was going for a hand, since it included the palm, but yeah, close enough. :)
I weigh a lot but backwards I am not.
A ton? :P
Yes, you win a cookie.
When I am cast the great and small
Soon shall prosper or shall fall
Pock-marks on a skin of white
Pick the fate or seal the fight.
Measles?
No idea otherwise.
A die (i.e. a traditional d6).
Now it looks easy. :(
Quote from: comrade_general on August 22, 2014, 05:04:34 PM
Now it looks easy. :(
Alea iacta est.It's like cryptic crossword clues - sometimes the answer comes almost immediately. More often than not, I sit there for hours unable to make any headway, then think, "Oh yes, it's obvious" when I'm told the answer.
Someone else take a turn to post one? :)
One
...
Happy now?
*facepalms*
*grins and waves happily*
OK, have a go at this'un:
I shine with light,
Gold rings I wear,
In memory of things that were;
And at my feet,
Lie your desires,
To be taken from under my fingers of fur.
Ok.... I'm think the sun... that has fur... yeah...
But I'm thinking it has something to do with space because of the line that says "In memory of things that were", which could represent the time it takes for light to travel to Earth. I dunno, I may be spitting out nonsense here, please tell me if I am.
I'm more or less stumped on this one. The first half suggests something like a lamp (shines with light, "gold rings" are the lamp framework; "memory of things that were" doesn't fit at all though). The second half feels as if it might be something like the Sphinx (the mythical one, not the stone statue, hence "fingers of fur"). I can't see how to reconcile these bits at all. I suspect there's a neat answer from classical mythology that I don't know.
I'd expected this one to be easier, but then I guess I knew what I was thinking when I wrote it.
Hint #1 is that of the two rhyming lines, the second is a far better clue than the first, which is kinda true but more there to make the rhyme scheme fit. :p
(Will happily give more hints if needs be, but don't want to give it away too early!)
I'm still chewing on this one. The current best guess is a ginger cat (with alternating light and dark stripes in its fur) holding on to something the reader wants. But that still doesn't seem neat enough.
(http://i.imgur.com/b0wlHQp.gif)
A further clue - today is the right day to answer this one!
Christmas tree!
Correct! :) Hopefully it makes reasonable sense once you know the answer?
Also this:
QuoteI'm more or less stumped on this one.
Genuinely cracked me up laughing as one of the first responses to the riddle :P
I don't get the gold rings.
Tinsel. I admit that might have been too confusing.
I think of tinsel as long wavy things.
Heh, I was thinking Christmas tree but couldn't think how the gold rings fitted!
Maybe "great jewels I wear" would have been a more sensible line...
New riddles! :) Five different ones here for you folk to have a crack at:
1.
I am unwelcome at your door,
My brothers chase me on the moor.
And yet I am a guest most kind;
For when I leave I brush behind.2.
I may have but a foolish brain,
And lose it before April's rain,
But I'll warm yours, for it is said,
I'll leap and sit atop your head3.
I stared from the coins in Pericles' hand,
I who rules by the moon, and all things understand.
My kin gather rarely, but when we do,
We'll sit in a higher house than you.4.
My name's said when you lift a load,
To carry it along the road,
And though you fear me, run, and hide
You'll rest tonight with me at your side.5.
You never see me, but if you might,
You'll see my face in black and white.
And if there's something I forget,
I'll just head home, for there I'm set.Answers:
Spoiler
1. Fox
2. Hare
3. Owl
4. Bear
5. Badger
No idea. I suck at riddles.
I do find I'm better at writing them than solving them!
I think I've got 2, 4 and 5 - all puns or other plays on words, if I'm not mistaken. I suspect 1 and 3 are similar, but I haven't got them worked out yet. My answers so far in spoilers:
2.
Spoiler
hare / hair
4.
Spoiler
arm
5.
Spoiler
type (typeface, set(ting) type)
Ooh, interesting!
Response also spoilered:
Spoiler
"Hare" is correct for 2, and part of that clue is indeed a hair pun, along with the "harebrained" and "Mad March Hare" clues, and the leaping. 4 and 5, both very good answers that aren't what I was getting at. For four, there's definitely an answer that brings in the first couple of lines more neatly, and for five, I'm not sure type fits the "you never see me" bit (I think five is perhaps the weakest of the riddles here).
Jesus! 4 is our lord and saviour no?
I'm not sure people both run away from Jesus and sleep next to him on a regular basis?
Jesus is with all of us all of the time.
Next answer:
3.
Spoiler
owl
Still chewing over 1, 4 and 5, with little effect so far.
Pent: if Jesus is everywhere you can't hide from him.
Glau: That is correct :) Line 1 is kind of a giveaway if you know the fact.
No you can't, but sinners still try.
Anyway, just to clarify 110%, the answer to number four is NOT "Jesus".
That's what satan would say. Jubal confirmed as devil.
Yup, you got me. Still not the answer though.
Another shot in the dark, this time for number 1:
Spoiler
a fox
Correct! :) Just 4 and 5 left...
After further musing, 5 suddenly became clear:
Spoiler
a badger
I'm detecting something of a theme here...
Indeed! :)
I GOT IT!!
Spoiler
It's a bear... we sleep with a teddy bear but if we see a real bear, we run, and when we lift something we bear it.
Bump. Jubal, could you let us know whether Khan got the last one right, please?
He did! Sorry, I'll try writing some new ones soon :)
The sun warms me, and the mountains stand against me, I am everywhere but nowhere.
