Riddles continue to circulate on social media, confusing and amusing users in equal measure.
The latest such riddle asks – “What is greater than God, More evil than the devil, The poor have it, The rich don’t need it, And if you eat it, you’ll die?” While seeming simple, many struggle to solve it. Here’s the ‘poor people have it’ riddle answer explained in context.
The Answer: Nothing
To make sense of the riddle answer, replace “it” with “nothing” in each clause:
Nothing is greater than God.
Nothing is more evil than the Devil.
The poor have nothing.
The rich need nothing.
And if you eat nothing, you’ll die.
Related Riddles to Test Your Problem Solving Skills
Impress others with your riddle-solving abilities by putting their knowledge to the test. Here are some similar ‘what is it?’ riddles:
• The more you have, the less you see. What is it? [Darkness]
• You can see me but I cannot see you. What am I? [A Mirror]
• I’m tall when I’m young, and I’m short when I’m old. What am I? [A Candle]
Try solving these riddles and sharing your own! The wordplay, humor and problem-solving required make riddles a fun mental exercise.
Solve another famous riddle called the Funeral Riddle.
Do you have any tips for solving riddles more effectively?
• Read the riddle carefully multiple times. Sometimes the clues are subtle and require careful analysis.
• Break down the riddle into its individual clues and analyze each one separately. Look for wordplay and double meanings.
• Try substituting possible answers in the riddle to see if they fit logically. This is how I determined the answer to the “poor people have it” riddle.
• Look up definitions of any key words you’re unsure of. New meanings may help provide the answer.
• Think outside the box. Riddle answers often go against common sense and default assumptions.
• Discuss the riddle with others. Bouncing ideas off each other can help spark new possible solutions.
• Take breaks if you’re stuck. Stepping away from the riddle for a bit can give your subconscious mind time to work on it and you may return with new insight.
• Don’t move on until you fully understand the answer. Make sure it fits logically and contextually in the riddle. This will help you solve similar riddles in the future.
• Practice regularly. The more riddles you solve, the better you’ll get at finding subtle clues and thinking creatively to arrive at the answer.
With practice and these tips, I’m confident you’ll be able to solve even tricky riddles more quickly and effectively!
What are some common wordplay techniques used in riddles?
Here are some common wordplay techniques used in riddles:
• Homophones – Using words that sound the same but have different meanings. For example, ‘eye’ and ‘I’, ‘there’, ‘their’ and ‘they’re’.
• Homonyms – Using different words that are spelled the same but have different meanings. For example ‘bear’ the animal vs ‘bear’ to carry.
• Puns – Using a word in an unusual way to make a play on words. For example, ‘Why couldn’t the bicycle stand up by itself? It was two-tired.’
• Double Entendres – Making a statement or question that can be interpreted two different ways. For example, ‘Why couldn’t the lifeguard save the hippie? He was too far out, man.’
• Synonyms – Using words with similar meanings. Synonyms can sometimes be effective distractions in riddles.
• Antonyms – Using opposite words. The answer to a riddle may sometimes be the antonym of an expected word.
• Nonsense words – Fake words that follow common word patterns but have no meaning. They can trick listeners who try to interpret them literally.
• Metaphors and similes – Comparing two unrelated things in an imaginative way. Metaphors are often used in the phrasing of the riddle itself.
• Acronyms and initials – Using the initials of a phrase as a fake answer to throw people off the real solution.
Many riddles rely on one or more of these wordplay techniques to misdirect, confuse and ultimately reveal the correct answer. Understanding how they work can help you recognize and decode them more easily when solving riddles.
How are metaphors and similes used in riddles?
Metaphors and similes are common techniques used in riddle phrasing. Here are some examples:
• Metaphor – The riddle itself is a metaphor comparing the answer to an unrelated object or concept. For example:
“What gets whiter the dirtier it gets?”
The answer is a chalkboard, but the riddle phrases it as a metaphor.
• Simile – The riddle uses a simile to compare the answer to something else. For example:
“What gets louder the smaller it grows?”
The answer is a candle, compared to a shrinking sound through a simile.
• Hidden metaphor – The riddle’s true answer is a metaphor that must be decoded to find the literal answer. For example:
“I am a box without hinges, key or lid, yet golden treasure inside is hid.”
The riddle is a metaphor for an egg, the “golden treasure” inside.
• Extended metaphor – The entire riddle is phrased as a prolonged metaphor for the answer. For example:
“I can roar without a mouth and cry without eyes.”
The answer is a river, described through an extended metaphor.
Essentially, metaphors and similes in riddles:
• Make the riddle more poetic and interesting
• Hide or obscure the actual answer
• Require the solver to think more abstractly about the answer’s characteristics
• Challenge the solver to decode the metaphor to find the literal answer
So when solving riddles, pay close attention to any metaphorical or simile-based phrasing. It could provide critical clues once decoded.
Are there any other literary techniques commonly used in riddles?
Yes! In addition to metaphors and similes, several other literary techniques are often used in riddles:
Alliteration – The repetition of initial consonant sounds. Alliteration makes phrasing more melodic and memorable. Example: “What has a bed but never sleeps?” (River)
Assonance – The repetition of vowel sounds. Assonance can also make phrasing more musical and catchy. Example: “What goes up but never comes down?” (Age)
Imagery – Using vivid descriptions to depict the answer. Strong imagery creates a more puzzling metaphor. Example: “My teeth are swords, my tongue is a blade.” (Comb)
Personification – Giving human qualities to nonhuman things. This is a common technique to describe the answer. Example: “I wander here and there, yet never leave my home.” (A sunbeam)
Rhyme – Using rhyming words to make the riddle more poetic. Rhyme helps the riddle stick in the solver’s mind. Example: “The more I dry, the wetter I grow. What am I?” (A towel)
All of these techniques help make riddles more obscure and memorable by:
• Adding poetic, figurative language instead of direct statements
• Describing the answer in an indirect, metaphorical way
• Making the phrasing more rhythmic and catchy through meter, rhyme and repetition
So as you solve riddles, pay attention to poetic devices, figurative language and rhythmic phrasing. These literary techniques likely provide important clues that – once decoded – reveal the answer.
