A puzzle you've never seen before.

Do you like puzzles and riddles? You know the kind, like the one where you have to join nine dots with four straight lines, or come up with one question that will tell you which of two doors (guarded by two people, one of whom always lies and one of whom always tells the truth) leads to freedom. Or about the dead body found in a field of snow with no-one else’s footsteps nearby.

Anyway, the point is, we all know the same puzzles. They keep cropping up. So here’s one you haven’t heard before (unless you’re reading this post for the second time lol).

Question: Two people regularly nod to each other on the way to work. Most work days they see each other and nod. But standing in line together at the sandwich bar at lunchtime, they don't acknowledge each other at all. What’s the explanation?

Don’t look yet, but the answer is near the bottom of this post. If you’re one of those who look for puzzle answers straight away, that’s fine too.

Otherwise, while you wrack your brains for the answer, you might want to look over the big collections of puzzles in these puzzle and riddle books...


..or ponder the world’s shortest puzzle – this question mark t-shirt.



For one answer to the question mark, read the first post on this blog.

You might also enjoy these Escher posters. Escher is the guy who drew the hand drawing the hand, and other mind-bending concepts.

Drawing Hands Rectangle Magnet by CafePress

When I think of Escher artwork, this one called Drawing Hands always comes to mind. It shows hands drawing the illustration that they are part of. It's typically counter-intuitive and Escheresque.

Drawing Hands Rectangle Magnet by CafePress

If someone had never seen Escher's art before, this is the one I would want to show them first.

Prices and styles for Drawing Hands Rectangle Magnet vary and are subject to change.

Anyway, the answer to the puzzle is…

Answer: They’re both motorcyclists, who nod to other motorcyclists (as many bikers do as part of motorcycling etiquette*) but then don’t recognise each other without their helmets when they buy lunch at the same sandwich bar.

Now that you know the answer, you can stump other puzzle fans, because they won’t have heard it before.

*One puzzling thing about motorcycling etiquette, is who to nod to. For example, if you ride one of the popular Japanese motorbikes, you can nod to most other bikers. But someone on a Harley or the expensive European motorbikes might turn their nose up at your gesture of camaraderie. On the other hand, someone on a Vespa or scooter might not get why you are nodding either.