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I'm the one that they all blame when they've too much to do,

I'm the one who pulls them in and holds them 'til they're through!

For one that likes to breathe I am a nasty place to be,

Why would you sow, no crops will grow, have you not heard of me?

A land so bleak, oft filled with mists so thick it's hard to see,

Set sail upon and sink in too, there is no help for thee.

What am I?

Hint

I'm looking for something wet

Hint #2

Once, long ago, all over Albion and mainland europe but people did away with them so that they could build and farm the land. Now they're mostly in the Americas and in asia.

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  • $\begingroup$ Is "breath" a typo or intentional? $\endgroup$
    – user812786
    Jun 7, 2016 at 16:14
  • $\begingroup$ @whrrgarbl My spelling isn't that great but I'm pretty sure it's intentional...? Wait. I checked. You're right. Thanks, and sorry! Dyslexic... $\endgroup$
    – Brent Hackers
    Jun 7, 2016 at 16:19
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    $\begingroup$ I mean, "breath" is the noun, "breathe" is the verb. I guess it doesn't change much either way, sorry, just a pet peeve :) $\endgroup$
    – user812786
    Jun 7, 2016 at 16:21

6 Answers 6

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I'm

swamp

I'm the one that they all blame when they've too much to do,

it's very hard to clear of land mines

I'm the one who pulls them in and holds them 'til they're through!

you can get stuck in it

For one that likes to breathe I am a nasty place to be,

heavy and noxious air

Why would you sow, no crops will grow, have you not heard of me?

there's a lot of water and mud and crops can't grow

A land so bleak, oft filled with mists so thick it's hard to see,

because of the moisture it's a very foggy place

Set sail upon and sink in too, there is no help for thee.

it's really hard to walk in it and it's very easy to sink.

OP Explanations

I'm the one that they all blame when they've too much to do,

"I'm swamped!" or "Swamped under"

I'm the one who pulls them in and holds them 'til they're through!

People are weary of swamps for fear of becoming stuck or lost

For one that likes to breathe I am a nasty place to be,

noxious, stagnant, odours and the ever present risk of becoming lost or stuck and drowning.

Why would you sow, no crops will grow, have you not heard of me?

Swamps are not the most useful farm land and have in many places been drained re-formed into land of use to farmers.

A land so bleak, oft filled with mists so thick it's hard to see,

Bogs, marches and swamps in Europe in particular were notorious for a thick, almost ever-present layer of fog.

Set sail upon and sink in too, there is no help for thee.

A swamp isn't the safest place for a boat ride. So much so that to deliberately sink a boat is sometimes referred to as "swamping" it.

A partial definition from dictionary.com

noun

1. a tract of wet, spongy land, often having a growth of certain types of trees and other vegetation, but unfit for cultivation.

verb (used with object)

2. to flood or drench with water or the like.

3. Nautical. to sink or fill (a boat) with water.

4. to plunge or cause to sink in or as if in a swamp.

5. to overwhelm, especially to overwhelm with an excess of something: He swamped us with work.

6. to render helpless.

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  • $\begingroup$ Bingo! Yahtzee! House! Etc! The explanations aren't exactly what I had in mind but you got the answer regardless. $\endgroup$
    – Brent Hackers
    Jun 10, 2016 at 8:51
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    $\begingroup$ I think the first clue might be an idiom $\endgroup$
    – hexomino
    Jun 10, 2016 at 8:52
  • $\begingroup$ Bingo hexomino. +1 $\endgroup$
    – Brent Hackers
    Jun 10, 2016 at 8:52
  • $\begingroup$ What was your real explanation for the first clue? I thought it could be an idiom but I don't know it and I tried with another explanation! $\endgroup$
    – a25bedc5-3d09-41b8-82fb-ea6c353d75ae
    Jun 10, 2016 at 8:56
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    $\begingroup$ @xyzt Added my explanations to your answer. $\endgroup$
    – Brent Hackers
    Jun 10, 2016 at 9:09
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I am

Water

I'm the one that they all blame when they've too much to do

When someone is stressed they are "under water"

I'm the one who pulls them in and holds them 'til they're through!

