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About Me

Pros:

  1. I always let my friends go first.
  2. To some of my groups of friends, I mean every.
  3. No matter who I am around, I always have an effect on them.
  4. I am strong-willed; none of my friends can change me.
  5. I have a magnetic personality, so I am always near friends.

Cons:

  1. I'm short.
  2. I do not like to be alone- I am clingy.
  3. I never accept some groups of my friends for who they are, and instead, I try to change them, and always succeed.
  4. I'm bossy- usually the one telling my friends when, where, how, why, and under what circumstances things are going to happen.
  5. I have 2 personalities- one is almost a teenager, and the other is in his mid twenties

Hint:

The title is a hint. Don't overlook it.

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    $\begingroup$ Figured I'd have a look at the anagrams for 'a costly lawsuit'. Turns out there's plenty of them. Perhaps a starting point? wordsmith.org/anagram/… $\endgroup$
    – Tim Couwelier
    Commented Apr 10, 2015 at 7:13
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    $\begingroup$ I can easily relate 'cons' to my girlfriend... :P $\endgroup$
    – SkoolCodeian
    Commented Apr 10, 2015 at 9:32
  • $\begingroup$ @Tim Couwelier Good idea, but there are no anagrams in this puzzle $\endgroup$
    – JLee
    Commented Apr 10, 2015 at 12:36
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    $\begingroup$ @Deepak Your girlfriend is in HIS mid twenties? :-o $\endgroup$
    – Rand al'Thor
    Commented Apr 10, 2015 at 15:53
  • $\begingroup$ @randal'thor You got me.. :p $\endgroup$
    – SkoolCodeian
    Commented Apr 10, 2015 at 15:57

9 Answers 9

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The letters ly

I always let my friends go first.

ly appears at the ends of words to make them adverbs, usually

To some of my groups of friends, I mean everything.

Thinking about the ly in the context of the word poly, meaning every

No matter who I am around, I always have an effect on them.

ly turns some words into adverbs when added to the end

I am strong-willed; none of my friends can change me.

adding suffixes to ly doesnt change it

I have a magnetic personality, so I am always near friends.

ly on it's own doesn't mean anything

I'm short.

only two letters

I do not like to be alone- I am clingy.

again, only has meaning when added onto an existing word

I never accept some groups of my friends for who they are, and instead, I try to change them, and always succeed.

adding ly changes adjectives into adverbs

I'm bossy- usually the one telling my friends when, where, how, why, and under what circumstances things are going to happen.

adverbs describe how something is happening

I have 2 personalities- one is almost a teenager, and the other is in his mid twenties

l is the 12th letter of the alphabet, y is the 25th

also

camerons answer was really the springboard for my understanding of this

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    $\begingroup$ This has to be correct! It makes so much sense. $\endgroup$
    – String
    Commented Apr 10, 2015 at 20:04
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    $\begingroup$ Well done, Kik! A few things: "means every" in friend groups like hour, day, month, year, turning them to yearly, monthly, daily, etc. L is the 12th letter of the alphabet. dictionary.reference.com/browse/-ly and grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/adverbs.htm $\endgroup$
    – JLee
    Commented Apr 10, 2015 at 20:55
  • $\begingroup$ @JLee haha yeh, guess I need to learn to count! $\endgroup$
    – Kik
    Commented Apr 10, 2015 at 20:57
  • $\begingroup$ Also, technically the answer was intended to be "the suffix -ly", which explains the apparent inconsistency you brought up with "lycanthrope" $\endgroup$
    – JLee
    Commented Apr 10, 2015 at 22:30
  • $\begingroup$ Nicely done ;-) $\endgroup$
    – Rand al'Thor
    Commented Apr 10, 2015 at 23:06
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Is it

the letter Y?

The two personalities:

the i sound ('i' is 9th letter of alphabet, almost a teen) and the y sound ('y' is 25th letter, mid twenties).

It's never by itself (in English).

Modifies words (like 'ever' into 'every') Other letters don't modify its pronunciation.

It's in the question.

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I'm going to suggest

An asterisk (*). Lawyers are fond of addenda and footnotes and the like, so a printed lawsuit is likely to contain a lot of them.

  1. I always let my friends go first.

    An asterisk is almost always found after a word.

  2. To some of my groups of friends, I mean everything.

    In a computer/programming context, the asterisk is often used as a wildcard to mean "everything".

