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My first riddle:

With jolt or breath; I dine with death

Unwanted by most; light I can boast

Lectern or wall; tethered, not all

Your will or my squall, the point of my call

Hint 1:

By use of metaphor, neither squall nor call make comment on decibel, though they be related.

Hint 2:

Watch out for word play!

Hint 3:

I'll admit: I bent the rules of punctuation a tiny bit. I've adjusted 3 little markings; hopefully, this will point you in the right direction and the answer will click right away!

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  • $\begingroup$ I am assuming from the title it's a thing or maybe an occupation, but not a person, correct? $\endgroup$
    – dramzy
    Commented Aug 26, 2015 at 19:56
  • $\begingroup$ @Respect My Authoritah, You are correct $\endgroup$
    – Adam Denoon
    Commented Aug 26, 2015 at 20:00
  • $\begingroup$ When you stated Electricity was incorrect, does that mean you also pan lightning? $\endgroup$
    – zfrisch
    Commented Aug 31, 2015 at 21:26
  • $\begingroup$ @zfrisch, yes, that is correct $\endgroup$
    – Adam Denoon
    Commented Aug 31, 2015 at 21:35
  • $\begingroup$ Did you bend the rules of spelling ("lecturn") intentionally? $\endgroup$
    – Michael Myers
    Commented Aug 31, 2015 at 23:15

4 Answers 4

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You are a:

Mouse

Hint 1 spoiler:

The squall and call each refer to a noise. Both computer mice and animal mice make quiet sounds (squall can mean a high-pitched noise).

Hint 2 spoiler:

The answer itself is a word play. Also, "light" and "point" are word plays.

Hint 3 spoiler:

point you in the right direction and the answer will click right away

With jolt or breath

The mouse can be electric or living

I dine with death

Mice are often killed while eating at a trap

Unwanted by most

Mice are most often considered pests

Light I can boast

A reference to optical and laser computer mice. "Light" can also refer to weight.

Lectern or wall

Computer mice on a desk or real mice in a wall

Tethered, not all

Wired or wireless computer mice

Your will or my squall, the point of my call

Your will = using a computer mouse to select an item
My squall = Etymology: "squeal" + "bawl". A squall can be a high-pitched noise. Hint 1 says it can be quiet, like a squeak. The point of my call = Word play: "point" is a reference to a mouse pointer, but also means "purpose". The call is a noise, and the purpose of a mouse making noise is his own squeaking, and the purpose of a computer mouse making a noise (click) is the will of the person using it.

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  • $\begingroup$ @Adam Denoon How does this answer make use of the mispelling of "lectern"? $\endgroup$
    – McMagister
    Commented Sep 1, 2015 at 4:00
  • $\begingroup$ The misspelling was unintentional $\endgroup$
    – Adam Denoon
    Commented Sep 1, 2015 at 11:57
  • $\begingroup$ This is a great answer. If this isn't the right answer, it's probably better than the intended one! $\endgroup$
    – Kingrames
    Commented Sep 1, 2015 at 14:03
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    $\begingroup$ Thanks to Adam for filling in the blanks...I probably only had about 50% of the clues figured out initially so I'm glad my guess was correct! $\endgroup$
    – TylerW
    Commented Sep 1, 2015 at 15:45
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    $\begingroup$ I thought of this days ago but I only thought computer mouse! nice job $\endgroup$
    – SirParselot
    Commented Sep 2, 2015 at 17:09
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Third attempt

Could it be,

A sound

With jolt or breath, I dine with death

sound can be formed by jolt or someone talking, breath, and dies off quickly

Unwanted by most, light I can boast

Most people don't want to listen to a lecture and I would bet even less want to hear someone boasting about light

Lecturn or wall, tethered, not all

You lecture at a lecturn and sound echoes off walls but they are not connected

Your will or my squall, the point of my call

Talking can be your will and squall and call make sounds

Second attempt

Could it be,

A gun shot

With jolt or breath, I dine with death

An accidental shot or someone yelling the order to fire, causing death

Unwanted by most, light I can boast

I don't think most people want to be shot and a muzzle flare produces light

Lecturn or wall, tethered, not all

There is a possibility of being shot anywhere, it doesn't matter if you are in class at a lecturn or in a back alley against a wall.

Your will or my squall, the point of my call

shooting someone could be meditated, your will, or the sound of the gun going off, my squall.

First attempt

Could it be,

Electricity

With jolt or breath, I dine with death

Electricity can jolt you and bring you back to life or it could kill you if too much of a jolt

Unwanted by most, light I can boast

Most people don't want to be shocked and electricity can produce light

Lecturn or wall, tethered, not all

Electricity is not tethered to anything

Your will or my squall, the point of my call

Lightning forms in storms, or squalls

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  • $\begingroup$ Excellent thinking! I was almost convinced that could be a possible answer to my riddle, but it's not. Keep trying! $\endgroup$
    – Adam Denoon
    Commented Aug 26, 2015 at 15:35
  • $\begingroup$ Perhaps a tesla coil, then? $\endgroup$
    – itriedacrab
    Commented Aug 26, 2015 at 16:03
  • $\begingroup$ @itriedacrab No, sir $\endgroup$
    – Adam Denoon
    Commented Aug 26, 2015 at 16:08
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    $\begingroup$ My thoughts too, its the call part it doesnt fit $\endgroup$
    – Spacemonkey
    Commented Aug 27, 2015 at 12:32
  • $\begingroup$ @Spacemonkey I interpreted that as the point of origin and the point of origin of lightning is the storm clouds, or squall. The will part is what I couldn't come up with a good answer for. $\endgroup$
    – SirParselot
    Commented Aug 27, 2015 at 14:36
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You are a

EMT or Emergency Medical Service person

With jolt or breath, I dine with death

With either a defibrillator or 'the breath of life' aka CPR, you save lives. Dining with death refers to the closeness to death that EMT's experience in their line of work

Unwanted by most, light I can boast

No one wants to see the EMT because it means they're hurt and the light is a reference to the idea that people see 'the light' when dying.

Lecturn or wall, tethered, not all

Not sure yet

Your will or my squall, the point of my call

If you die, you leave a will, and the ambulance doesn't use sirens when picking up a deceased person. If you are not dead, the ambulance comes sirens blazing to your aid. They only come to your aid, however, if 911 is called (or whatever equivalent of 911 it is outside of the U.S., I'm not sure)

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  • $\begingroup$ No sir, keep trying (I'm flattered that it's not too easy!) $\endgroup$
    – Adam Denoon
    Commented Aug 26, 2015 at 14:59
  • $\begingroup$ Great thinking on the clues though! $\endgroup$
    – Adam Denoon
    Commented Aug 26, 2015 at 15:00
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    $\begingroup$ Dang! I was certain (besides the fact that I didn't understand the third line) that I had it! $\endgroup$
    – NeedAName
    Commented Aug 26, 2015 at 15:47
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I'm thinking

Fire

With jolt or breath, I dine with death

Lightning strike or 'breath' (possible fanning motion to feed oxygen)

Unwanted by most, light I can boast

Wildfire, esp. currently in the western region

Lecturn or wall, tethered, not all

Unable to be contained

Your will or my squall, the point of my call

Intentionally started by man (campfire), or wildfire

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  • $\begingroup$ Great thoughts, but that is incorrect. Keep trying! $\endgroup$
    – Adam Denoon
    Commented Aug 26, 2015 at 17:31

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