Because a raven makes no sense, and so does a writing desk. The Riddler is still in custody at Arkham Asylum, so Gordon heads there to question the criminal. 2 secs. Lawrie Bradly, Surrey Hills, Victoria, Australia A declaration of war may be grammatically correct but it’s such a wrong use of words. Dear Cecil: Back in the 1930s, when I first picked up my mother’s dog-eared copy of the works of Lewis Carroll, I asked her why a raven was like a writing desk. Imagine how busy they’d be if Donald Trump ever became president.Terence Rowell, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, • “Do you think you might be mistaken, my dear?”Roger Seal, Spalding, UK, Signalling emotion: two down (disapproval); two up (surprise); one up (disbelief).Victoria Castiglione, Denmark, Western Australia, • Enchanting the opposite sex, à la Groucho Marx.R M Fransson, Wheat Ridge, Colorado, US, • Presumably different things as we age, since women’s dwindle and men’s get shaggier.Annie March, West Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, • A raised eyebrow can be more eloquent than a dropped jaw.Harvey Mitchell, Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia, • To remind the rest of us why we are the hoi polloi.Philip Bool, Winslow, Victoria, Australia, At what point does the thrill of the new replace the comfort of the old?R De Braganza, Kilifi, Kenya, Which classical English novelist did most for the advancement of women?Edward Black, Sydney, Australia, Send answers to weekly.nandq@theguardian.com or Guardian Weekly, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU, UK, The Mad Hatter’s riddle; improper words and human conflict; supercilious strategies, Scene from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, 1865. 9 Answers. I can partly see why “leave it to the senior engineers” is a reasonable stance – for example, dealing with the intricacies of memory barriers is a task I wouldn’t wish on anyone. By way of example, let’s compare one of the core aliens in Bulldogs! ", one of two things will happen: the child will either be completely confused (in this case they are already consumed in the adult world) or the child will come up with, what to you might be a very ridiculous answer, but nonetheless an answer which will make sense in every way to them (in this case they are what we all used to be: innocent and … They figured, that dope Carroll, he’s too dumb to figure out his own riddle, setting aside the halfhearted attempt just quoted. In fact, Lewis Carroll was so plagued for an answer to his riddle that he eventually satisfied his fans with: “because it can produce a few notes, tho they are very flat and it is nevar put with the wrong end first”.Ursula Nixon, Bodalla, NSW, Australia, • If you look up this riddle on the internet you will find that it is a riddle without an answer. Question: Why is a raven like a writing desk? newsletter. Because neither one is made of cheese. One sighs wearily. 2. What’s the origin of the skull and crossbones pirate flag? Oh, they say. Particularly if its name is Lewis Carroll.Jennifer Rathbone, Toronto, Canada, • The answer lies in the quill: both may be penned, but they can never truly be captive.Noel Bird, Boreen Point, Queensland, Australia, • Ravens and writing desks are both highly intelligent, found in a wide range of habitats, will eat almost anything and like playing tricks on humans.Stephen Saunders, Canberra, Australia, • Because outstanding bills are found on both of them.David Tucker, Halle, Germany, • Because in French all the letters in bureau are contained in corbeau.Gillian Shenfield, Sydney, Australia, • The Mad Hatter didn’t know, but perhaps The Raven came into Edgar Allan Poe’s mind while he was sitting at his writing desk.Joan Dawson, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, • They have quills in common – and black, if the desk is crafted from ebony. No. Why is a raven like a writing desk? Midnight is not soon enough. But the real answer, to which the careers of Poe and Carroll bear ample testimony, is that you can baffle the billions with both. Did this discourage people? She answered with a straight face, “Because you cannot ride either one of them like a bicycle.”. And neither does the Mad Hatter (who poses the question). Midnight. In Lewis Caroll’s novel, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the question “Why is a raven like a writing desk?” first appears. Anonymous. Alice in Wonderland (2010) (WHISPERING) Have you any idea why a raven is like a writing desk? I find that I simply cannot recall why a raven is like a writing desk." Why is a raven like a writing desk? Artist: John Tenniel. The April 2017 edition of Bandersnatch, the Newsletter of the Lewis Carroll Society [Issue 172, ISSN 0306-8404, Apr 2017], published the following solution, proposed by puzzle expert Rick Hosburn: "Why is a Raven like a Writing-desk?" (Lewis Carrol, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland) The truth is I don’t know. With a partner come up with at least one plausible response to this riddle. by Linus Connell. 