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        riddles >> what am i >> What Am I: Work Based On Give & Take
        
(Message started by: momsangels on Jan 25^th, 2003, 4:54am)

Title: What Am I: Work Based On Give & Take
Post by momsangels on Jan 25^th, 2003, 4:54am

Hi everyone. Just found this place, seems like fun. I have one thats given me a problem, if anyone wants to try:

My work is based on give and take,
I can make a difference by a handshake.
The older I get the smaller I grow,
And my best friend is my worst foe.

What am I???

Title: Re: Hi, new here adn need help on this one
Post by James Fingas on Jan 27^th, 2003, 10:08am

Soap? The "worst foe" would be water I guess...

Title: Re: Hi, new here adn need help on this one
Post by BNC on Jan 27^th, 2003, 11:16am

An hourglass? (is that the name? turn upside-down, sand falls from top to bottom to measure time)

Title: Re: Hi, new here adn need help on this one
Post by wowbagger on Jan 29^th, 2003, 3:35am

on 01/27/03 at 10:08:49, James Fingas wrote:

Soap?

That's kind of appropriate, I'd say. Except maybe for the "handshake"?

on 01/27/03 at 11:16:46, BNC wrote:

An hourglass?

Hm, I think this fits neither the second nor the third line of the riddle.
And who/what is the "worst foe" of an hourglass? A minute crack? ;)

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to imagine anything better than you yet...

Title: Re: Hi, new here adn need help on this one
Post by BNC on Jan 29^th, 2003, 4:49am

on 01/29/03 at 03:35:26, wowbagger wrote:

Hm, I think this fits neither the second nor the third line of the riddle.
And who/what is the "worst foe" of an hourglass? A minute crack? ;)

I was thinking:
> My work is based on give and take,
Top half "gives, lower part "takes"

> I can make a difference by a handshake.
The hand that flips the timer

>The older I get the smaller I grow,
That's the top part

> And my best friend is my worst foe.
Time... Lower part's best friend, upper part foe.

Title: Re: Hi, new here adn need help on this one
Post by wowbagger on Jan 29^th, 2003, 5:28am

on 01/29/03 at 04:49:43, BNC wrote:

I was thinking:
> My work is based on give and take,
Top half "gives, lower part "takes"

Agreed.

Quote:

> I can make a difference by a handshake.
The hand that flips the timer

I thought that you intended this, but I don't consider this a handshake, really - shaking is diferrent from flipping.

Quote:

>The older I get the smaller I grow,
That's the top part

In my opinion, this is particularly problematic, as you're referring to a part of your answer while the "I" corresponds to the hourglass (or whatever it is) as a whole.

Quote:

> And my best friend is my worst foe.
Time... Lower part's best friend, upper part foe.

Again, dissecting your answer somehow so as to fit the riddle (imho).

Let me conclude that this riddle is really weird. I just can't imagine that there is a solution that's not fairly far-fetched in some respect.

Title: Re: Hi, new here adn need help on this one
Post by James Fingas on Jan 29^th, 2003, 9:48am

I was also thinking of a serial communications port:

1) Give and take (data)
2) Handshakes (communication handshakes of course)
3) Smaller and smaller gate sizes over time
4) Electrical current? This one doesn't fit so well...

Title: Re: Hi, new here adn need help on this one
Post by Icarus on Jan 29^th, 2003, 3:33pm

I like James' first answer best.

1) A bar of soap gives lather, takes dirt
2) You hold it in your hand. "Shaking" the hand to use it.
3) Obvious
4) Water

1 and 2 are only a small stretch. 3 and 4 are good fits.