I can be fast, I can be slow, and sometimes I am easier to see than usual.
What am I?
Wind or a breeze is the first thing that comes to mind, though I'm not sure in what circumstances that's easier to see...
If it's blowing stuff around it's easier to see.
Yeah wind. O0
OK, here's a new one:
I was born in the morning with no-one to nurse me,
I envied the sun in the heat of the day;
As it grew cooler I got tanned and lazy,
And I've now fallen dead and I'm rotting away.
What am I?
Leaves?
Yup :)
In solitary halls I wait, sought in acts of fate,
on the brink of lonely minds, on the thoughts of those who wait,
you find me when in life you hesitate, or in the darkness delve,
if you are kind to me I dissipate, if you ignore me I do swell,
many know me through angry words and jealous lovers,
i wear many masks and see through others,
selfish, selfless, I am both,
crippling, relieving, often morose,
I am found when you are lost,
Morbid, sordid, sometimes described as dross.
What am I?
Khan.
Quote from: OgreLord on September 29, 2016, 12:20:35 PM
In solitary halls I wait, sought in acts of fate, ...
It sounds like some sort of negative emotion, but I'm not sure which one.
Still no idea on this :(
Well no harm in guessing...
"Doubt" is my current best guess.
Nope, but now that I think about it the subject of the riddle might not be accurately described by it... I can let you keep guessing or you can just ask for the answer :P
I would guess fear, although I am not familiar with the feeling so how would I know?
Still think it's Khan even if it isn't.
Loneliness could be another possibility?
I think riddles where the answer is an abstraction often need to be *considerably* more tightly crafted than those where the answer is an actual thing.
It's love.
Platypus, definitely platypus.
You know, reading that a second time, it could very well be me. ;D
Zactly.
Are you a lonely fearful platypus though Khan? If you are, everyone gets to be right :)
Quote from: Jubal on November 30, 2016, 08:34:17 PM
Are you a lonely fearful platypus though Khan?
Does he lay eggs? Does he have a duck-bill? I think we should be told!
Can we get an answer here? :P
The answer was
Spoiler
Depression
See it was Khan all along I was right!
Congratulations CG!! *throws confetti*
OK, here's a new one :)
Standing tall above the land,
A treasure held within my hand
Encased within a marble wall,
While soldiers at my feet shall fall
But though I hold it up with love,
You'll break and take it from above.
What am I?
Khan.
I'm not sure how tall Khan is, but I doubt he has a treasure in his hand or soldiers falling at his feet. Or maybe he has - who can tell what exotic lives these Tasmongolian warlords lead?
Anyway, my rather more prosaic guess is ...
Spoiler
an eggcup holding a boiled egg
You are correct :) Was probably an easy one.
Another probably easy but fun to write one:
I bite, although I need no food,
Upon a beast that has no blood -
With many arms, that eats the sun;
You'll take its bones when I am done.
I grovel not, despite my name,
Nor for the past your eyes will claim.
That was my first thought but Khan sounded better. Hue hue
Hi all - I registered with this website specifically to answer this riddle because it is eating me up so much. So, well done there, I suppose.
Is it...
Spoiler
an axe?
Ooh no, hang on, that's not quite right, I think it might actually be...
Spoiler
a saw? That works with the final line which "axe" doesn't, but I've still got no idea about the grovelling part.
Welcome to Exilian, LocalMinimum! Please feel free to have a look around, and respond to things if you find them interesting - there's lots of stuff here beyond the riddles.
I would offer a variant of your second idea, that I think fits the last two lines better:
Spoiler
a chainsaw (cutting up trees)
If this is right, then you get the credit - I was completely stumped on this last night.
Also, for CG's benefit, this could very well be Khan: a mighty warrior, defending us against a bloodless sun-eating monster.
You're both *very* nearly there, but there's a very slightly more specific answer that fits the penultimate line.
Also yes, welcome! :)
Correct! :D
Right, someone else post one :P
Ok ok, I've got a couple :D
I think these range from "really easy" to "easy", though I suppose they're all easy once you know them. Anyway, here you are.
1.
A famous figure favours me:
The author of the Odyssey.
With shape deforming eyes you see
A coffee cup topology.
2.
My namesake made it to the Moon. I didn't get that far
And now my body's on display for kids to view for free
The mass revolt I heralded put Britain where we are
And my inventor's namesake's novel's hero sails the sea.
3.
I am that noble warrior of which Bette Midler sings
You can find me with a golf club, though you'd need to show some flair
The place I come from doesn't have a lot to do with kings
And so my crown (though it exists) is really rather bare.
I think my lack of general knowledge may cause me to struggle on 2 and 3...
Is 1:
Spoiler
Beer?
No, but you're on the right lines :) Coffee-cup topology might be quite over-specifically mathsy actually - it might help just to google the whole last line.
I'll give some more hints in a bit!
Ah, OK, yes, I was thinking of what might *actually* have a topology similar to a coffee cup!
Spoiler
Doughnut!
Yes! Now for the other two. *cackles madly*
Clue - there's something that links 2 and 3. They're both symbols of their country's (very different) Revolutions...
Is number 3 ...
Spoiler
a bald eagle?
This would fit at least the second half of the riddle, and the hint you gave.
I'm thoroughly stuck on number 2. I think my general knowledge might not be general enough :(
Spoiler
Yes! Nice! I tried to make it fit with the second half as well - he comes from America, and he's bald (crown/crown double meaning, lol)
Oh hang on, wrong half
Spoiler
Yeah, the first line's the weakest. Bette Midler had a song that went "I can fly higher than an eagle, cause you are the wind beneath my wiiiings..."
