Why is a cyclone like a waiter? (It carries everything before it.) Over a thousand riddles, puzzles and parlor games from 1896 — with a riddle-a-day and cards to stump your friends.

Stump Your Friends

The conundrum was the meme of 1896: short, groan-inducing, endlessly repeated at parties. Here are ten straight from Mrs. Cutter's book — think first, then reveal the answer and admit honestly whether you got it. Any riddle can be sent to a friend with one link.

Fetching the riddles…

Rights & ReuseThe complete text of Conundrums, Riddles and Puzzles (1901) is in the public domain in the United States — like all works published before 1928 — and is free to read, download, quote, teach from, and reuse. This digital edition (its transcription, restored images, and site design) is © 2026 PhotoOpAI, and any editorial commentary we add is clearly marked as ours; the underlying public-domain text carries no such restriction.