Brain-Teaser Solutions
A big THANK YOU to everyone who has sent in answers to the brain teasers so far.  Here are the answers to our previous "teasers!"

---

BRAIN TEASER #1: THE FIVE TRIVIA QUESTIONS (3/1/2005)

Question #1: Why is the groom supposed to carry the bride over the threshold?
a) The groom carries the bride because her feet are sore from dancing all night in 4 inch heels!
b) It's a test of strength--if his back gives out, he's evolutionarily unfit and the bride should look for a new groom!
c) Men carrying women over the threshold was considered a major step forward in women's rights since before then, women used to be dragged across the threshold by the hair in proper caveman style.
Real Answer:
d) Ancient Romans believed that it was good luck for newlyweds to walk into the house with the right foot first.  To make sure this superstition was carried out, the man often picked up the woman before walking in.  [You know those women, they can't be trusted to tell their left foot from their right...?  -ed.]

Question #2: Why does "X" stand for a kiss?
a) The two sideways "V"s represent lips touching, it just happens to make an X.
b) Because X-Wing Fighters traditionally shared long kisses with their significant others before leaving on dangerous missions.  Oddly, Y-Wing pilots are all single.
c) Zorro's lesser known cousin Xorra used to kiss unsuspecting men and then leave a big "X" on their cheeks with lipstick... the mark of Xorra!
d) Because it's not as risque as XXX.  And also X marks the spot, but only if you like pirates.  [Who doesn't like pirates? -ed.]
Real Answer:
e) In the Middle Ages, "X" was often used as a signature for people, literate or otherwise.  As a sign of good faith, people often kissed their X signatures when finalizing agreements, and over time, the X became associated with a kiss.

Question #3: What causes the red eyes you sometimes see in (wedding) photographs of people?
a) Too much drinking.
b) The devil.
c) The groom's pupils are often very dilated when looking at the bride, and it is the blood in the retina that causes the red color.
Real Answer:
d) Actually, (c) is correct, at least the part about the blood in the retina causing the red color (when the pupils are dilated).

Question #4:  If Mrs. is an abbreviation of "Missus," then why is there an "r" in it?
a) They needed to do something with all those "R"s that people from Boston keep dropping.
b) Arrr!  It be pirates that put that "R" in there, matey!  Arrrr!  [See what I meant about pirates?  -ed.]
c) Mrs. is actually an abbreviation for "mister's" because a married woman belonged to the mister in a patriarchal society.  This is detestable and I feel I should go brush my teeth now.  [Please do.  -ed.]
d) Mrs. actually stands for "Mistress" but in a Three's Company moment during the Renaissance, someone mistakenly attributed the abbreviation to someone's wife and claimed it was short for "Missus."
Real Answer:
e) Actually, (d) is mostly right, it stands for "Mistress," not "Missus."  (But the part about Three's Company is less true.)

Question #5: What was the original practical purpose for men's neckties?
a) Sometimes a shotgun wedding just wasn't enough to convince a reluctant groom, they needed to tie him up.
b) Neckties were originally leashes for errant husbands.
c) To protect shirts from messy eaters.
d) During hunting-and-gathering times, men needed to have a ready-to-use slingshot that was also fashionable.
Real Answer:
e) Actually, neckties probably had no "original practical purpose."  Roman soldiers wore scarves around their neck to collect sweat or keep out the cold, but eventually these became fashionable and were then worn on the outside of the shirt to show them off.  You could say a practical purpose was to "cover the buttons on shirts," but is that really practical, or just another fashion statement?  So this was sort of a trick question.

Here is the puzzle as it was originally stated:

"Four special guests (named Skippy, Tootie, Alfonso and Roscoe) will be attending our wedding on April 23rd.
Each of them hails from a different hometown (Worcester, Atlanta, Reno or Seattle).
So that you will recognize them, each one will be wearing a different kind of flower pinned to their lapel (Rose, Urtica Diocia, Lilac, or Zinnia).
Based on the following statements, can you tell us which guest comes from which town, and which flower each one will be wearing?

1) Neither Skippy nor the guest from Reno like zinnias.
2) The rose will be worn by either Tootie or the guest from Atlanta.
3) Skippy is either from Atlanta or he will be wearing a lilac, but not both.
4) Roscoe hates urtica diocia and has never been to Seattle.
5) No one's name begins with the same letter as their hometown does.
6) Urtica diocia is out of season in Reno and Seattle, so no one from those towns will wear it.
7) Alfonso wants to impress the guest from Reno, so he will surely wear a lilac."

Skippy is from Atlanta and will wear a urtica diocia (stinging nettle).
Tootie is from Reno and will wear a rose.
Alfonso is from Seattle and will wear a lilac.
Roscoe is from Worcester and will wear a zinnia.

Clue #1 tells us Skippy is not from Reno and doesn't wear a zinnia.  The guest from Reno does not wear a zinnia either.  Clue #2 tells us Tootie is not from Atlanta.  Clue #3 tells us that the person from Atlanta will not wear a lilac.  Clue #4 tells us Roscoe is not from Seattle and does not wear a urtica.  Clue #5 tells us that Alfonso is not from Atlanta, Skippy is not from Seattle, and Roscoe is not from Reno.  Clue #6 tells us that neither the guest from Reno nor Seattle will wear urtica.  Clue #7 tells us that Alfonso is not from Reno, and Alfonso will wear a lilac.  Because we have already determined that Skippy (#1), Roscoe (#5) and Alfonso (#7) cannot be from Reno, this means Tootie must be from Reno.  Since Tootie cannot therefore be from Seattle, and neither can Skippy (#5) or Roscoe (#4), then Alfonso is from Seattle.  The guest from Reno (Tootie) will not wear a zinnia (#1), a lilac (because Alfonso is wearing it), or a urtica (#6), so she must wear a rose.  The urtica will not be worn by Roscoe (#4), Alfonso (he's wearing a lilac), or Tootie (she's wearing a rose), so it will be worn by Skippy.  The zinnia must therefore be worn by Roscoe (he's the only one left).  Since Skippy is not wearing the lilac, then he must be from Atlanta (#4).  Roscoe must therefore be from Worcester since we know everyone else's hometown.  And that's it!

1. "Don't mess with the bull, young man, you'll get the horns!"  -Principal Vernon, The Breakfast Club

2. "We are young,
    Heartache to heartache we stand,
    No promises, no demands,
    Love is a battlefield."  --Pat Benatar, "Love Is a Battlefield"

3. "Nobody leaves this place without singing the blues." -Albert Collins, Adventures in Babysitting

4. "Buyin bread from a man from Brussels,
    He was six foot four and full of muscles
    I said 'Do you speak-a my language?'
    He just smiled and gave me a vegemite sandwich." --Men at Work, "Down Under"

5. "What can you make of this?"  "I can make a hat, or a broach, or a pterodactyl!" -Johnnie, Airplane!

6. "It's strong and it's sudden,
    It can be cruel sometimes,
    But it might just change your life.
    That's the power of love." -Huey Lewis & the News, "The Power of Love"

7. "You fake a stomach cramp, and when you're bent over, moaning and wailing, you lick your palms. It's a little childish and stupid, but then so is high school."  --Ferris Bueller, Ferris Bueller's Day Off

8. "I've got the brains, you've got the looks,
    Let's make lots of money."  --Pet Shop Boys, "Opportunities"

9. "I gave her my heart.  She gave me a pen." --Lloyd Dobbler, Say Anything

10. "You make the sun shine brighter than Doris Day,
    You turn a bright spark into a flame
    And my beats per minute have never been the same." --Wham!, "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"

Or, go Back to the homepage