And what's another name for a good score in golf?
The second one is very specific and I suppose it's impossible if you're not already aware of the name. It's got the inventor in the title, like Beethoven's Symphony.
Another riddle - same object referenced - follows. :)
Spoiler
2a
I've lain for many years upon the Science Museum's floor
In my heart, for the first time, coal and steam went hand in glove
My name, though not a salad, sounds identical for sure
(Jim Hawkins is the sailor-hero referenced above.)
Ah, well, that makes it
much easier :)
Spoiler
Stephenson's Rocket
And there was I starting from things like "Apollo" and "Armstrong", and trying to see how they would connect to "Forester" (Hornblower) or "O'Brian" (Jack Aubrey), or the English Civil War.
Yes! Awesome.
OK, try this one:
I am oppressed, downtrodden, dead,
But may be high above your head;
I see life with disinterest,
For where I lay is where I'm best.
Oh gods, I can't find the answer to this one...
EDIT: Just remembered what I'm 99% sure it is! No, it isn't a coffin - they're never particularly high above your head.
I've edited the last riddle from "But am raised high" to "But may be high" which I think is a little more accurate. Still no takers?
Spoiler
Nope - but you're right to take the "downtrodden" fairly literally.
Spoiler
carpet or floorboards?
Correct in the second of those guesses :)
Spoiler
Though you lay both, and they are both trodden on, and both may be on a floor above you, it's floorboards not carpet because floorboards are actually dead (being made of wood) and because of line 3 - it's disinterested because it's board (bad pun I know).
Tusky's turn to post a riddle :)
Quote from: Jubal on December 27, 2018, 12:46:38 PM
Correct in the second of those guesses :)
Yay! Good riddle.
Here's my effort:
I am of the lord
I was there at the slaying
Those that are like me
Could be muted or marching
Hmm... thoughts so far:
Spoiler
Hm, first line makes me think religion, though it's lord not Lord so not necessarily
Second line is most confusing - things present at slayings are usually people, weapons, armour, battle accoutrements, and concepts (like death)
I think line 3 just sets up line 4, though I guess it also tells us it's not an individual
Muted or marching - these could be quite literal, but the things they connect to for me are instruments. I half wondered about trumpet - used in a marching band, can be muted, could be present at a battlefield, but I'm not sure they can be "of the lord"...
Spoiler
Quotefirst line makes me think religion
Yep
QuoteI think line 3 just sets up line 4, though I guess it also tells us it's not an individual
Yep
QuoteI half wondered about trumpet - used in a marching band, can be muted, could be present at a battlefield, but I'm not sure they can be "of the lord"...
No, not an instrument
Let me know if I should give a hint, I wasn't sure on how difficult this one was. I've not really written any riddles before! :) :-\
I'm worried my riddle is too tricky - so I've tweaked the wording to be a little clearer and come up with an amended version should anyone want...
Spoiler
I am of the god
The slaughter I did see
I'll always be quiet
And March will leave like me
Spoiler
The big problem I'm having is the word "march" - I can't think of anything that really does that except humans, penguins and ants, and any items carried to war by humans (none of which I can make fit atm). I wondered if it obliquely references the month but figure that might be stretching.
Here's a clue
Spoiler
QuoteThe big problem I'm having is the word "march" - I can't think of anything that really does that except humans, penguins and ants, and any items carried to war by humans (none of which I can make fit atm). I wondered if it obliquely references the month but figure that might be stretching.
All of the lines are not describing anything literally - they are all referring to idioms / sayings about the riddle's subject.
EDIT 1: I've probably made this far too hard, thinking about it, since if you don't know one of them then you won't be able to make all of the lines fit.
EDIT 2: Actually I think the wording on that last line is wrong!!! I have changed it to: And March will leave like me
In which case my guess is
Spoiler
A lamb
I still can't make the last line fit, but it idiom or phrase-wise works for the other three I think?
Jubal got it!
Spoiler
You're right. The lines are:
Lamb of God
Like a lamb to slaughter
Quiet as a Lamb
The last one is March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.
Probably not a very well know saying i suppose!
[/quote]
Yay! :)
Spoiler
I think for the last line I did know that phrase, but I'd have needed a mention of the lion to get it. It's a decent riddle though, and evidently actually is guessable - well done :)
Here's my next one:
I, a snow of darkling white,
Shall fall beneath a glowing light,
For when his kingdom frost has got,
You'll make me though you want me not
I may be made of mine own name,
So tell me, can you guess the same?
It's a very nice riddle poetically! I've had a good think but doubt I'm right ???
Spoiler
I thought along the lines of dust (or maybe ash). Which can match in the following ways
I, a snow of darkling white
- Perhaps this means grey? Ash / dust colour
Shall fall beneath a glowing light
- ash from a volcano? Dust in a room that you only notice moving in the light?
For when his kingdom frost has got,
You'll make me though you want me not
- the second line might match dust, since a lot of it is human matter. Although I can't see how it is relevant to the previous line, maybe an old man's greying hair (his hair being his kingdom) may be prone to more dandruff? Doesn't really relate to ash.
I may be made of mine own name,
- An ash tree is made of ash wood? A pile of dust is made up of dust particles... I'm not entirely sure what to make of this clue, I'm guessing that the made part is the main clue
So tell me, can you guess the same?