This sounds like someone drowning

For one that likes to breath I am a nasty place to be

Being under water makes it hard to breathe

Why would you sow, no crops will grow, have you not heard of me?

Without water crops would die

A land so bleak, oft filled with mists so thick it's hard to see

It is impossible to see at the bottom of the ocean and the mist is really thick!

Set sail upon and sink in too, there is no help for thee

You can sail on the water and also sink into it

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  • $\begingroup$ Sort of on the right lines but not the answer I'm looking for. $\endgroup$
    – Brent Hackers
    Jun 5, 2016 at 3:17
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This one fits all but line #2 and #6. So.

A mountain?

Lot to do-

Work piles up mountain high.

Breathing-

Less oxygen.

Sowing-

You can't really grow anything.

Bleak land of mist-

Mountains touch the clouds, so, mist is all around.

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  • $\begingroup$ Sorry. It's not a mountain. Not bad fits though. +1 $\endgroup$
    – Brent Hackers
    Jun 9, 2016 at 9:18
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I guess,( Just can't fit the 3rd and the last line..)

Rain

I'm the one that they all blame when they've too much to do,

None want to work in the rain..

I'm the one who pulls them in and holds them 'til they're through!

Rain helps the farmers to survive..

Why would you sow, no crops will grow, have you not heard of me?

No crops without rain

A land so bleak, oft filled with mists so thick it's hard to see,

Maybe it means the clouds..

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  • $\begingroup$ It's not what I'm looking for but I see where you're coming from. +1 $\endgroup$
    – Brent Hackers
    Jun 10, 2016 at 8:07
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I am

tide

I'm the one that they all blame when they've too much to do,

No clue here so far

I'm the one who pulls them in and holds them 'til they're through!

The tide is pulling the water in the bay/ to the beach.

For one that likes to breathe I am a nasty place to be,

Same as water, through high tide you shouldn't be there, else you will drown

Why would you sow, no crops will grow, have you not heard of me?

The crops got no chance to grow, because the tide will destroy the crop everyday

A land so bleak, oft filled with mists so thick it's hard to see,

There is not much to see on the ground while low tide and often there are mists in coastal areas

Set sail upon and sink in too, there is no help for thee.

If you set sail during low tide you will sink in and there will be no help for you to get out... Just wait for high tide again.

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  • 1
    $\begingroup$ I like this one. I really like it. A nice shiny, larger than average +1 for you. It's not the answer though. $\endgroup$
    – Brent Hackers
    Jun 10, 2016 at 8:26
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I am

shifting sands

I'm the one that they all blame when they've too much to do,

when you have too much to do, you feel like you're sinking in the mess

I'm the one who pulls them in and holds them 'til they're through!

there's a lot of mud and your feet can be stuck in it

For one that likes to breathe I am a nasty place to be,

there's bad taste and if you sink you can't breathe

Why would you sow, no crops will grow, have you not heard of me?

it's not a fertile land

A land so bleak, oft filled with mists so thick it's hard to see,

it's an ugly place, often very foggy

Set sail upon and sink in too, there is no help for thee.

you can sink because ground is not stationary

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  • $\begingroup$ No, not what I'm after, but you get the idea with most of the reasoning. +1 $\endgroup$
    – Brent Hackers
    Jun 10, 2016 at 8:29
  • $\begingroup$ It's my first answer here and I don't know the rules: could I try with another answer? $\endgroup$
    – a25bedc5-3d09-41b8-82fb-ea6c353d75ae
    Jun 10, 2016 at 8:34
  • $\begingroup$ You certainly can. Don't replace this one though. It's pretty good. $\endgroup$
    – Brent Hackers
    Jun 10, 2016 at 8:39

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