  3. No matter who I am around, I always have an effect on them.

    Whenever there's and asterisk after a word, it means there something more to say about that word (an "effect").

  4. I am strong-willed; none of my friends can change me.

    The asterisk affects the word it's on, but the word doesn't affect the asterisk.

  5. I have a magnetic personality, so I am always near friends.

    An asterisk is rarely found on its own, but always at the end of a word.

Cons:

  1. I'm short.

    The height of the asterisk is not very much.

  2. I do not like to be alone- I am clingy.

    Like #5 above -- it's always on a word.

  3. I never accept some groups of my friends for who they are, and instead, I try to change them, and always succeed.

    The purpose of the asterisk is to supply a "modifier" for the word(s). It changes the meaning in some way.

  4. I'm bossy- usually the one telling my friends when, where, how, why, and under what circumstances things are going to happen.

    Asterisks are often used for the "fine print" in deals, contests, etc., where they detail all the specifics.

  5. I have 2 personalities- one is almost a teenager, and the other is in his mid twenties.

    This refers to the locations of the two * keys on a typical keyboard.

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  • $\begingroup$ +1 Based on type of puzzle, I think this is the closest answer so far. Great explanations though. I will give a hint sometime today if no one gets it. $\endgroup$
    – JLee
    Commented Apr 10, 2015 at 14:26
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    $\begingroup$ I don't follow on CON #5. My asterisks are on the 8 key and by itself on the number pad. How that does become almost a teenager and mid twenties? $\endgroup$
    – Engineer Toast
    Commented Apr 10, 2015 at 14:49
  • $\begingroup$ @EngineerToast, I was thinking if you counted the number of keys across, depending on the keyboard, the "8" key would be #9 or #10, which is "almost a teenager", and the "*" key (on the number pad) would be somewhere around #20 (keyboards vary). $\endgroup$
    – GentlePurpleRain
    Commented Apr 10, 2015 at 15:02
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I think the answer is

Wedding rings

Pros

I always let my friends go first.

Since the wedding ring is in the beginning of your finger, everything you do or touch, you do it before the ring touches it (figuratively speaking).

To some of my groups of friends, I mean everything.

That's true. For some people, the marriage is everything.

No matter who I am around, I always have an effect on them.

When you wear a ring, this always means something for you.

I am strong-willed; none of my friends can change me.

The gold is very very hard metal.

I have a magnetic personality, so I am always near friends.

You wear it all the time.

Cons

I'm short.

I'm small.

I do not like to be alone- I am clingy.

Wedding rings are meant to be worn.

I never accept some groups of my friends for who they are, and instead, I try to change them, and always succeed.

I think this has something to do with adultery?!

I'm bossy- usually the one telling my friends when, where, how, why, and under what circumstances things are going to happen.

This I couldn't figure out.

I have 2 personalities- one is almost a teenager, and the other is in his mid twenties

Female and male wedding rings. They have different size.

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    $\begingroup$ Actually gold is a very soft metal. $\endgroup$
    – Rand al'Thor
    Commented Apr 10, 2015 at 9:53
  • $\begingroup$ +1 Good thoughts, but not the right track. I might need to add another hint soon. $\endgroup$
    – JLee
    Commented Apr 10, 2015 at 12:23
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Is it...

decimal point?

You might find me in a costly lawsuit. What am I?

Costly lawsuits have big numbers maybe with decimal points or thousand separators

I always let my friends go first.

Other numbers are followed by decimal point

To some of my groups of friends, I mean everything.

If the friends are fraction they can't be showed without decimal point

No matter who I am around, I always have an effect on them.

Put decimal point anywhere in a number and you will change it

I am strong-willed; none of my friends can change me.

No matter what is the math operation, you will not change it, just move it.

I have a magnetic personality, so I am always near friends.

Decimal number is always side by side with numbers

I'm short.

It is short

I do not like to be alone- I am clingy.

It needs other numbers to be 'visible'

I never accept some groups of my friends for who they are, and instead, I try to change them, and always succeed.

You change numbers if you use decimal point

I'm bossy- usually the one telling my friends when, where, how, why, and under what circumstances things are going to happen.

You decide how big the number is starting from decimal point

I have 2 personalities- one is almost a teenager, and the other is in his mid twenties

No idea - my previous idea was Zero

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Based on Hint #1, I came up with the following answer:

TO/TOO/TWO. A phonetic answer, a string of phonemes rather than a string of letters - interesting idea for a riddle!

