The Waiter

Three men in a cafe order a meal the total cost of which is $15. They each contribute $5. The waiter takes the money to the chef who recognises the three as friends and asks the waiter to return $5 to the men.

The waiter is not only poor at mathematics but dishonest and instead of going to the trouble of splitting the $5 between the three he simply gives them $1 each and pockets the remaining $2 for himself.

Now, each of the men effectively paid $4, the total paid is therefore $12. Add the $2 in the waiters pocket and this comes to $14. Where has the other $1 gone from the original $15?




Similar Riddles

Can you count the number of triangles inside a triangle?

Triangles in a Triangle Riddle

Asked by Neha on 26 Mar 2026


What does the below rebus puzzle mean?

Funny House Riddle

Asked by Neha on 19 Mar 2026

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

Asked by Neha on 05 Aug 2024


Can you circle exactly four of these numbers such that the total is twelve?

1 6 1
6 1 6
1 6 1
6 1 6

Asked by Neha on 27 Apr 2023

Divide 110 into two parts so that one will be 150 per cent of the other. What are the 2 numbers?

Asked by Neha on 27 Oct 2024

In a family supper, a grandfather, a grandmother, two fathers, two mothers, four children, three grandchildren, one brother, two sisters, two sons, two daughters, one daughter-in-law, and one mother-in-law need to sit at a table.

There are only seven chairs available at the place. How many more chairs do they have to borrow so that everyone can sit down together for the suppers if everybody requires a separate chair?

Asked by Neha on 09 Nov 2024


What is the word or phrase?

What is the phrase?

Asked by Neha on 04 Oct 2024

What can jump higher than a building?

Asked by Neha on 24 Oct 2025

Three playing cards in a row. Can you name them with these clues? There is a two to the right of a king. A diamond will be found to the left of a spade. An ace is to the left of a heart. A heart is to the left of a spade. Now, identify all three cards.

Asked by Neha on 17 May 2021


I have 50 feet long of cloth, I need to create 50 handkerchiefs each size of 1 foot. I take one minute to cut a 1-foot handkerchief. So how long will it take to cut 50 handkerchiefs?

Asked by Neha on 05 Sep 2024

Hot Articles

Amazing Facts

Word ladder puzzle

The word ladder puzzle was invented by Lewis Carroll, author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.