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        riddles >> what happened >> A classic: four jolly men
        
(Message started by: BNC on Oct 23^rd, 2003, 11:57pm)

Title: A classic: four jolly men
Post by BNC on Oct 23^rd, 2003, 11:57pm

Four jolly men sat down to play;
And played all night till break of day;
They played for money and not for fun,
With separate scores for every one.
Yet when they came to square accounts,
They all had made quite fair amounts!

Can you the paradox explain?
If no one lost, how could all gain?

Title: Re: A classic: four jolly men
Post by TimMann on Oct 24^th, 2003, 12:46am

Joke answer: After squaring each account, they were all positive.

Probably the intended answer: ::[hide]The four men were professional musicians, each playing from his own copy of the sheet music (= score). After the performance, they settled accounts with their employer and received fair wages for their work.[/hide]::