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Let's start from the top.
Why, you ask? Because it's best to start on a high.
Get into it now.
Why, you ask? Because it's the smart idea to live by.

Come out now and breathe the fresh air.
Why, you ask? Because it's not right to intrude.
Move under it just a little.
Why, you ask? Because it would be rather rude.

Go through and get stuck now.
Why, you ask? Because it's rather rough here.
Come out altogether and go to the sides.
Why, you ask? Because you need more than one to conquer.

Move to the ends.
Why, you ask? Because it's good to have something close.
Back up and down the middle till it splits.
Why, you ask? Because those are the ones that appeal most.

Drop down to the bottom and stay there now.
Why, you ask? Because it's best to end with a game or two.
Too many questions here, that I know.
But perhaps no one knows the answers better than you.

What am I talking about?

All the clues are well hidden in the riddle. The best answer will explain every line perfectly.

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    $\begingroup$ Sounds like a honey badger maneuvering to eat a beehive. $\endgroup$
    – JLee
    Commented Jul 12, 2015 at 12:25
  • $\begingroup$ @JLee: hahaha, that's not it, and I guess you know that too. But I'm really curious to know how you'd get honey badger to fit all the clues. (More curious to see how much you'd stretch the clues. :-P) $\endgroup$
    – CodeNewbie
    Commented Jul 12, 2015 at 16:10
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    $\begingroup$ Reads second line. Lights blunt.. $\endgroup$
    – valuable_asset
    Commented Jul 14, 2015 at 10:52

3 Answers 3

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The answers are:

Parts of the body, and the same parts with a y ending (Why, you ask?)

Let's start from the top.
Why, you ask? Because it's best to start on a high.

Head, which is on the top of the body.
Heady, meaning exhilarated or "on a high".

Get into it now.
Why, you ask? Because it's the smart idea to live by.

Brain, which is inside the head ("get into it").
Brainy, meaning smart.

Come out now and breathe the fresh air.
Why, you ask? Because it's not right to intrude.

Nose, which is back outside the head and used to breathe fresh air.
Nosy, meaning intrusive.

Move under it just a little.
Why, you ask? Because it would be rather rude.

Mouth or Lip. Both are just under the nose.
Mouthy or Lippy, both meaning rude.

Go through and get stuck now.
Why, you ask? Because it's rather rough here.

Throat, which is through the mouth, and where things can get stuck.
Throaty, meaning raspy or rough.

Come out altogether and go to the sides.
Why, you ask? Because you need more than one to conquer.

Arm, which is back out the mouth and to the side of the body.
Army, which you need to conquer.

Move to the ends.
Why, you ask? Because it's good to have something close.

Hand, which is at the end of the arm.
Handy, meaning close by.

Back up and down the middle till it splits.
Why, you ask? Because those are the ones that appeal most.

Leg, which is back up the arms and down the body until it splits in two.
Leggy, which means having attractive long legs.

Drop down to the bottom and stay there now.
Why, you ask? Because it's best to end with a game or two.

Foot, down at the bottom of the legs.
Footy, slang for soccer.

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  • $\begingroup$ Fantastic! This is exactly what I had aimed for. Good work! $\endgroup$
    – CodeNewbie
    Commented Jul 15, 2015 at 6:32
  • $\begingroup$ And I had gone for mouthy, but lippy works exactly the same way, so well done pointing out both. $\endgroup$
    – CodeNewbie
    Commented Jul 15, 2015 at 6:33
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The answer is

The human body. Each part refers to the location of a body part and a phrase containing it.

Let's start from the top.
Why, you ask? Because it's best to start on a high.

Highbrow, the brow being near the top of the body.

Get into it now.
Why, you ask? Because it's the smart idea to live by.

Minding how you live, perhaps? Not entirely sure, although it's almost certainly referring to the brain inside your head.

Come out now and breathe the fresh air.
Why, you ask? Because it's not right to intrude.

We wouldn't want to nose around, that being our main breathing apparatus.

Move under it just a little.
Why, you ask? Because it would be rather rude.

Mouthing off, the mouth being just under the nose.

Go through and get stuck now.
Why, you ask? Because it's rather rough here.

Could be a frog stuck in your throat, which generally coincides with it feeling rough.

Come out altogether and go to the sides.
Why, you ask? Because you need more than one to conquer.

Conquering armies, or possibly by force of arms, with your arms to the sides of your body.

Move to the ends.
Why, you ask? Because it's good to have something close.

Close at hand, hands being at the ends of arms.

Back up and down the middle till it splits.
Why, you ask? Because those are the ones that appeal most.

Presumably the legs, although that seems like personal taste. Might be to do with appealing leg before wicket (LBW) in cricket.

Drop down to the bottom and stay there now.
Why, you ask? Because it's best to end with a game or two.

The game is afoot, or maybe two feet. Either way, they're at the bottom of your body.

Too many questions here, that I know.
But perhaps no one knows the answers better than you.

People generally know their own bodies better than anyone else.

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  • $\begingroup$ First off. Thank you for answering! IMO, this is the best of all my questions thus far. You got all the words right, except the first two. And the reasoning is also not what I intended. The repeating question is very integral to the pattern. Think about why only certain parts of the body were chosen. $\endgroup$
    – CodeNewbie
    Commented Jul 14, 2015 at 10:04
  • $\begingroup$ Would you like a stab at figuring out the pattern that I've incorporated? Hint: why are only certain body parts chosen? $\endgroup$
    – CodeNewbie
    Commented Jul 15, 2015 at 4:59
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Perhaps a better explanation of the first verse:

Let's start from the top. Why, you ask? Because it's best to start on a high.

Your hair is at the top of your body (assuming you're not bald!). It's "on high" if standing on end?

Although Zandar's idea also looks good, the OP said it wasn't the intended solution.

Get into it now. Why, you ask? Because it's the smart idea to live by.

Going down and in from the top, you get to your eyes. There could be a bit of wordplay in "smart [eye]dea" here; also, most people live by their eyesight.

Also, the "Why, you ask?" throughout the riddle could be a reference to

another body part: the arse. "Why, you [arse]k?"

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