Six riddles working up from two gentle openers to a pair that need a proper sideways look. Two easy, two medium and two hard, with hints if you want them and full explanations on the answers page.
#1easyUnsolved I have branches, but no leaves, no trunk and no fruit. What am I?
Hint: You might visit one to pay in a cheque.Answer: a bankA bank has branches all over the country, but none of them grow on a tree.
#2easyUnsolved What has a head and a tail, but no body?
Hint: You might flip it to settle an argument.Answer: a coinA coin has heads on one face and tails on the other, and nothing in between.
#3mediumUnsolved What gets wetter the more it dries?
Hint: You reach for it as you step out of the shower.Answer: a towelA towel dries you by soaking up the water, so the harder it works the wetter it gets.
#4mediumUnsolved What can travel all the way around the world while staying in one corner?
Hint: It costs far less than the journey it takes.Answer: a stampA postage stamp sits in the corner of an envelope while the letter crosses the globe.
#5hardUnsolved I am not alive, but I grow. I have no lungs, but I need air. I have no mouth, but water kills me. What am I?
Hint: A bucket from the tap is all it takes to end me.Answer: fireFire grows as it spreads, needs oxygen to burn, and is put out by water.
#6hardUnsolved What belongs to you, but other people use it far more than you do?
Hint: People say it when they want your attention.Answer: your nameYour name is yours alone, yet almost every time it is spoken, someone else is saying it.