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

These types of puzzles are known as charades. What you have to do is to find two words that are referred to in the first stanza and the second stanza and put them together to form the third word in the third stanza.

Just for example, if my first refers to 'off' and my second refers to 'ice', then my whole will be the 'office'.

My first is present - future's past -
A time in which your lot is cast.

My second is my first of space
Defining people's present place.

My whole describes a lack of site -
A place without length, breadth, or height.

Asked by Neha on 07 Dec 2024


I am a type of vehicle that has two wheels and is powered by humans. What am I?
Hint 1: You can ride me for exercise.
Hint 2: I am environment-friendly.

Asked by Neha on 01 Oct 2025

He does not have any heart but still, He manages to live.
If you kill him, you will eventually die but yet you kill him.
He cannot run, who is He?

Asked by Neha on 21 Dec 2025


Which is Odd One Out and why?

4377

3954

9862

8454

9831

Asked by Neha on 09 Jan 2024

You walk into a room that contains a match, a kerosene lamp, a candle and a fireplace. What would you light first?

Asked by Neha on 16 May 2022

An equation has been laid down using a few matchsticks. However, as you can see, the equation is not correct. Can you correct the equation if you are allowed to add or remove 5 matchsticks?

Correct the Equation

Asked by Neha on 14 May 2021


What is the next number in this series?

4,12,84,3612....

Asked by Neha on 18 Mar 2023

2 ladies and 2 girls need to cross a river in a boat big enough for 1 LADY or 2 girls. How do they do it?

Asked by Neha on 13 Sep 2023

Can you identify if it's a murder or a suicide ?


Murder or Suicide?

Asked by Neha on 17 May 2021


I am working in a bus company. The company recently went under expansion and therefore there was not enough room for all the buses. As a result, twelve buses had to be stored outside.

If the company decides to expand the garage space by forty percent, enough space to accommodate the current buses will be created leaving enough space for twelve more buses if the need arises in future.

Can you calculate the number of buses that the company owns at present?

Asked by Neha on 18 Dec 2020

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Amazing Facts

Gamers

In 2011, people playing Foldit, an online puzzle game about protein folding, resolved the structure of an enzyme that causes an Aids-like disease in monkeys. Researchers had been working on the problem for 13 years. The gamers solved it in three weeks.