- I get the feeling this relates to the previous line, but ostensibly seems to be just asking for the answer and completing the nice couplet
Spoiler
I looked at Tusk's but I was thinking ash as well. When there's frost it's cold so you build a fire to get warm but then you have to deal with ash. Made of my own name, so wood ash in full?
Yup, correct (Tusk's second guess and CG's first one) - well done guys. :)
Spoiler
I, a snow of darkling white, Ash does fall and build up kinda like snow but with dark bits
Shall fall beneath a glowing light, It builds up below the flames of a fire
For when his kingdom frost has got, That is, in winter
You'll make me though you want me not Nobody wants ash - they want the warmth from the fire
I may be made of mine own name, I was thinking this one because you can burn ash logs to make ash
So tell me, can you guess the same?
Who's up. CG? I did one before jub
Not it.
Looks like you're up again then Tusky :)
Oops - forgot about this one. I shall get thinking :tusky:
I go with the flow.
I break things, you know,
When doing my role.
To save you's my goal.
It may end my life,
and cause you some strife,
but deep down you know
I just went with the flow.
First guess:
Spoiler
White blood cell?
Nope. Good guess!
Spoiler
I guess it could fit the "cause you some strife" line in that in the process of fighting an illness you could get unpleasant symptoms. and "break things" could mean germ cells etc?
Not sure if a white blood cell specifically sacrifices itself in the line of duty, though, but then I am not a biologist.
I'm not really sure what does break itself or die in the line of duty, it's a rather tricky one...
Ah, it's tough to tell when something is too hard. I assume it's obvious since I thought of it!
Here is a clue then
Spoiler
On line 2 where I said:
Quote from: Tusky on February 20, 2019, 10:40:01 AM
I break things, you know,
It is in reference to the "flow" mentioned on the first and last lines
A somewhat different guess...
Spoiler
An emergency airbag in a car
Nope. Good guess.
Hmm. Two more guesses, then:
Spoiler
either: a breakwater for a harbour (but I can't see how that would "go with the flow")
or: a sacrificial electrode (usually anode) for a piece of maritime equipment
Spoiler
Your second guess is very close - and I'm very tempted to give it to you. I had to google what they are, though... I'm not sure what a sacrificial electrode would break, other than itself? That would not fit with "things"
Here are 2 clues if you want to use them
Spoiler
Every modern household is likely quite a few of these
Spoiler
The thing being broken applies to both the "flow" mentioned on the first and last lines, and also the object it's in
Ding!
Neat :) It was it being electrical (rather than fluid) flow that was really what I was missing.
OK, here's my next one:
Walls without a fort surround,
Naught within but upturned ground,
If water the defenders keep,
Through dark holes away it seeps,
No roof or shelter can it give,
But those sent there are sent to live.
Correct :) Not such a difficult one, but I liked the poem.
Hold my arms around you.
You'll barely feel me there.
It's now clear, behold the day.
But come the night,
I must be away.
Slightly bemused guess:
Spoiler
sunlight (but I don't get the "my arms" bit)
Spoiler
Good guess, but no. You are sort of on the right lines, though.
I think that my wording was a little off for the sake of making it poetic so I have made a couple of tiny tweaks
A guess of mine:
Spoiler
Glasses or sunglasses?
> They have two arms
> Often easy to forget you're wearing them
> They make things clearer to see in the day
> You take them off at night because you can't sleep in them
Yep. Spot on
Spoiler
Was thinking of glasses specifically because of the "It's now clear" bit - but would have accepted either
Not sure if this is obvious or not, but here's another anyway:
Magpie's cousin
Found a tavern,
Found a door of heavy wood,
Then that cousin,
Cracked him open,
Tore his nails out where they stood.
Didn't need to sleep thereafter:
Cold as knives, no breath or laughter.
Tell me, friend, upon my oath,
What names pub and cousin both?
It seems not obvious, alas.
A clarification question, if I may: does "What names pub and cousin both?" mean that the same word is used for both things?
And then the only guess I've been able to come up with so far:
Spoiler
a raven or a thrush cracking open a snail
QuoteDoes "What names pub and cousin both?" mean that the same word is used for both things?
No.
Hints:HINT 1
Spoiler
The answer to the riddle is a single noun (not "X that in this case is doing Y").
HINT 2
Spoiler
Synonyms and wordplay are your friends.
Ooh the poem sounds nicely dark and sinister, but is it referring to an
Spoiler
innocent crowbar
?
It is! Well, not sure about innocent, but that's the right answer regardless :)
Right, your turn to do a riddle :P
Ok, no idea how obtuse or obvious this is, but here goes^^
I may be refined, I may be impolite.
My mere existence causes men to fight.
I am of ancient beasts long past.
You are frightened that I may not last.
I can take you far and wide.
From the heat I bring, you can never hide.
The first time I looked at this, I started at it for ages without any idea at all, then it clicked, I think it's:
Spoiler
Oil?
Particularly liking the refined vs crude line :)
Yup you got it :)
Spoiler
Haha I wondered if polite was a close enough synonym for crude...
Yay! My turn again I guess...
I need no food to keep me strong,
My belly's big, my one arm long,
My hat is hard, my bottom tough,
I drink and I eat, and that's enough,
For food I'm given; I give the same,
So tell me, can you guess my name?
Spoiler
Is it like a stove or something?
have to admit to being inspired by the above guess, but to be precise, is it a
Spoiler
cooking pot?
CG along the right lines, but Ierne is right - I was thinking specifically a saucepan (hence one arm, and a "hat" being the lid).
