What does this rebus mean?

O
N
C
E
TIME

You can take four of the five letters out of this word, but the pronunciation never changes. What is the word?

You can win me and lose me but never buy me
You can not eat me and never want to part with me
I can make you cry or bring you joy
I am not a machine and definitely not a toy
You keep me but i am not forever just yours
You might find me in a case or on a shelf next to a vase
I am hard and i am tall if you bump me i am sure to fall
I am made of different materials and am at many events
If your lucky and fight hard I might be yours
What am I ?

In a contest, four fruits (an apple, a banana, an orange, and a pear) have been placed in four closed boxes (one fruit per box). People may guess which fruit is in which box. 123 people participate in the contest. When the boxes are opened, it turns out that 43 people have guessed none of the fruits correctly, 39 people have guessed one fruit correctly, and 31 people have guessed two fruits correctly.
How many people have guessed three fruits correctly, and how many people have guessed four fruits correctly

Rob is taller than Edwin, and Jurgen is shorter than Rob.
Of only one of the following statements, we now certainly know it is correct:

A.Edwin is taller than Jurgen
B.Jurgen is taller than Edwin
C.It cannot be determined if Jurgen or Edwin is the tallest.

John went to a parrot shop in Mexico, and the parrot owner told him that his parrot is so unique that he repeats everything he hears. John got excited and immediately bought the parrot. John went home and spoke many words, but the parrot does not repeat anything.
He went again to the parrot shop and complaint to the shopkeeper, but the shopkeeper never lied. Explain?

John can eat 27 chocolates in an hour, Jacob can eat 2 chocolates in 10 minutes, and Jolly can eat 7 chocolates in 20 minutes. How long will it take them to share and eat a box of 120 chocolates whilst playing Chess?

13 decks of cards have been mixed. What is the minimum number of cards that must be taken out from the above-mixed cards to guarantee at least one 'four of a kind?

What do the following words have in common?

Assess
Banana
Dresser
Grammar
Potato
Revive
Uneven
Voodoo

What number comes next in the series?

5 15 5 18 5 24 14 20 _