A short, brutal riddle

Question

Left alone, I'm a word with five letters.

I'm honest and fair, I'll admit.

Rearranged, I'm of no use to trains.

Again, and I'm an overt place, warm and well lit.

What am I?

@Roland son of Steven, last Gunslinger of Gilead!! – Adit Kirtani Jul 01 '16 at 07:28 — Adit Kirtani, Jul 01 '16 at 07:28
Very clever! I really enjoyed the answer to this one – Master Yoda Nov 22 '17 at 00:44 — Master Yoda, Nov 22 '17 at 00:44

NeedAName · Accepted Answer · 2015-08-18T18:07:16.077

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I believe the answer is

LIAR

The riddle was tricky (as indicated by the title) and each of the lines is

a lie.

Left alone, I'm a word with five letters.

The word is actually 4 letters

I'm honest and fair I'll admit

Obviously, a liar is the antithesis of honest and fair.

Rearranged, I'm of no use to trains.

RAIL, an anagram of LIAR, is an incredibly important facet to the function of trains.

Again, and I'm an overt place, warm and well-lit.

LAIR, another anagram of LIAR, is a hidden, dark place, the opposite of the adjectives provided.

I could be way off track but I have a good feeling that this is it.

edited Aug 18 '15 at 18:07

answered Aug 18 '15 at 18:06

NeedAName

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This is clever. I would like this to be the answer. – Engineer Toast Aug 18 '15 at 18:07
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Huzzah! Glad to see you called the riddle's bluff. :D – Roland Aug 18 '15 at 18:12
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The title just kept bugging me; I might've just brushed this off as a coincidence if it wasn't for the title. – NeedAName Aug 18 '15 at 18:16
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I didn't know there was a daily cap for rep gains, but I do now thanks to all the upvotes. Just do me a favor and save the rest for tomorrow will ya? :P – NeedAName Aug 18 '15 at 20:01
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How can RAIL be of no use to trains? That one doesn't make sense to me. – Mohair Aug 18 '15 at 20:47
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I'm not sure you understood the answer. Go back and read the second spoiler – NeedAName Aug 18 '15 at 20:53
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"I could be way off track..." - beautiful. Just like the answer. – Mave Aug 19 '15 at 07:33
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The four lines as an acrostic also form an anagram of liar. – Holloway Aug 19 '15 at 09:35
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@Trengot Oh wow nice catch! – NeedAName Aug 19 '15 at 14:56
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@Trengot that was what tipped me off to the answer. – LarsH Aug 20 '15 at 01:21
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Every line, except the last one, starts with a letter from the answer - L I R A. If the 2 last explanations were switched, the answer would be really the riddle itself, in certain way. :) – Bakudan Aug 20 '15 at 10:23
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The only thing I do not agree with is 'LAIR'. I understand the reasoning, but while the word is perhaps often used in conjunction with drafty and miserable places, its definition is 'den of an animal' or 'a hiding place'. No one would voluntarily spend much time anywhere that wasn't comfortable to them. I will grant that what a human considers 'comfortable' might vary greatly from what an animal will consider the same. – spoorlezer Aug 20 '15 at 11:37
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@spoorlezer dictionary.com also lists lair as 'a secluded or hidden place, especially a secret retreat or base of operations; a hideout or hideaway' and oxford dictionary as 'A secret or private place in which a person seeks concealment or seclusion.' I would agree that the cold aspect and part of the dark aspect are the imbued in the connotation of the word lair, but the definitions still convey some of that sense. – NeedAName Aug 20 '15 at 13:50
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Upvote #100! Well done, you deserved it. – Zachiel Aug 21 '15 at 09:50
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'left alone I am a word of five letters' this part means if not disputed, challenged it will actually go as the Truth (five letter word) though a lie!! – mykey Sep 03 '15 at 04:52
I had almost the same thought initially, but without the caveat that each line was a lie (so the final one really threw me off). I then spent a fair amount of time trying to make something with LIBRA work, since "People born under the sign of Libra are peaceful, fair, and they hate being alone." Alas, it was not to be... – userNaN Jan 14 '18 at 01:14
@mykey I think that is a bit stretched, since the subject is the person, the liar. For that to make sense, the word should be LIE – João Bravo Jun 12 '20 at 19:58
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How did you figure out each line was a lie? – Some Guy Mar 03 '21 at 21:25

score 86 · Answer 2 · edited Sep 15 '15 at 14:48

86

I'm honest and fair I'll admit:

Snipe, a bird perhaps capable of deception. We'll have to cover our bases with truths and lies to be sure.

Rearranged, I'm of no use to trains:

Spine (useless to trains)
or
Pines (a lie! Pine is a type of wood which could be used in railroad ties)

Again, and I'm an overt place, warm and well-lit:

Penis (Warm, though often illegal to be overt and well-lit)
or
Peins, Netherlands (a lie! With moderate/cool yearly averages and a population of just 270 (in 2006), Peins is likely secluded, cool, and poorly lit.)

edited Sep 15 '15 at 14:48

Roland

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answered Aug 20 '15 at 18:08

anonymous

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That is LOL :-) – kanchirk Aug 20 '15 at 18:23
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I've been considering flagging this for a while, but I wasn't sure if "It's just stupid" would be a viable complaint. Instead it has been edited to add explanation and make it not entirely incorrect. – Roland Sep 15 '15 at 14:53
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Hahaha xD @Roland :) – ABcDexter Aug 19 '16 at 12:34
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Just realized I'm responsible for all of @anonymous 's reputation. :D – Roland Aug 19 '16 at 15:43
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@Roland It's an Eddie Dean answer to the riddle. – jwir3 Jan 26 '17 at 18:31
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If you’re contemplating flagging this as rude and abusive, please don’t. It’s not. – Rubio Jun 09 '19 at 19:02

score 19 · Answer 3 · answered Apr 06 '20 at 22:57

Left alone, I'm a word with five letters.

I'm honest and fair, I'll admit.

HEROS: "honest and fair" is considered one of the defining characteristics of heros

Rearranged, I'm of no use to trains.

HORSE: trains have engines, and thus do not need horses to transport things

Again, and I'm an overt place, warm and well lit.

SHORE: it's a place people go to sunbathe, so definitely both warm and well-lit. Overt is kind of a stretch, I'm not really sure what it would even mean for a place to be overt though.

score 5 · Answer 4 · edited Nov 06 '21 at 12:31

5

Left alone, I'm a word with five letters.
I'm honest and fair, I'll admit.

a trial is expected to be both honest and fair.

Rearranged, I'm of no use to trains.

a t-rail is a type of rail that would not be used for a train.

Again, and I'm an overt place, warm and well lit.

a trail is an outdoor (overt) place, usually warm and well-lit by the sun.

edited Nov 06 '21 at 12:31

Stevo

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answered Sep 08 '20 at 23:08

Numilani

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This riddle already has a highly-upvoted, accepted answer which is different than yours. Please refrain from answering old questions that have accepted answers. – bobble Sep 08 '20 at 23:17

score -3 · Answer 5 · answered Jul 21 '20 at 03:49

An answer to this riddle:

Left alone, I'm a word with five letters.

admit

I'm honest and fair, I'll admit.

It is honest and fair to admit the things you do.

Rearranged, I'm of no use to trains.

Here is where the word admits it that it has a down-part, damit!

Again, and I'm an overt place, warm and well lit.

When you admit something, you are being overt about yourself. Admit your actions, and you will be returned with a warm feeling and a well lit future.

A short, brutal riddle

5 Answers5

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