That’s the moment that makes these riddles fun.
You suddenly realize that the answer wasn’t difficult.
You were simply looking in the wrong direction.
The Boat Was A Distraction
Think about all the unnecessary information in the riddle.
There’s a woman.
She’s on a boat.
The boat is on a lake.
She’s wearing a coat.
Every one of those details encourages you to imagine a physical scene.
But none of them actually tells you her name.
The important part is the first phrase:
“There’s a…”
That tiny phrase contains the sound of the answer.
Could You Solve It Without The Explanation?
Now that you’ve seen the trick, try doing the same thing with other riddles.
Don’t immediately focus on the meaning.
Look at the actual words.
Read them aloud.
Combine neighboring words.
Look for sounds that resemble names or familiar phrases.
Sometimes the answer isn’t hidden inside a word.
It’s hidden between words.