230 views. But to understand the real significance of Betty making her hook, we need to consider it in the context of tool use. “Nor I,” said the March Hare. Because you can baffle the billions with both. Also, where did this riddle originate? At this point most of us are thinking: Ho-ho, that Lewis Carroll, is he hilarious or what? The riddle of ‘why is a raven like a writing desk?’ has perplexed and aroused the curiosity of so many readers. So, Mary. But why is a raven like a …. Lewis Carroll himself got bugged about this so much that he was moved to write the following in the preface to the 1896 edition of his book: Enquiries have been so often addressed to me, as to whether any answer to the Hatter’s Riddle can be imagined, that I may as well put on record here what seems to me to be a fairly appropriate answer, viz: ‘Because it can produce a few notes, tho they are very flat; and it is never put with the wrong end in front!’ This, however, is merely an afterthought; the Riddle, as originally invented, had no answer at all. The best of The Straight Dope, delivered to your inbox. In this post, I want to explore connections; the connections our minds make between two seemingly unrelated objects. How did “nuts” and “bananas” come to mean “crazy”? Context is below? "Because one is a crow with a bill, while the other is a bureau with a quill!" The answer will drive you to madness.” So reads the latest missive from the Riddler sent to Commissioner James Gordon, who recognizes the riddle is the famous unanswerable riddle from Alice in Wonderland. Imagine how busy they’d be if Do… Send questions to Cecil via cecil@straightdope.com. Sign up for the (Cannot determine origin of saying.) Relevance. Ian Gowans, Tervuren, Belgium. “Why is a Raven like a writing desk? It comes from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. "Why is a raven like a writing desk?" 0 faves (Get it? The Nice Guys (2016) writing something at a desk… 2.1 secs. Perhaps, like me, you have a mathematical background that ends somewhere around high school or your first year of university. For example, the untrue claim that Iraq had so-called weapons of mass destruction. Malapropism is pretty harmless, but when wrong use of words amounts to a lie it can be fatal. Malapropism is pretty harmless, but when wrong use of words amounts to a lie it can be fatal. Because the notes for which they are noted are not noted for being musical notes. The best answer I ever heard — and remember that feather pens were a common writing tool of the day, and that writing desks had inkwells — was, “Because they both come with inky quills.”, I distinctly remember reading in a dumb mid-80s comic book that one answer is, “Because Poe wrote on both.”. The Suicide. This riddle is famous, although it’s the rarefied kind of fame that entails most people never having heard of it. Answer: A raven is not like a writing desk, and it […] A chippendale writing desk. I have just added to the number.David Isaacs, Sydney, Australia. Why is a Raven Like a Writing Desk? Is there really a hilarious answer to this seemingly impossible riddle? What are the glass squares on either side of the presidential podium? Margaret Wyeth, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada • Yes, repeatedly. The answer is that there isn’t any answer! Last modified on Tue 29 Dec 2015 07.02 EST, Because it can produce a few notes. Why is a Raven Like a Writing Desk? Because you cannot ride either one of them like a bicycle. Or is the hilarious part that there really isn't an answer? So an answer would be that a raven is very like a writing desk when you start to say the word. That’s why we employ diplomats. Carrol, before he departed this Earth, left a mocking and cryptic note stating that a raven was like a writing desk because "both are nevar put back-end front." is a riddle proposed by the Mad Hatter during a tea party in Lewis Carroll's classic 1865 novel, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Lewis Carroll was known to have a slight stammer so when he was telling the Wonderland story he may have emphasised the beginnings of the words R-r-r-raven and the wR-r-r-riting desk. 3. This is something that drives me crazy every time I hear it: "Why is a raven like a writing desk?" Sages and scholars have gone mad trying to figure out what deep and complex thing he was trying to express with that statement, and it wasn't until 2000 that someone pointed out that "nevar" was "raven" spelled backwards. Because neither requires the other. A STAFF REPORT FROM THE STRAIGHT DOPE SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD. Big joke! Why is a raven like a writing desk? The Hatter asks Alice this riddle but never gives her the answer. Back in the 1930s, when I first picked up my mother’s dog-eared copy of the works of Lewis Carroll, I asked her why a raven was like a writing desk. What is the origin of the song “There’s a place in France/Where the naked ladies dance?” Are bay leaves poisonous? Why is a Raven like a writing desk? The opinions expressed are the columnist's, and do not represent the opinion of comiXology. (Remember Mary?) “I think you might do something better with the time,” she said, “than wasting it in asking riddles that have no answers.”