A delivery truck is wedged under a low railroad bridge, stuck by less than an inch. Pulling it out would rip the roof off, and the bridge can't be raised. A 10-year-old on the sidewalk suggests a fix that takes a few minutes, needs no tools and costs nothing. What is it?
Hint: The truck only needs to get a little shorter.
AnswerLet some air out of the tiresLetting air out of the tires lowers the truck enough to free it.
Maria Lopez has been in fifth grade for 20 years in a row. She's never failed a class, she has perfect attendance, and every June she watches everyone else move on to sixth grade without her. How is that possible?
Hint: She's at the front of the room.
AnswerShe's the fifth-grade teacherMaria is the teacher, so she stays in fifth grade while her students move on each year.
I'm a closet that's always cold. I hum all day without singing, my light turns on the moment you open me, and you've never once seen it turn off. The key is inside me. Where is it?
Hint: Is it running? Then you'd better go catch it.
AnswerIn the refrigeratorA fridge is cold, hums, and its light switches on when the door opens and off once it's closed.
I'm always lying, yet I greet every guest with an honest WELCOME. Everyone walks all over me and wipes their feet on my face, and I never complain. The key is under me. Where is it?
Hint: Look down before you knock.
AnswerUnder the doormatA doormat lies at the door, often says WELCOME, and gets walked on and used to wipe shoes.
We're a bank with no tellers. Loose change, lost remotes and popcorn get deposited in the gap between us, and making a withdrawal means lifting one of us up. The key fell into our vault. Where is it?
Hint: Check the living room, and be ready to lift.
AnswerBetween the couch cushionsCoins and remotes slip between couch cushions, and you have to lift them to find what fell in.
I stand by the curb with a flag I never wave on my own. Once a day someone in a uniform feeds me, and I hand over everything I'm given without reading a word. The key is inside me. Where is it?
Hint: Check the end of the driveway.
AnswerIn the mailboxA curbside mailbox has a flag, gets mail from the carrier daily and holds letters it never reads.
Every so often someone hands me a bouquet, but I never get to smell it. I hold my water better than anyone at the table, and I look best with my neck full. The key is at the bottom of me. Where is it?
Hint: Look at the centerpiece on the table.
AnswerIn the flower vaseA flower vase holds a bouquet and its water, can't smell the flowers, and looks its best when the stems fill its neck, so the key is at the bottom of the vase.
I'm stuffed but I've never eaten. I've been in a hundred fights without hurting anybody, and I'm the first place the tooth fairy checks. The key is under me. Where is it?
Hint: Head to the bedroom.
AnswerUnder the pillowPillows are stuffed, used in pillow fights, and kids put lost teeth under them for the tooth fairy.