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I pinch and bite

For dark and light,

I rust and gleam,

Divide and team,

I'm your enemy, and your friend,

I'm your beginning, and your end.

What am I?

Hint 1:

It is made by nature, but abused by man.

Hint 2:

Made in peace but used in war.

Hint 3:

It is a weapon, but only used in showcases.

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  • $\begingroup$ What is it then? I am curious $\endgroup$
    – L.K.
    Commented May 4, 2017 at 9:33
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    $\begingroup$ Hint: It is made by nature, but abused by man. $\endgroup$
    – Cody Vogt
    Commented May 8, 2017 at 13:15
  • $\begingroup$ do we not have a correct answer still? $\endgroup$
    – Mithilesh Gupta
    Commented May 9, 2017 at 10:05
  • 3
    $\begingroup$ Based on the number of answers below which seem to match the riddle, I would suggest adding some additional lines to narrow down the possible answers. As it is, this riddle is in danger of being closed as too broad, since there doesn't seem to be one definitive answer that fits better than all others. $\endgroup$
    – GentlePurpleRain
    Commented May 9, 2017 at 14:56
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ (You really should make your hint in the question, not as a comment.) $\endgroup$
    – Rubio ♦
    Commented May 10, 2017 at 14:36

19 Answers 19

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To satisfy all the conditions: I came with this: I think this is

Sword.

Reason:
I pinch and bite

Sword pinches on touching the sharp edge and bites when it cuts​ the flesh(sorry for being so much descriptive).

For dark and light,

It helps in the dark or light to battle or to fight for the safety of ones kingdom.

I rust and gleam,

Rusting occurs to it in the course of time. It gleams once it is clean before the battle.

Divide and team,

It divides the people, empire by being in the hand of wrong people, but some time unites in to a single kingdom.

I'm your enemy, and your friend,

It can be enemy in the sense, if it is in the hand of our enemy or being misused​ in killing people. Even it can kill us if misused. However, it can be a friend if we know its real purpose, i.e to eliminate the abominable.

I'm your beginning, and your end.

An empire starts on winning a battle with the sword-> beginning. It ends the other empire-> the END

On the hints.
Made my nature abused by men

Whatever is required to make it is present in the nature. Abused in the sense of lust for power and extending there empire by humans.

Made in peace but used in war

It is made in peace for the safety of kingdom, but used in war for protection of the kingdom from the enemies.

Now used as a showcase

Not very difficult, we have them in the museums. Famous swords of the histories.

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Perhaps you are a

CELL.

Explanation so far:

I pinch and bite

Pinch may refer to the process of cellular cleavage. Some cells are called bite cells.

For dark and light,

Some cells are called dark cells, in contrast to light cells. Light may also be a reference to white blood cells.

I rust and gleam,

Rust may refer to the process of cell death. Skin cells die after a few weeks; colon cells after a few days. Gleam may refer to the fact that many cells live only momentarily.

Divide and team,

Cells divide (mitosis) and teem (there are many of them) [this assumes a misspelling of teem]. Or perhaps they team in that they work together.

I'm your enemy, and your friend,

Cells can be your enemy (for example, cancer cells), but they are your friend in that they constitute you.

I'm your beginning, and your end.

You begin as a cell (a zygote). Regarding the end, a coffin is kind of like a cell, as is a mausoleum space.

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  • $\begingroup$ No, nice try, and a good guess, but that's not it. $\endgroup$
    – Cody Vogt
    Commented May 2, 2017 at 19:08
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I think this is

Air

Reason:
I pinch and bite

Air pinches us by touching and bite us when is winter(goosebumps)

For dark and light,

It doesn't matter if it's day or night.

I rust and gleam,

Rusting occurs due to air and moisture, it gleams for the sailor whose ship is stuck in the ocean but now floats smoothly :)

Divide and team,

It divides while flowing through the forest(between the trees), after that form a single wind, when it comes out

I'm your enemy, and your friend,

It can be enemy in the sense of tornado or cyclone. It is air, so obviously our friend.

I'm your beginning, and your end.

It starts from the breath and it ends with that

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I think it may be

Electricity

Explanation:

I pinch and bite

Apparently Pinches occur naturally with lightning bolts and other forms of electricity. And according to this website electric shocks are used to treat venomous bites

For dark and light,

Lightswitches are very useful. They can make our home dark (off) or light (on).

I rust and gleam,

Rust can be removed with electricity to make your metal objects gleam!

Divide and team,

Electrical circuits can split and then join together. Lightning can divide also, striking 2 or more positions on the ground.

I'm your enemy, and your friend,

Electricity is dangerous but so many wonderful things have been made possible because of it.

I'm your beginning, and your end.

Lightswitch ON and lightswitch OFF!

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Longshot:

Salt

I pinch and bite

Pinch of salt, Salt in a wound hurts/bites

For dark and light,

You can get "black salt" and "white salt"

I rust and gleam,

Salt water causes rust but some salts can gleam in the light

Divide and team,

Salt is a catalyst and can unpair or pair substances?

