I get answered all day, but I've never asked a question. I live outside, I have just one button, and when I ring, the dog always gets to me first. What am I?
Hint: Ding-dong.
AnswerA doorbellYou answer the door when the doorbell rings, it's mounted outside with one button, and dogs rush to it. The outdoor, single-button clues rule out a phone.
I have a fat round belly, three stubby legs and a mouth that's always open. I sit over a fire all night, and the recipes stirred inside me are written in spells instead of cups. What am I?
Hint: Double, double, toil and trouble.
AnswerA cauldronA witch's cauldron is a round, three-legged pot hung or set over a fire and used for potions.
I'm worn proudly exactly once a year and then hidden away. The worse I look, the more applause I get, and I might light up, jingle or have a reindeer sewn on my front. What am I?
Hint: You'd never wear me in July.
AnswerAn ugly Christmas sweaterUgly Christmas sweaters are worn to holiday parties, judged in contests by how tacky they are, and often have lights or bells.
I'm due on the first, late on the fifth, and I almost never go down. You pay me every month for a place you'll never own, and once a year a polite letter tells you I've grown. What am I?
Hint: You pay me to live where you live.
AnswerRentRent is due monthly, has late deadlines, pays for a home you don't own and usually rises at lease renewal.
I appear when you sit down and vanish the moment you stand. You've had me your whole life, yet you've never once had me while walking, and your cat thinks I'm the best seat in the house. What am I?
Hint: Your cat loves sitting on it.
AnswerYour lapYour lap only exists while you're seated and is a favorite spot for pets.
Your phone is at 1%. You plug it in by your bed at 9 p.m., read for a while, then flip off the bedroom light and go to sleep. At 7 a.m., it's still at 1%. The phone, the cable and the charger all work fine, and the rest of the house had power all night. What happened?
Hint: What did you do right before you fell asleep?
AnswerThe outlet is controlled by the light switchSome bedroom outlets are wired to the wall switch, so turning off the light also cut power to the charger.
Someone tipped over the trash cans on Birch Lane overnight. Mr. Ellis says he was home awake.
Mr. Ellis says
“I was reading in my den. I lit a candle in a jar and screwed the lid on tight so the cat couldn't knock it over, and it glowed all night.”
What gave Mr. Ellis away?
Hint: What does a flame need?
AnswerA candle in a tightly sealed jar would go out quickly.Fire needs oxygen. With the lid screwed on, the flame uses up the air inside and dies within minutes.