1.I always let my friends go first.

One goes first, before two.

2.To some of my groups of friends, I mean every[thing].

If you're French, the string of phonemes that is the answer comes out as tout, meaning "every".

3.No matter who I am around, I always have an effect on them.

The word too always has an effect on the other words around it: it emphasises them, in a way.

4.I am strong-willed; none of my friends can change me.

Could again refer to the word too.

5.I have a magnetic personality, so I am always near friends.

None of these words normally appear on their own, but rather surrounded by other words.

1.I'm short.

All of these words (especially to) are short.

2.I do not like to be alone- I am clingy.

Two things are not alone. Alternatively this could have the same interpretation as Pro #5.

3.I never accept some groups of my friends for who they are, and instead, I try to change them, and always succeed.

This is too again. It changes the words it describes.

4.I'm bossy- usually the one telling my friends when, where, how, why, and under what circumstances things are going to happen.

This could be to, always coming before a verb in the infinitive form.

5.I have 2 personalities- one is almost a teenager, and the other is in his mid twenties

The two letters of "to" are 20 and 15: 15 is a teenager, and 20 is in his twenties. Not mid-twenties though, so maybe there's another explanation for this line!

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  • $\begingroup$ +1 Excellent explanations, but that's not it. I will add a 2nd hint soon. $\endgroup$
    – JLee
    Commented Apr 10, 2015 at 15:48
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Is it

time? Time is short. It has 2 personalities: 12 or 24 hours.

About friends

Friends are clocks. They can't change time, but they're affected by it. Some clocks only show time, so it's everything to them.

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I'll try again:

A hyphen

Pros:

  1. I always let my friends go first.

    A hyphen is found in the middle of a word, so there are letters before it.

  2. To some of my groups of friends, I mean everything.

    When specifying a group, like "A-Z", the hyphen indicates everything in between.

  3. No matter who I am around, I always have an effect on them.

    The hyphen modifies words, and changes their meaning.

  4. I am strong-willed; none of my friends can change me.

    It means the same thing, regardless of what is around it.

  5. I have a magnetic personality, so I am always near friends.

    The hyphen shows up in the middle of words

Cons:

  1. I'm short.

    It's a short dash.

  2. I do not like to be alone- I am clingy.

    Again, it's always within a word.

  3. I never accept some groups of my friends for who they are, and instead, I try to change them, and always succeed.

    Adding a hyphen tacks something else on, which changes the meaning of a word.

  4. I'm bossy- usually the one telling my friends when, where, how, why, and under what circumstances things are going to happen.

    A hyphen is sometimes used (incorrectly) for injection into a sentence - like this - instead of the "em-dash". That's often used when giving instructions or telling people what to do.

  5. I have 2 personalities- one is almost a teenager, and the other is in his mid twenties.

    The hyphen is key #12 across my keyboard, and the similar "minus sign" on the numeric keypad is #22.

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  • $\begingroup$ +1 No, but great explanations again. It is not a punctuation mark (such as a hyphen or asterisk). I added a hint. $\endgroup$
    – JLee
    Commented Apr 10, 2015 at 15:29
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Based off of Cameron's "painfully close" answer, but slightly different and with more clues explained:

the letter I.

Obviously this makes the question something of a "lynch-mob" riddle, what with all the referring to the answer as "I". Here are (at least some of) the clues explained one by one.

Title:

I appears in the words "a costly lawsuit".

I always let my friends go first.

Some letters come before I in the alphabet.

To some of my groups of friends, I mean everything.

Egomaniacs?

No matter who I am around, I always have an effect on them.

???

I am strong-willed; none of my friends can change me.

The letter I doesn't change no matter how many other letters it's surrounded by.

I have a magnetic personality, so I am always near friends.

???

I'm short.

Lower-case i looks like a short person with a head.

I do not like to be alone- I am clingy.

The letter I often appears in the middle of a word along with other letters.

I never accept some groups of my friends for who they are, and instead, I try to change them, and always succeed.

Maybe as Cameron suggested, referring to words that change with the insertion of an extra letter I - e.g. "her"->"heir".

I'm bossy- usually the one telling my friends when, where, how, why, and under what circumstances things are going to happen.

???

I have 2 personalities- one is almost a teenager, and the other is in his mid twenties

As Cameron said, this refers to I and Y. He just picked the wrong one of the two as his answer!

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