Right, Ierne, your turn to try riddle writing I guess! :)
Penis.
i've never written a riddle before and may have made this waaay too hard, but here goes:
i was a god once
until you made me an enemy and a thing of riducule
men run from me in terror
but children hold me close
i search for warm places and sweet things
you sing to keep me at bay
when you find me you do not want me
but you are frightened that one day i might never come back
My first thought is
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A bear, which seems to fit most lines, especially the men run and children hold me close bit. I can't think of any bear deities and I'm not sure about the singing bit though.
Jubla is probably right but I'm going to try another way and say
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innocence
Quote from: Jubal on May 06, 2019, 09:30:46 AM
My first thought is
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A bear, which seems to fit most lines, especially the men run and children hold me close bit. I can't think of any bear deities and I'm not sure about the singing bit though.
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singing is the advice given to walkers as it's thought bears only attack people they accidentally bump into, singing lets the bears know where you are so they'll avoid you. From my anime-ing, Ainu is a bear god
Jubal got it right first, but Clockwork is spot on about singing if you are hiking :) The Ainu do have a bear god, as do the Sami (and there are probably others I don't know about, given how frequently bears appear in mythology as magical beings).
I hate rittles. :P
My comparative mythology evidently needs improvement, and I didn't know the singing thing at all. Hats off on those ones. :tusky:
Let's see how you find this one (I think this may be an "easy but the poem is nice" one, but I may be wrong):
Within this court they say
A hundred servant lads are found,
Their messages a-carrying,
All told without a sound;
And all of them, yes all of them,
Within three walls are bound.
right, I have an idea that's probably wrong, but I'm gonna say it anyway just in case:
Spoiler
all i can think of is neurons carrying messages in the brain. no idea how the three walls would come into that though.
i like ierne's answer, though i can't think of the three walls
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(unless it's dimensions or the brain stem and hemispheres)
on a similar note, i could kind of see the
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heart with its three chambers. i'm guessing the servant lads could be blood cells that may be reporting information on oxygen levels or something (if they do that^^)
These are really interesting ideas but rather on the wrong track. :)
haha the three walls are very confusing,
what about
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insects and other crawlies with male worker drones like bees or ants or termites? i think bees communicate through pheromones, which are silent. i guess some of the structures they build might be triangular :P
Again, nope. Hints maybe?
Hint #1
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How do you, regularly, get messages that have no accompanying sound?
Hint #2
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There's a synonym for something here that'll be a giveaway when you find it.
ok so it's not because of a
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synonym and more a homonym, but now i can only think of books. they're bound(!) with a spine, a back and a front, and they contain loads of messages that don't make a sound. no idea about the servant lads, unless they're the letters or the words.
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I cheated and looked at Toad's answer but it made me think - is it the poem itself? Like contained within the beginning middle, and end?
Toady is correct :) Though CG's idea is fantastic and I wish I'd thought of it first.
The bit you weren't getting:
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Page_(servant) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Page_(servant))
Admin edit: fixed the URL
Ah that was great! Never would have thought of it^^
If I understand correctly, it's my turn now, so here goes again:
When it's in the dark, during a show, to remain silent take care.
It's a place where you run to put a sphere in a square.
It's where some of us outrageuos opinions share.
It's half of a way to get high up into the air.
It's even on a hitter's wood, beware.
What is it?
(Sorry, Yoda wrote some of those!)
maybe helpful hints:
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1. the shape of the little poem
2. where do you sit during a show in a theater or an opera house?
3. how are some of people's political opinions grouped together?
4. it's not really on the hitter's piece of wood but on something else that word describes
probably definitely giveaway
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5. two of what thing help some animals and machines to fly
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Ah, is it a wing?
You have wings in a theater, political parties might be right wing & left wing (for the "outrageous opinions"), 2 would get you in the air. I guess the last line is for a bat?
Yes, Tusky's guess makes sense. My other thought (which is clearly wrong from your hints) was:
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Ball, which fits some of them.
> Place to share outrageous gossip
> on a bat when it hits the ball
> balloon
Doesn't do first 2 as well though!
yup, you're right tusky :)
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and yes, it was a bat.
the line about the sphere and the square was about left wing and right wing as positions in football. not that the goal is really a square :P
i guess this was a bit needlessly confusing, and from jubal's answer i see now that "opinions share" had more meanings i didn't think of.
In terms of feedback, I think it's generally strong and basically works. I'd consider tweaking line 1 (mainly for scansion) and 3 (because political wings are usually treated as adjectives which will confuse people looking for a noun). The last line also could be shifted because you're asking people to guess "flight wing" twice, once in its own right and once for a bat, which isn't ideal. Maybe...
"While you wait for your cue, then be silent, take care,
In this place where you run to put spheres in a square.
If we're on the same one, then opinions we share,
And with two we've a way to get high in the air.
It's even on a hitter's wood, beware."
Still not sure of last line but I think the above preserves the ideas whilst being a bit neater (in my mind at least, others may disagree).
All you that compete
With victory a desire
You that may gather
To plot and conspire
No longer a guage
To reach destinations
Make an alleigance
And unite the nations
thank you very much for the feedback : )
good to know about the political wings being more usually used like adjectives!
thinking about it, i agree with your point about guessing a physical wing for flight twice...
in general, it's maybe a good idea to not have quite as many different lines, all of which could be the solution all by themselves.
perhaps i'll try and describe individual meanings longer, who knows^^
Quote from: Tusky on June 04, 2019, 06:09:02 AM
All you that compete
With victory a desire
You that may gather
To plot and conspire
No longer a guage
To reach destinations
Make an alleigance
And unite the nations
Hm, thoughts.