I'm your enemy, and your friend,

Need it to live but too much will kill you

I'm your beginning, and your end.

You can't live without it and when you die, your body - including any salts - breaks down

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Perhaps you are

the cold (or snow)?

I pinch and bite

The cold hurts and can give frostbite.

For dark and light,

Whether it is night or day

I rust and gleam,

The water from snow can rust metal or wash things clean

Divide and team,

Bit of a stretch: the water can create rivers which split rock, or join other streams in a lake?

I'm your enemy, and your friend,

No-one likes the cold, but sometimes skiing and other sports are fun

I'm your beginning, and your end.

No idea.

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  • $\begingroup$ No, but I did like your reasoning for the divide and team part. $\endgroup$
    – Cody Vogt
    Commented May 2, 2017 at 19:24
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Are you a...

Dream?

I pinch and bite

- People ask to pinch them if they are dreaming.
- 'bite' suggests a dream of 'being bitten', which means: "To dream that you are being bitten symbolizes a situation that has been frustrating you."

For dark and light,

Normally you dream at night (when it's dark), but when you lack of coffee you will daydream (when it's light).

I rust and gleam,

You will be forgotten (rust, fade away) as time goes by. You can completely forget dreams just minutes after. Also, 'gleam' can be interpreted as 'shine'. When having a bad dream. you are sweating, so you definitely will be 'shining'. Oh, and 'Gleam Dream' is a kind of make up.

Divide and team,

- Dreams Divide is a band
- What about 'Dream Team'?

I'm your enemy, and your friend, I'm your beginning, and your end.

You are a nightmare!

Title may suggest:

Lucid dreaming. This takes a lot of trying to be able to.

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  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Not the answer I'm looking for, but a really good one, nonetheless. $\endgroup$
    – Cody Vogt
    Commented May 4, 2017 at 13:00
  • $\begingroup$ @CodyVogt Thanks. Tough riddle it is, good job. ;) $\endgroup$
    – Mike Limburg
    Commented May 4, 2017 at 13:31
  • $\begingroup$ No problem. This riddle came to me out of nowhere. $\endgroup$
    – Cody Vogt
    Commented May 4, 2017 at 13:33
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I feel it could be

Flowers

I pinch and bite

The flower's thorns can pinch and its bugs can bite

For dark and light

Some flowers shine in dark, some in light

I rust and gleam

Flowers gleam and do rust

Divide and team

Flowers can team up with other flowers to make a bouquet or plants. A row of flowers/plants is often used in dividing paths/ roads/physical areas :)

I'm your enemy, and your friend

Different types of flowers are exchanged signifying friendship,hate,love etc.

I'm your beginning, and your end

Flowers are used in the beginning of life(new born occasions, marraige) as well as in the end(death - in funerals)

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I think you might be

Life (SOUL)

I pinch and bite

It will give you harsh-times depends on situation

For dark and light,

Never leave you if it's day or night

I rust and gleam,

It shine brightly when we do something right and same way it make is down.

Divide and team,

Inner soul helps us to maintain relation with people and make split.

I'm your enemy, and your friend,

Internal mind make good and bad for us depends on time.

I'm your beginning, and your end.

I can be starts from our birth and stay with till die.

Note: This is just an opinion, which must be true in my point of view.

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  • 1
    $\begingroup$ If you think this is the correct answer, please explain why. Ideally, use a format similar to Beastly Gerbil's in another answer to this puzzle -- indicating for each line, inside a spoiler-block, why you think your answer fits that line. Answers without explanations tend to get downvoted and/or deleted around here... $\endgroup$
    – Gareth McCaughan ♦
    Commented May 2, 2017 at 21:12
  • $\begingroup$ Yeah I can give my explanation why it's correct. But I'm unable to set Spoiler-blocks $\endgroup$
    – CR241
    Commented May 2, 2017 at 21:27
  • $\begingroup$ type in >! in front of the lines you would like to add spoiler tags to $\endgroup$
    – indubitablee
    Commented May 2, 2017 at 21:28
  • $\begingroup$ No, not the answer I'm looking for. $\endgroup$
    – Cody Vogt
    Commented May 3, 2017 at 14:31
  • $\begingroup$ @CodyVogt Obviously, everyone thinks different.. I wish I could try to match the answer what are you looking 😊 $\endgroup$
    – CR241
    Commented May 3, 2017 at 15:51
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Let's try it again...

Are you:

Alcohol?

I pinch and bite

Alcohol makes you violent.

For dark and light,

There are a lot of alcoholic drinks, light ones and very 'dark'.

I rust and gleam,

Carbonation in alcohol drinks prevent 'rusting' and gleam might be a synonym of 'sparkle'/'shine'. I must say, some bottles are very 'shiny'.

Divide and team,

Your body will divide alcohol in your blood. And, of course, team up as you drink more.

I'm your enemy, and your friend,

Well, you can pass out as you drink too much, but alcohol can make you very funny towards sober people.

