What can be caught but not thrown, even when a nose is blown? Riddle 2: What do you throw when you want to use it and take in when you don’t? Riddle 3: What always leaves, always stays, and when the wind is blowing, it sometimes sways?
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
Riddle 1: “What can be caught but not thrown, even when a nose is blown?”
Answer: A cold
Explanation:
The phrase “caught a cold” is a common expression used when someone becomes ill, especially with symptoms like sneezing, coughing, or a runny nose. Interestingly, while the word “caught” suggests a physical act (as if catching a ball), in this context, it refers to acquiring or becoming infected with a virus. The riddle plays on this double meaning—”caught” as both a physical and metaphorical action. You cannot literally “throw” a cold in the physical sense, even though it’s communicable. The reference to “a nose is blown” ties it directly to cold symptoms, reinforcing the pun and making this wordplay clever and apt.
Riddle 2: “What do you throw when you want to use it and take in when you don’t?”
Answer: An anchor
Explanation:
Anchors are vital tools used on boats and ships. When a vessel wants to remain stationary, the crew “throws” (drops) the anchor into the water to keep it in place. When the vessel is ready to move again, the anchor is “taken in” or pulled up. This riddle hinges on an unusual reversal—normally, one throws something to discard it, but here, throwing the anchor activates its purpose. Conversely, taking it in disables its function. The imagery and paradoxical use of “throwing to use” make this riddle both practical and poetic, capturing a simple truth about seafaring life.
Riddle 3: “What always leaves, always stays, and when the wind is blowing, it sometimes sways?”
Answer: A flag
Explanation:
A flag is a symbol that is both static and dynamic. It “always stays” because it is mounted in place, yet it “always leaves” in the sense that it waves or flutters—appearing to “leave” its position visually. When the wind blows, the flag sways dramatically, giving it motion. The riddle plays on these contrasts—motion and stillness, permanence and movement—encapsulating the paradoxical nature of how flags behave, especially in the wind. It’s a metaphor for presence and movement tied together, often representing identity, nationalism, or allegiance in a poetic, visible form.
