Suicide Riddle

There are an unlimited number of answers to this question: unless he was the engineer who designed the Tay Bridge, it does not belong on CR4 but in a book by Edward De Bono claiming to be cleverer than anyone else

There is only one answer and ALL the clues are in that one sentence...

Not so. There is one desired answer, to which the clues point.
However there are an unlimited number of alternatives which also fit the question (and in some cases better - if the light at the top of a lighthouse was not working, the lighthousekeeper would notice before he went upstairs, whereas I can construct a cyanide in tooth story which has no such glaring loophole).

Fair enough. But Vermin got it right to come up with the one desired answer. As to why he did not see the ship before he went up the stairs... It was too dark. He came home (the lighthouse is his home) and realizes that he forgot to change the light bulb (which could be a routine operation rather than when it blew). I am waiting for your cyanide in tooth story....

I should not wish to detract from the credit due to Vermin especially as it wasn't obvious to me when I was moaning about it having a number of solutions.

I wasn't disputing that the lighthousekeeper could not see the ship in the dark, but that if the light was not shining it must be obvious to him before he enters the lighthouse.
The guy is a spy with a long-established false identity in a country that does not hesitate to use torture on spies, traitors and saboteurs. He knows the identity of some/all of his home country's network and of course of his contacts. He has a warning system for his contacts not to visit him if the light in a certain room at the back of the house is on and has a timer swich to switch it on at dusk as he knows that the Secret Police have his house under surveillance for a few days. After changing the bulb he looks out and sees in the garden a squad of Secret Police and his mole in the Finance Ministry who has tried to come because the light was not shining - he is sure that the mole will crack under torture and expects that he also will do so and bites on the cyanide capsule in his false tooth to protect his country's spies and his contacts and, to a lesser extent, himself from torture.

Ok... But why the stairs? In that sentence every thing had a significance.. I could have added the word "tower" but that would have been a dead give-away. Never the less at least you have a very good immagination...

If there is a garden wall you usually cannot see the light from a downstairs room when approaching the back of the house, until entering the garden. I should have stated that instead of taking it for granted.

Go see the Trailer Riddle by Hendrik... I would like to read your answer to that one.. Good night..

I believe this explaination over the dumb light house story. If I were the lighthouse keeper, I would have told the ship "poor bastard". The secret police coming to torture me? Yup, I would end it quick. Why stairs? The evil secret police will have to drag my limp body downstairs, one final f* you!

"1- What did he see?"

The Sheriff coming to take him in!

"2- Why did he commit suicide?"

He had murdered his wife in the dark.

He had murdered his wife in the dark, and discovered that when he illuminated the scene, he was in the wrong house.

Yusef1 (too lazy to sign in...)

The man is a lighthouse keeper, sees that his light is out. He changes it and switches it on to see a wreak or sinking ship caused by his light being out???

Good for you! Was that a guess or did you knew the answer? If you knew it you spoiled the fun, but it is an oldish riddle. I tried to tink one up but I thought to test the audience first... Here is another one.(also not new..)

The father and his son made an accident. the father dies and the son is rushed to the hospital. On arrival the docter sees him and say: "That is my son!!" Wat happened here?

easy - mom is a lady doctor

Could be a gay-doc also... now I will have to think one up.

In the meantime here is another quick one.

There are three weights .A heavy, medium and light weight. The light weight weigh 1/3 of what the medium weight weigh. The heavy weight weights twice as heavy as the medium weight . All three weights together weigh 2450 Kg What is each weight's weight?

light weight weighs 245kg, medium 735kg, and heavy 1470kg = total equals 2450kgs. The answer: The ratio is 1/3, 1, 2 which equals 1 as to 3 as to 6. 2450kgs divide by 10 = 245kgs. 3x245kg = 7235kg, and 6x 245kg = 1470kg. I need something harder.

correction -

light weight weighs 245kg, medium 735kg, and heavy 1470kg = total equals 2450kgs. The answer: The ratio is 1/3, 1, 2 which equals 1 as to 3 as to 6. 2450kgs divide by 10 = 245kgs. 3x245kg = 735kg, and 6x 245kg = 1470kg. I need something harder.