I'm your beginning, and your end.

Being an alcoholic can eventually kill you.

Your hint:

It is made by nature, but abused by man.

Perfectly fits this answer.

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Second guess as it might be

Oxygen

I pinch and bite

No idea

For dark and light,

The sun contains lots of oxygen and I dont know any good explaination for dark.

I rust and gleam,

Oxygen is part of the process of rusting and oxygen is used in many processes to create things that gleam, for example steel. It's also found in the oceans and atmosphere that gleam

Divide and team,

photosynthesis

I'm your enemy, and your friend,

Pretty self-explainatory

I'm your beginning, and your end.

With it we live and without it we don't

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    $\begingroup$ Sun contains lots of oxygen? I thought Hydrogen $\endgroup$
    – L.K.
    Commented May 9, 2017 at 17:28
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Let's give it a try:

Ozone

I pinch and bite

Ozone is irritant, toxic and corrosive

For dark and light,

Ozone's color ranges from pale blue to dark blue

I rust and gleam,

Ozone is "part" of rust (literally), not sure about gleam though

Divide and team,

Ozone, can "divide" into Oxygen or "team" with other elements, e.g. metals

I'm your enemy, and your friend,

Low level ozone is a pollutant. However, high level ozone is the one that filters sunlight wavelengths that can damage our DNA.

I'm your beginning, and your end.

Life on earth couldn't exist without the ozone layer. No clue why it is our end (unless from the fact that it can kill us!) :/

Bonus: It is made by nature, but abused by man

Ozone air pollution

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I'm not sure too, but I think it's

Water

I pinch and bite

The water can hurts and can give frostbite. @Beastly Gerbil answer

For dark and light

water will be dark at night(or without light) and be light when u give light into that water.

I rust and gleam

it can cleaning (gleam) or can make steel rusty

Divide and team

you can divide water or join them

I'm your enemy, and your friend

water often become our friend, we need water, but if to much(flood), water can be your enemy

I'm your beginning, and your end

2 Peter 3:5, “For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water,” which he interprets to mean that God created the world from water (beginning) and in fact Our Earth’s surface is covered by over 70% of water so without water it means apocalypse (End)

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  • $\begingroup$ "Because, one day we will all be with you in the black and deep. One day we will all go into the water" - Nathan Explosion $\endgroup$
    – miva2
    Commented May 9, 2017 at 11:55
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I'm just gonna go with

Zipper

I pinch and bite

That's how zippers work.

For dark and light,

Dark=closed, light=open

I rust and gleam,

They rust and gleam depending on their condition

Divide and team,

That's how zippers work!

I'm your enemy, and your friend,

When they're down they can be embarrassing, they can also bite you. When they work properly they make a difficult union of materials simple and easy.

I'm your beginning, and your end.

Yes you are zipper. Yes you are... for like a sleeping bag or tent the zipper goes from one end to the other.

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Are you a

Map

Deduced from hints. Not sure what gleam, rust means etc.

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I'm not too sure about this one but I will write it to rule it out

Time

I pinch and bite

Perhaps because over time things can decay

For dark and light,

Depending on the time of day it's either dark or light outside

I rust and gleam,

Over time things can rust or become shiny

Divide and team,

Could be that over time new people meet and some divide because they die

I'm your enemy, and your friend,

Pretty selfexplanatory

I'm your beginning, and your end.

You only live for a limited time

But I feel like the word is "too broad" and is mostly just to rule it out

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  • $\begingroup$ No, that's not the answer, but good try. $\endgroup$
    – Cody Vogt
    Commented May 4, 2017 at 13:00
  • $\begingroup$ Thank you for trying to rule answers out, hoping they might be right though. Really good guess. $\endgroup$
    – Cody Vogt
    Commented May 4, 2017 at 13:42
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Perhaps you are a

MOUTH.

Explanation so far:

I pinch and bite

Says hurtful words and bites.

For dark and light,

Unsure...

I rust and gleam,

Discourages and Encourages

Divide and team,

Divides groups, but also adds cooperation.

I'm your enemy, and your friend,

Says things you regret, but also things you don't.

I'm your beginning, and your end.

Your mouth gets to the beginning of a position for example and it's normally the end of it too.

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I think it is

situation

I pinch and bite

I am in the pinch(In an emergency situation)
This bites

For dark and light,

dark : difficult situation
light : easy situation

I rust and gleam,
Divide and team,
I'm your enemy, and your friend,
I'm your beginning, and your end.

I am working on this explanation (I dont know how to put what i think in words)

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I think that this is:

Death

I pinch and bite

For dark and light

death comes to every body

I rust and gleam,

Divide and team,

Death divides people, and in war situation it gather them into teams or sides

I'm your enemy, and your friend,

Death can be your enemy, but it can be also your friend if your true enemy is dead

I'm your beginning, and your end.

there is a phrase that says: "death is only the beginning", on the other hand death is the end of your life

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