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A gauge and reaching destinations make me think of rail gauges, or trains. Competing with victory as a desire also feels like it might be train. Can't get it to fit to 2 or 4 though.
The other thought I have was something about wreaths - obviously the United Nations has a wreath on its flag, and laurel wreaths are the traditional symbol of victory. I can imagine that at some point wreaths were used to mark the houses of some sort of conspirators... and maybe were on trains at some point? I dunno, bit of a stretch.
Also, toady, check your PM inbox :)
Nope, good guesses though
Somewhat easy clues:
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1: A group of sports teams
3: Old unit of distance
Very easy clues:
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2: to be in ____ with someone
4: the ___ of nations
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League, because I cheated :P
yep!!
CG's turn to do a riddle :)
I can only assume CG is thinking about what riddle to post in vast amounts of detail. Does anyone else want to post a riddle in the meantime?
OK, not sure if this is too easy or too difficult, but try this one...
Coaxed into a Grecian play,
Then ten thousand eyes I lay,
Then comes no-legs,
Then comes long-legs,
Calling death at close of day.
Tell me, friend, who am I, pray?
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Autumn?
eye = middle of a flower so they are all losing their blooms
no legs = slugs coming out in the autumn rain
long legs = daddy long legs tend to appear in that season in the UK
death at the close of day is winter?
No idea about the Grecian play reference though
SOTK is correct, though valiant effort from Tusky :) SOTK's turn to do a riddle!
Explanation:
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Coaxed into a Grecian play,
"Brekekekex Koax Koax" is the famous call of the title choir in Aristophanes' The Frogs
Then ten thousand eyes I lay,
Frogspawn...
Then comes no-legs,
Tadpoles...
Then comes long-legs,
Frogs!
Calling death at close of day.
Evening is when frogs vocalise most, and "croak" - synonym for death.
OK, since we're still sans a SOTK-riddle and I wrote some riddles lately:
Green the father, brown the daughter,
Avoid the arrow, witch to water,
Lake or river, earth or air,
Faces hid, they dabble there,
No nimble hands or lips to kiss,
What family, do tell, is this?
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ducks
... though I don't see how witch to water fits.
Glaurung is right and it's his turn to riddle :)
As to that line:
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It's a reference to "ducking stools" which were sometimes used to supposedly identify witches: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucking_stool
I don't have a riddle ready, and I'm unlikely to come up with one any time soon. If anyone's got one ready, please jump in.
Roses are red
Violets are blue
Poems are hard
Beer
We have a weiner! Winner.
OK, here's a moderately tricky one from me:
There's two cat's feet that end their tread,
And if things start again, I'm dead
Two columns tell my life and death,
I lived so you could catch your breath.
But things must end, then start, because,
If I don't die, I never was –
I speak no word, take up no room,
What name should stand upon my tomb?
Very good! Most people I showed that one to were stumped. :)
Quote from: comrade_general on July 10, 2019, 03:00:29 AM
Roses are red
Violets are blue
Poems are hard
Beer
I actually saw this on the billboard for a pub.
My turn;
What do I have in my pocket?
At least one nitrogen atom. Statistically pretty much a certainty.
Wrong. Now we gets to eat it whole.
Ah, rats.
Rats is correct though.
Bump.
I don't want to speculate on the contents of CG's pockets, but it appears to have been answered correctly, and so I think Jubal gets to pose a new riddle.
Sorry, I've been very slow on this...
Murad's headgear, necks of swans,
Bottles from around the world,
Make them decorations, songs,
Feast when summer's leaves are furled,
Say it slow, a deity,
Is what these are, then, don't you see?
Not to worry: you've had plenty of other things to do.
I'm looking forward to the answer to this one, since there's a stack of allusions, most of which I can't work out yet. About all I've come up with is...
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Feast when summer's leaves are furled,
The time when summer's leaves are furled is spring, and a feast then is Easter. So a deity might be Eostre, the supposed Germanic deity of spring. But I can't see how this fits the first three lines at all.
Hint/response to guess:
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Wrong track! I'd argue summer's leaves could count as furled at either end of the season, reasonably...
I am almost certain this is wrong...
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Love / Love letter
Neck of swans
The shape of the necks of two swans is like a heart?
Bottles from around the world,
Make them decorations, songs,
A letter - a love song?
Feast when summer's leaves are furled,
Feast of st. valentine?
You are correct, in the sense of correctly thinking that your answer is the wrong one :P
I keep looking back at this and can't work out any of the allusions (like Glaurung said). Also I have no idea who Murad is.
It's a Turkish name (including of a number of Ottoman Sultans).
Further clues:
1. Light clue
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Of the six lines of the riddle, each pair focuses on a different aspect of the solution.
2. Heavier clue further explaining 1
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In order, the pairs are varieties, then uses, then wordplay.
I THINK I'VE GOT IT! I KNEW SOMETHING WAS RINGING A BELL
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Gourds!!!
Perfect - yep. Ierne wins :)
(And gets the prize of setting the next riddle!)
Blown glass, spun gold,
Coloured marbles, pink clouds,
Swans, mice, flowers, bowls,
Something pretending to be something it's not.
... I never have any idea how hard or easy I make these :'D
The only thing I can think of is
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sugar. Sugar mice, sugar bowls, pink clouds = candy floss. But I don't think sugar swans are a thing, and I'm not sure how the marbles or glass work either there.
youre right! sugar swans and sugar 'blown glass' are a thing in posh patiserie.
