In 1907, an American writer named George Schorb published Riddles and Drawing Room Magic, an illustrated compendium of jokes, puzzles, card games, parlor games, sleight-of-hand tricks, and tongue-twisters—or in his words, “curiosities of literature and gymnastics for the tongue.”
The first part of the book contains a series of question-and-answer style riddles and lateral thinking puzzles. Some remain well known among puzzle-lovers to this day—like “Before Australia was discovered, what was the world’s largest island?”*—while others are very much a product of the early 1900s: “Why is a scrupulous temperance man apt to break his pledge?”** asks one puzzle. (Scroll down to see the answers to both.)
The straightforward riddle below, thankfully, is one that has stood the test of time. Can you solve it?
*Australia
**Because three scruples make a dram.
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