Sunday, March 8, 2009

Riddle #45: The new addition

Here's the latest riddle. I'm thinking it may be a bit more difficult, but I may be wrong. Here goes:

A woman spends thousands of dollars to have an addition built onto her house. Yet after she addition is built, she never goes into it. Why?

NOTE: The correct answer has been guessed. To read it, see the comments section.

Lateral Thinking Puzzlers by Paul Sloane has lots of classic riddles, clues and answers. Click here to order it.

23 comments:

  1. Was the woman told by a fortune-teller that she would die when she stopped building additions onto her house? (That's a true story, by the way).

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  2. Nope, but that is an interesting idea. Where do you hear these stories, anyway?

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  3. No, it wasn't solar panels. It was an actual room or rooms.

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  4. Was it a nuclear bomb shelter, and she never needed to take cover?

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  5. Nope, it wasn't a jail or a nuclear bomb shelter.

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  6. Is the fact that she is a woman important? I don't remember where I heard the wierd story, but I think the wacky house is in California.

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  7. No, it's not significant that it's a woman. I just tend to go back and forth between using men or women as my main characters. And this isn't anything crazy. This woman is perfectly sane.

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  8. Did she add on a fireplace and chimney?

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  9. No, it wasn't a fireplace or chimney. It was an actual room or rooms.

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  10. Does something restrict her from going in, or does she just choose not to?

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  11. Something restricts her from going in.

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  12. My inclination all along has been that whatever she built on is too small for her. I can't think what that would be, though. An extremely elaborate birdhouse?

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  13. Hi em - finally got over here.
    Is it a Bubble room for her child, who is lacking in immunities - like the Bubble Boy - no one can be in contact with the child without endangering its health?

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  14. Sorry, I've been too busy following the Iditarod to keep up with this. I'll answer all three questions in one post:

    Ancient Greek Philosopher: No, it wasn't gas or radiation.

    Cathy: No, it wasn't too small for her.

    Sonja: No, it wasn't a bubble room.

    Maybe if you asked some more yes or no questions, that would help. Also, look back at the previous questions and answers.

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  15. She built on a second story, but she is wheelchair-bound and can't go up.

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  16. Cathy, you got it! She built a second story for guests or possibly for her attendants who cared for her, but she couldn't go into it herself, because she used wheelchair. Good job!

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  17. That story about the woman who wouldn't die until she was finished building her house is based off of a Steven King story called Rose Red.

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