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

Thomas has missed an excessive number of days of school, so he must meet with Principal Davis. Mr. Davis asks him "Why on Earth have you missed so many days?" Thomas replies "There just isn't enough time for school. I need 8 hours of sleep a day, which adds up to about 122 days a year. Weekends off is 104 days a year. Summer vacation is about 60 days. If I spend about an hour on each meal, that's 3 hours a day or 45 days a year. I need at least 2 hours of exercise and relaxation time each day to stay physically and mentally fit, adding another 30 days. Add all of that up and you get about 361 days. That only leaves 4 days for school." The principal knows Thomas is full of it, but can't figure out why. Where is Thomas going wrong?

Asked by Neha on 03 Feb 2026


Aaron, Brad, Christopher, Danny and Elvis decided to play a game of tiddlywinks. In this game they decided that one win will get 1 point for winning, 0 for losing and 1/2 in case of a tie.

They finished the game in alphabetical order and it was found that the scores were different for each person.

Based on the following two statements, can you find out the result of the individual games?
Brad: No one could finish like me, without a loss.
Elvis: No one played worse than me, I finished without a single win.

Asked by Neha on 16 Jan 2026

During an experiment, a guy throws a bouncy ball from a 100 feet tall building. The ball has a specific characteristic. Every time it hits the ground, it bounces up halfway.

How many bounces do you think the ball will make before it comes to a stop ?

Asked by Neha on 24 Nov 2023


Solve the equation by replacing the alphabet with numbers.

MOM + MOM + NO = BOOK=

Asked by Neha on 06 Aug 2023

What type of tree can I carry in my hand?

Asked by Neha on 04 Apr 2025

What is the word or phrase?


HOROBOD Rebus riddle

Asked by Neha on 10 May 2021


What is both possible and impossible at the same time?

Asked by Neha on 15 Apr 2022

I am not a bull but I have horns.
I am not an ass but I have a pack saddle.
Wherever I go, I leave silver behind me.

Who am I?

Asked by Neha on 26 Jan 2026

John's five friends Rachel, Jacob, Phoebe, Joey and Chandler live on the same road.

Rachel lives in the house: A, Jacob lives in the house: B, Phoebe lives in the house: C, Joey lives in the house:D, Chandler lives in the house: E

Mathematically
B*C*D = 1260
B + C + D = 2E
2A = E

The road numbers run from 2 to 222.

Can you tell me the house number of each of John's friends?

Asked by Neha on 10 Sep 2024


By including only four matchsticks in below picture, you have to make "Four Triangles And Two Squares"

Four Triangles And Two Squares Matchsticks Riddle

Asked by Neha on 16 Apr 2021

Hot Articles

Amazing Facts

Crossword

The day before the 1996 U.S. presidential election, the NYT Crossword contained the clue “Lead story in tomorrow’s newspaper,” the puzzle was built so that both electoral outcomes were correct answers, requiring 7 other clues to have dual responses.