(https://www.sweetart.de/images/product_images/original_images/01zuckerschwaninternet(1)_2.jpg)
marbles, i was just thinking about boiled sweets :)
your turn!
Whilst we wait for Jubal here is a nice (hopefully) easy one:
Before the new day breaks, I will be most strong
Some people might doubt you - but then they'd be wrong
If you don't comprehend, whatever you do
If you don't know but try, then I surround you,
You could look at the moon, I'm hidden - but there
Where could I be then? Perhaps anywhere
Sure is!
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Before the new day breaks, I will be most strong
- darkness before the dawn / being afraid of the dark generally
Some people might doubt you - but then they'd be wrong
- dark horse
If you don't comprehend, whatever you do
If you don't know but try, then I surround you,
- in the dark / stab in the dark
You could look at the moon, I'm hidden - but there
- dark side of the moon
Where could I be then? Perhaps anywhere
- lots of things cast shadows
Right, finally wrote one. Probably a bit easy, but I felt it was a pretty rhyme:
I send my letters every year,
On parchments yellowed with their age,
I throw them up into the wind,
Unread, they scatter, page by page,
But when you write a letter, then
I write no more and I am gone;
For from my body, limb and heart,
Is made that which you write upon.
Correct, your turn :)
in the old tales-
she is the rising sun
she is the guardian of the place of life
she is the giver of gentle days and nights
but I know an old joke-
you cannot sit beneath her leaves without perishing
IS THIS TOO HARD FOR YOU ALL or are you just not into riddles right now???
Too hard for me, I'm afraid - I can't even think of a guess for any of the lines, really :(
Too hard for me too; the last line might suggest a tree of some sort, but I can't see how that fits with the rest.
Some notes and a vague guess:
Spoiler
in the old tales-
This suggests the whole thing is kind of referential, as does the old joke line... but I'm not sure I'm getting the reference.
she is the rising sun
Could be a flower, given the last line? A yellow one?
she is the guardian of the place of life
This just really confuses me.
she is the giver of gentle days and nights
A sign of spring or summer when the days and nights get gentler? Or something that can be used in making bedclothes, like cotton?
but I know an old joke-
you cannot sit beneath her leaves without perishing
So I'm thinking a plant of some kind. Presumably not a tree - a plant you need to perish to sit under is presumably a low growing one, such that you're only under it when you've been buried.
My initial guess is therefore a daisy: it gives gentle days and nights, in that you need to step on a certain number of them apocryphally to show that summer is here. You also famously are beneath them once dead, hence "pushing up daisies" which might be your old joke. And they do grow and have yellow stamens, which could be the rising sun. Not sure how they guard the place of life (unless somehow roped off with daisy chains), so I'm probably way off, but some guess is better than no guess :)
oops! sorry for making one no one could get!
Jubal was close in getting a flower, but the answer is actually a blue lotus
In the old tales = Egyptian and Greek mythology
the rising sun= the Egyptians used the open blue lotus as a symbol for the rising sun
guardian of the place of life= blue lotus growing in the Nile, which the ancient Egyptians thought of as a place of magical life/ressureation, as well as a literal life source
gentle days and nights= a reference to the lotus eaters of Greek myth, the blue lotus has soporific properties
...and the joke is based around the idea that if you tried to sit under a water lily (of any kind) you'd drown
...I think I just proved I'm too much of an Egyptology nerd to function, oh well :P
Yeah, that's awesome, but admittedly beyond my Egyptological capabilities :) (Oooh, we should have some Egyptian smiley options...)
Whose turn is it now, then?
Quote from: Jubal on March 26, 2020, 08:48:07 PM
Whose turn is it now, then?
Yours, I would say: you made the only thorough attempt at it, and you at least got a flower, even if it wasn't the right one.
I agree, that was impressive!
(ooh and yes please to the Egyptian smileys :D )
OK, here's another one at long last:
With hey and wind and ho I come,
I build a bridge when joined with sun,
I nurture growing wheat and tree,
And in cold frost I am not me,
There's lots of me all round the wide world, and yet -
One of me only a monarch can get
Oops, I'd forgotten about this.
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I can't see how the last line works, but otherwise I think it is: rain, or perhaps raindrops.
Oh yeah
Glaurung's answer is correct :)
The last line:
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is a rain/reign pun.
Glaurung's turn!
Quote from: Jubal on July 03, 2020, 07:53:22 PM
Glaurung's turn!
This is probably another reason I held off, because (as usual) I have no idea what riddle to post. It's open for anyone who wants it, I think.
My first is in your head, then curved blade follows,
I defy the clouded sky, on limbs, in hollows,
I just hang on a little while,
Pointing to where I must go,
From fence and branch and bar and stile,
If you know my name, then tell me so!
Correct! Your turn! :)
Take an oracle to the sea,
Then you have a sort of me,
Like a kind of deer I run,
My longer kin from north may come,
Push me out to try for fame,
So, friend, tell me: what's my name?
I'm stumped on this one :( Each bit of the clue gives me an idea, but none of them seem to be connected. Maybe time for a hint?
There's at least one sound-based clue, at least one spelling-based clue, at least one idiom based clue and at least one historical based clue in there.
After some more thought, I have come up with:
Spoiler
boat
Logic:
- longboats from the north (historical)
- "push out the boat" (idiom)
- after further idle musing aloud, and with a groan, "sea oracle" = "C oracle" = "coracle" (is that sound-based or spelling based?)
But I still can't get the link to deer running.