Good..
now asume that weight no 3 (heaviest) is the sum of the other two in stead of two times weight no 2.. can it be possible?

Wow! No, this was the first time I'd heard this one!

I kept going around and around about why would a guy come home and "remember" to change a light rather than "discover" he needed to change a light. Also, I kept hitting a dead end on what could he have possibly seen out an upstairs window in a house? Then, I got the idea: what could it be other than a house? At that point, the whole thing fell together.

First father was a priest

the lady doctor is his mother

I have a serious problem with that answer. Have you ever tried to look out the window of a lighted room when its dark outside? All you see is your own reflection.

"Have you ever tried to look out the window of a lighted room when its dark outside? All you see is your own reflection."
Yes, many times and I can often see things outside illuminated by the light from the room. I very rarely see my own reflection (not that I look for it). On the other hand one can often see reflections in train windows even when it is light outside. Maybe your windows have different glass from mine.

Not a Vampire are you?

No, just old enough to have ordinary windows: I looked out three seconds ago and saw the balcony. If you have half-silvered windows and look along the perpendicular you may see a reflection but I have just tried looking along a perpendicular and the most I get of me is a reflection of a shadow (so not a vampire!) but I can see the balcony clearly and if I go into my elder son's bedroom (you surely don't expect a teenager to have come upstairs yet) I can see the pergola by the light from his room.

If the window is open that problem goes away.

So you are saying all the backup lamps and /or the autoreplace drivemotor are dead too. The problem with riddles like this is, they don't work when the technical details are known.

OK, I expect everyone to get this, what was the single, most important, invention ever?

Oh, and just a quicky - There's an electric train traveling south. The wind is from the north-west. In which direction would the smoke from the train be blowing?

The wheel?

...if there is smoke from the train (electric), it had better stop, its on fire!!! Who the hell cares about which direction its taking!!!

HeHe, well spotted! But what about the main question?

But does fire count as an invention?

Speech/language is a consequence of the discovery of fire (there is not room on this website for a proof so just think about it if you don't immediately agree).

Incidentally the train was travelling north (south is the return journey to London) and it stopped at the next station and called the police - it would have been better to call the police first as the culprits escaped.

A clue! It can be classed as an engineering invention! (Idon't want you to get too excited!)

Reply to #21 "what was the single most important invention..." My answer is the invention of the numeral 0. For the first time, it was recognized that digits had a "place" value. Even the oldest digital computer ever invented, the abacus, recognized the place value of zero. I had an abacus at one time. I got the hang of addition and subtraction, but multiplication was a little difficult until I realized it was using the technique of "shift" registering; what electronic calculators use today. I never could figure out division. I saw a demonstration on TV one time. It is amazing how fast they can be used!

Hank

I don't think '0' was invented, discovered, maybe.

Three economists were arguing about the causes of inflation. They agreed to go for a walk in the woods to calm down and came across a set of tracks. The first economist stated that these were bear tracks. The second argued that they were wolf tracks. The third economist argued that they were moose tracks. The argument grew more heated until all three were killed in an instant. What kind of tracks were they?

Railroad tracks.

Obvious! A rogue national deficit.

Being economists, they were probably their own tracks and they trampled each other to death.

"If you placed all the economics in the world end-to-end, they'd all point in different directions."

- Unknown

Railroad Tracks, Right?

He saw Rosie O'Donnell naked. Need I say More?

Hopelessness! is the cause. And perhaps when freedom becomes tool of slavery!

"Desire is the root of all suffering"

- Buddha

"Now that's comedy!"

- The Animaniacs

The correct answer is railroad tracks. THe original joke involved people of a particular hair color, but that would not be PC to post. Now would it?