Riddle - Contemporary Riddles

Contemporary Riddles

Contemporary riddles typically use puns and double entendres for humorous effect, rather than to puzzle the butt of the joke, as in:

When is a door not a door?

When it's ajar (a jar).

What's black and white and red (read) all over?

A newspaper.

What's brown and sounds like a bell?

Dung.

(Repeated in an episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus)

Why is six afraid of seven?

Because seven eight (ate) nine.

What is yours but your friend uses more than you do?

Your name.

which month has 28 days?

all the months.

what is the end of earth?

H

These riddles are now mostly children's humour and games rather than literary compositions.

Some riddles are composed of foreign words and play on similar sounds, as in:

There were two cats, 1 2 3 cat and un deux trois cat, they had a swimming race from England to France. Who won?

1 2 3 Cat because Un deux trois quatre cinq (un deux trois cat sank)

The previous plays on the fact that the French words for 4 and 5 are pronounced similar to the English words "Cat"and "Sank", hence the pun being the cat sank while also counting to 5 in French.