You're correct :)
The remaining clue:
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Is the sound based one - to get a boat to move, you row, or as this suggests, "roe" it.
I'll see if I can think of any more...
Okay, a new one:
I am the giver of sweetness before the wise moon's daughter:
Throw me once and I am here, throw me twice and I am gone.
You entrust to me that which you need to survive,
Then with cold steel take it swift anon.
I likewise am the launch of orbs to flight in summer haze,
And when I am over, 'tis my power to amaze.
So I found this while browsing for possible riddles to put into an upcoming DnD game. I am terrible at riddles and don't have a good guess but I'll post some thoughts and maybe someone smarter than me will spot this and take a stab:
Spoiler
"Wise moon's daughter" makes me think either of stars or possibly of a mythological deity. I have some knowledge of Greek more than anything else in this area, but then I don't think Athena (Goddess of Wisdom) was typically associated with the moon. Possibly a link with owls there that come out at night, although that seems a stretch...
"You entrust to me that which you need to survive, then with cold steel take it swift anon" makes me think of planting seeds and then harvesting crops, but I can't see how that fits elsewhere.
"the launch of orbs to flight in summer haze" makes me think of dandelions scattering seeds as well but then it's the wind that actually launches those and "wind" doesn't seem to fit either
Some good thoughts! And some feedback on them:
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I'd say that Athena is not associated with the moon (though she is associated with wisdom), but owls are associated with both, that's a good call.
You're not totally wrong on thinking about crops, but you're not at the right stage of that process.
I don't think dandelion seeds count as orbs; you want a less natural-world analogy for this one.
My guess
Spoiler
Is it fire? 🔥🔥
I'm not sure about all of the clues, but here are the ones that make me think that:
Throw me once and I am here, throw me twice and I am gone.
- A match thrown (or struck) once would create fire, but a second throw would put the match out
You entrust to me that which you need to survive,
- Fire is needed for warmth and cooking - so you could say we entrust fire to keep up warm and cook things
I likewise am the launch of orbs to flight in summer haze,
- Hot air balloons are orbs powered by fire, more often you see them in clement / summery weather
The remaining ones I'm less sure of, but will try to make fit with my guess...
Then with cold steel take it swift anon.
- A metallic candle snuffer? or a poker you might use to tend a coal fire or scatter the embers when you are done?
And when I am over, 'tis my power to amaze.
- Aftermath of devastating fire (e.g. forest fire) makes us realise the power of fire
I am the giver of sweetness before the wise moon's daughter:
- Perhaps this refers to cooking a meal at night?
Quote from: Tusky on June 05, 2024, 11:53:07 AM
My guess
Spoiler
Is it fire? 🔥🔥
I'm not sure about all of the clues, but here are the ones that make me think that:
Throw me once and I am here, throw me twice and I am gone.
- A match thrown (or struck) once would create fire, but a second throw would put the match out
You entrust to me that which you need to survive,
- Fire is needed for warmth and cooking - so you could say we entrust fire to keep up warm and cook things
I likewise am the launch of orbs to flight in summer haze,
- Hot air balloons are orbs powered by fire, more often you see them in clement / summery weather
The remaining ones I'm less sure of, but will try to make fit with my guess...
Then with cold steel take it swift anon.
- A metallic candle snuffer? or a poker you might use to tend a coal fire or scatter the embers when you are done?
And when I am over, 'tis my power to amaze.
- Aftermath of devastating fire (e.g. forest fire) makes us realise the power of fire
I am the giver of sweetness before the wise moon's daughter:
- Perhaps this refers to cooking a meal at night?
Not correct, but very good logic! Some pointers:
On "throw me once":
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You're actually very much along the right lines with the idea of something being made and then destroyed, but with the wrong answer.
On "I likewise am the launch of orbs":
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The "I am" is more a direct definition than you've made it.
A general pointer:
Spoiler
Much of what you're missing is in the ways that the word you're seeking has multiple meanings: not all clues point to the same meaning, although of course they all point to the same word.
General pointer 2:
Spoiler
And there's a phonetic clue in there too.
General pointer 3:
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The word can be a verb or a noun, and both are referenced.
Well then I am officially bamboozleflummoxed
Bigger pointer/clue:
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What rough category of things do you make by "throwing" them?
Is it yarn?
'it is my power to amaze' made me think of spinning a good yarn to mean telling a story, and I believe you can throw yarn as a knitting style
Quote from: Spritelady on June 14, 2024, 11:35:29 AM
Is it yarn?
'it is my power to amaze' made me think of spinning a good yarn to mean telling a story, and I believe you can throw yarn as a knitting style
Also no - doesn't fit so much with the launch of orbs bit, or indeed
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the owl related clue which you already got.
This is either a crazy guess or a genius one.
Is it bowl?
You are correct! :)
Full notes would be:
Spoiler
I am the giver of sweetness before the wise moon's daughter:
Bee + Owl
Throw me once and I am here, throw me twice and I am gone.
You "throw" things that you make on a potter's wheel. If you throw the bowl a second time, it breaks
You entrust to me that which you need to survive,
Then with cold steel take it swift anon.
You put food in a bowl, then use cutlery to eat it
I likewise am the launch of orbs to flight in summer haze,
Bowling in cricket, rounders, etc
And when I am over, 'tis my power to amaze.
Bowled over!
So, your turn to give us a riddle, I think :) I'll try not to make it a three-years-to-solve difficulty level next time I have to write one...
ooh congrats! I was a little bit stumped. (accidental cricket pun)