. Besides Alice, who were the three characters attending the Hatter's Tea Party? (Just like time, which the Tea party is all about.) Watch the video for Why Is a Raven Like a Writing Desk from The Acacia Strain's ...and Life is Very Long for free, and see the artwork, lyrics and similar artists. Hey Lady! How did some crime fiction come to be described as “hard-boiled”? Sure, we make up for it in money and groupies, but still, if in some book (e.g., one of mine) you come across a line that really clanks, be assured: It was funny before. Has the wrong use of words ever led to a serious conflict, such as war? It’s a joke! Favorite Answer. Guys! (Puzzle maven Sam Loyd, 1914), Because there is a B in both and an N in neither. She answered with a straight face, “Because you cannot ride either one of them like a bicycle.” Since this was true, and it was just as true as saying, “Because neither one of them is made from aluminum,” I always thought Mom was right. Alice sighed wearily. Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969) - S01E10. But inevitably you get a few losers who say: Well, OK, but I still want to know why a raven is like a writing desk. Here are the Ryjyllians under the d20 OGL: Rage: Ryjyllians can enter a combat rage, gaining great strength, and durability, but losing self-control and caution. Why is a raven like a writing desk? Well first of all, I always struggle with origin stories a … The indignities we authors suffer! I cannot wait to end this. Alice is at the tea party with the March Hare, the Mad Hatter, and the Dormouse, when apropos of pretty much nothing the Hatter pops the question above. Why is a raven like a writing desk?.....we will serve this again, once we are able....You’re Invited ️ Alice and the Hatter Herne Bay January 13 at 8:05 AM Okay. It's midday and far too early, I'll be noticed if I leave now but the need for what I had planned to do for so long overpowered my need for no interruptions. Alice was unable to answer the riddle because there was no answer. Has the wrong use of words ever led to a serious conflict, such as war? So spoilers ahead. Update: *huging the mad hatter* Answer Save. Why is a raven like a writing desk? Why is a raven like a writing desk? You wanted to know whether there was a really hilarious solution to this riddle. Like a writing desk. That’s why we employ diplomats. For example, the untrue claim that Iraq had so-called weapons of mass destruction.Lawrie Bradly, Surrey Hills, Victoria, Australia, A declaration of war may be grammatically correct but it’s such a wrong use of words.Margaret Wyeth, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, • Yes, repeatedly. "Why is a raven like a writing desk?" (Cyril Pearson, undated). I cannot wait for this. To many this might seem like a ridiculous question, but those who have seen the movie Alice in Wonderland will appreciate and understand what I mean. “What’s the answer?” “I haven’t the slightest idea,” said the Hatter. Because that which is never backwards is always forwards, and a raven is nevar backwards, and a writing desk is always for words. So they ventured answers of their own, some of the more notable of which are recorded in Martin Gardner’s The Annotated Alice and More Annotated Alice: Not bad for amateurs. (Pause.) Hence, this is a non-question unless it … The Ryjyllians are a cat-like humanoid species known for exporting mercenaries. - Heartless, Marissa Meyer Dear Paige, I just finished Heartless, by Marissa Meyer. By Karen Green Friday August 7, 2009 09:00:00 am Our columnists are independent writers who choose subjects and write without editorial input from comiXology. Aldous Huxley, 1928), Because it slopes with a flap. between the two systems. Have you any idea why a raven is like a writing desk? What does the Chicago lyric “25 or 6 to 4” mean? Got your answer now? "I haven't the slightest idea, Your Queenness. For a refresher, check out the clip of the Mad Hatter’s tea party from Disney’s 1951 animated Alice in Wonderland film. 2.8 secs. The question presumes that a Raven is somehow like a writing desk, something seemingly not supported by the facts. You will also find that a lot of people have tried with spectacular lack of success to say funny or intelligent things about it. Thoughts both confusing and enlightening. What mushrooms are safe to eat? Why is a raven like a writing desk text Done. “No, I give it up,” Alice replied. Several pages of tomfoolery ensue, and then: “Have you guessed the riddle yet?” the Hatter said, turning to Alice again. 1 decade ago. The Mad Hatter admitted as much. Postscript: In 1976 Carroll admirer Denis Crutch pointed out that in the 1896 preface quoted above, the author had originally written: “It is nevar put with the wrong end in front.” Nevar of course is raven spelled backward. Because they both stand on legs. A comment concerning Lewis Carroll’s infamous “Why is a raven like a writing desk?” riddle. THE RAVEN flaps its wings, and the lid of the writing-desk flaps, up and down. Anonymous. Maybe you’ve heard of things like monoids, rings, or groups being used in the context of programming and wondered why smart people like Alexander Stepanov seem to … But if you ask a little kid, "Why is a raven like a writing desk? Oooooh. Because one is nevar backwards and the other is always for words. A Raven is like a desk because Poe wrote on a paper using a desk about the Raven. 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