The great classics · ★★☆
Albatross Soup
A man walks into a seaside restaurant and orders albatross soup. He swallows a single spoonful, stands up, walks out and kills himself. Why?
Collection · 28 riddles
Classic situation puzzles and dark riddles
Familiar situation puzzles alongside stories you may not have heard. A short scene gives you the facts. Finding the explanation means questioning what you assumed those facts meant. The rules.
The riddles
28 riddles
The great classics · ★☆☆
The Man in the Elevator
A man lives on the 12th floor of a building. Every morning he takes the elevator down to the lobby. Every evening he rides up to the 8th floor and climbs the stairs the rest of the way, except when it rains, or when someone else is in the elevator: then he rides straight up to the 12th. Why?
The great classics · ★☆☆
The Unopened Package
A man lies dead in the middle of a deserted field. Next to him is an unopened package. There are no footprints anywhere around. How did he die?
The great classics · ★☆☆
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet lie dead on the living-room floor. Around them: shards of glass and a puddle of water. The window is open and the curtain sways in the draft. What happened?
The great classics · ★☆☆
A Glass of Water and a Gun
A man walks into a bar and asks for a glass of water. The bartender pulls out a gun and points it at him. The man says "thank you" and leaves satisfied. Why?
The great classics · ★★★
The Music Stops
The music stops and, a few seconds later, a woman dies. Hundreds of people were watching her, and nobody laid a hand on her. What happened?
The great classics · ★☆☆
The Puddle Under His Feet
A man is found hanging from a beam in a completely empty barn. No furniture, no ladder, nothing to climb on. Just a wide puddle of water beneath his feet. How did he do it?
The great classics · ★☆☆
The Fast Drinker
Two men order exactly the same iced drink, poured from the same pitcher. One downs it in a single gulp; the other sips it slowly. The slow drinker dies of poisoning; the other is fine. Why?
The great classics · ★☆☆
The Carrot in the Meadow
In the middle of a meadow lie a carrot, a small pile of pebbles and a scarf, all together in the grass. Nobody put them there recently. What are they doing there?
The great classics · ★☆☆
The Car and the Hotel
A man pushes his car up to a hotel. The moment he gets there, he knows he is bankrupt. What is going on?
The great classics · ★★★
The Match in the Desert
A completely naked man lies dead in the middle of the desert. Clutched in his hand is a burnt match. The sand around the body carries no footprints and no tyre tracks. What happened?
The great classics · ★★☆
The Light Switched Off
A man wakes up in the middle of the night for a glass of water. Before going back to bed, he absent-mindedly switches off the light. In the morning he looks out the window, screams, and takes his own life. Why?
The great classics · ★★★
The Arm in the Mail
A parcel arrives in the mail. Inside it, a severed human arm. The man who opens it looks the arm over, nods, and mails it on to a second man, who looks it over in turn and then buries it. No crime has been committed. What is going on?
The great classics · ★☆☆
Recognized at First Glance
A man dies and arrives in heaven, where thousands of naked people from every era are gathered. He spots Adam and Eve immediately. How?
The great classics · ★☆☆
Born Together, Not Twins
Two brothers were born to the same mother, on the same day, at the same hour, in the same year. Yet they are not twins. How is that possible?
The great classics · ★★☆
Strangled at the Movies
A couple go to the movies. The show is sold out and there are people all around them. During the film the husband strangles his wife, then takes the body home without attracting the slightest attention. How is that possible?
The great classics · ★☆☆
The Phantom Weapon
A man is found dead, stabbed, in his own living room. On the floor lies a puddle of water tinged with blood. Nobody left the building between the moment he cried out and the search: the police go through the room, the building and everyone in it, and find no blade anywhere. Where did the weapon go?
The great classics · ★★☆
The Stranger in the Car
A car runs out of gas on an empty road. The husband sets off to find a can, first making sure his wife locks the doors and rolls up the windows. When he gets back, his wife is dead and there is a stranger inside the car. Everything is still locked from within. What happened?
The great classics · ★★☆
Frozen in a Heatwave
In the middle of a heatwave, a body is found in a park with a fractured skull and many broken bones. Yet the medical examiner's conclusion is final: death by hypothermia. How is that possible?
The great classics · ★☆☆
The Diver in the Forest
After a forest fire, rescuers find a dead man among the charred trees, wearing a full wetsuit, mask on his face and fins on his feet. The nearest coast is fifty miles away. How did he get there?
The great classics · ★★★
The Sawdust in the Wings
A circus performer is found dead in his dressing room; he took his own life. In a corner of the room, a small pile of sawdust and wood shavings. That sawdust explains his death. How?
The great classics · ★★☆
The Deserted Yacht
In the middle of the ocean, a yacht is found afloat, deserted, in perfect condition. Several bodies float in the water around it. The sea is calm and the passengers' belongings are untouched on board. What happened?
The great classics · ★☆☆
Alone in the Open
On a wide open plain, a woman throws an object as hard as she can. There is nobody else for miles around. A few seconds later she drops dead. What killed her?
The great classics · ★☆☆
Dead While Getting Dressed
On an ordinary morning, a man finishes getting dressed, lies down on his bed and is dead within minutes. He lives alone, and nobody entered the house that night. The autopsy finds a healthy man, one tiny wound on the sole of his foot, and traces of venom. Nothing dangerous is found in the house. What happened?
The great classics · ★★★
The New Shoes
A woman buys a new pair of shoes, goes to work, and is dead within the hour. She did not trip, and no vehicle hit her. Why?
The great classics · ★★★
The Smoking Carriage
A man is riding the train home from Switzerland. The journey passes without the slightest incident and the train arrives on time. All the same, had he taken a non-smoking carriage he would be dead. Why?
The great classics · ★★☆
Thirty Flags Before Dinner
An ordinary man delivers a letter to each of thirty foreign governments in a single day. He goes to their offices in person, carries no passport, and never leaves his home city. The letters are accepted everywhere, and that evening he is home for dinner. How?
The great classics · ★☆☆
The Midnight Card Game
Late at night, two people are playing cards in a living room. Nothing is moving outside. One of them glances at the black window and knows, with a chill, that she is going to die. What did she see?
