12
$\begingroup$

My family and I love to be united in four or five

My name can be hard to pronounce, and I won't apologize

My brother's always crying, really pulling on the heart

And not many people can tell us two apart

Upon hearing my name, others shudder

I don't neck in the halls, unlike my brother (THIS LINE SHOULD BE DISREGARDED, I've made a mistake. The riddle is still solvable.)

I've always read differently than the rest of my family

And here's a hint: I've not got an E.

Who or what am I?

Hint 1)

When I'm with my family, we all work together.

Hint 2)

One might say I'm more just than the rest of my species.

Improve this question
$\endgroup$
4
  • 3
    $\begingroup$ Welcome to Puzzling SE! $\endgroup$
    – Prince North Læraðr
    Commented Jan 30, 2019 at 19:33
  • $\begingroup$ I can't decipher all of the clues yet, but it sounds a bit like something from ROT13(Gur Crevbqvp Gnoyr bs Ryrzragf) $\endgroup$
    – Cubemaster
    Commented Jan 30, 2019 at 19:47
  • $\begingroup$ perhaps it's something to do with rot13(zhfvp abgrf be fpnyrf)?? $\endgroup$
    – Elpharya
    Commented Jan 30, 2019 at 22:57
  • $\begingroup$ Never mind, I broke the code. I'll add some hints! $\endgroup$
    – user45266
    Commented Jan 31, 2019 at 5:19

4 Answers 4

Reset to default
5
$\begingroup$

It's a

Cello

My family and I love to be united in four or five

String quartet or quintet

My name can be hard to pronounce, and I won't apologize

Italian ch

My brother's always crying, really pulling on the heart

Violin or viola, having a mournful voice-like sound

And not many people can tell us two apart

Would make more sense for a violin and viola, unless the brother is a double/upright bass

Upon hearing my name, others shudder I don't neck in the halls, unlike my brother

(Not sure about these)

I've always read differently than the rest of my family

Not starting with viol-

And here's a hint: I've not got an E.

No E string, unlike e.g. a guitar

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
1
  • $\begingroup$ +1 You've essentially got it, congratulations! See my answer for detailed solution. $\endgroup$
    – user45266
    Commented Feb 1, 2019 at 2:54
3
$\begingroup$

A guess with a couple clues unaccounted for... Are you the

King of spades?

My family and I love to be united in four or five

Either in four of a kind (KKKK) or in royal straights (10,J,Q,K,A)

My name can be hard to pronounce, and I won't apologize

Unsure.

My brother's always crying, really pulling on the heart

Meaning the King of hearts, who appears to be pulling a sword through his head

And not many people can tell us two apart

All Kings are the same rank in most card games

Upon hearing my name, others shudder

In Poker, a King beats anything but an Ace

I don't neck in the halls, unlike my brother

Unsure

I've always read differently than the rest of my family

The King of spades faces right, while all the others face left

And here's a hint: I've not got an E.

In narrowing down the potential face cards 'King' has no E, but 'Queen' does

Title:

Cards are very familiar, and the answer is part of the royal Family

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
3
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ But the "King of Spades", as you answered, does have an E $\endgroup$
    – Cubemaster
    Commented Jan 30, 2019 at 19:43
  • $\begingroup$ Actually, it does have an E: "king of spadEs" $\endgroup$
    – 3D1T0R
    Commented Jan 31, 2019 at 0:43
  • $\begingroup$ Very creative! +1, but this is not the correct answer. Keep guessing! $\endgroup$
    – user45266
    Commented Jan 31, 2019 at 4:01
0
$\begingroup$

It's a partial answer still, but are you

Aluminium?

My family and I love to be united in four or five

Aluminium has 3 valence electrons, so it can form a bond with 4 atoms in it

My name can be hard to pronounce, and I won't apologize

People pronounce Aluminum differently, it is a controversial word

My brother's always crying, really pulling on the heart

Not sure, but I imagine that some neighboring element could hold the clue

And not many people can tell us two apart

Unsure

Upon hearing my name, others shudder

I am strictly against Aluminium. Whenever I see aluminium foil, I set it on fire

I don't neck in the halls, unlike my brother

Dunno

I've always read differently than the rest of my family

Aluminium is pronounced many odd ways.

And here's a hint: I've not got an E.

Aluminium has no E

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
2
  • $\begingroup$ for "not many people can tell us apart", maybe r13(gva nf nyhzvahz sbvy va puvarfr vf 錫紙, naq 錫 va snpg vf gva, fb znlor gva jvyy qb?) $\endgroup$
    – Omega Krypton
    Commented Jan 30, 2019 at 23:30
  • $\begingroup$ I do enjoy seeing such creative responses. However, this is not the correct answer. Keep guessing! $\endgroup$
    – user45266
    Commented Jan 31, 2019 at 4:02
0
$\begingroup$

INTENDED SOLUTION (SELF-ANSWER)

Tommy Jollyboat pretty much has it! The answer is: Viola

My family and I love to be united in four or five

As TJ guessed, this refers to string quartets and string quintets.

My name can be hard to pronounce, and I won't apologize

When people see the word viola, they often attempt to pronounce it similar to violin (it should rhyme with bee-oh-lah, not bye-oh-la)

My brother's always crying, really pulling on the heart

TJ got this one too; violin is often stereotyped as "sad" and "mournful"

And not many people can tell us two apart

Very few people can tell violas and violins apart, as TJ notes. Even I can't unless one is held next to the other!

Upon hearing my name, others shudder

Viola is often mocked as sounding ugly and nasty compared to violin (this is a major clue as to which string instrument it is)

I don't neck in the halls, unlike my brother

This refers to the chinrest on a violin, which can make it seem as though the violin is kissing the player's neck, and the "halls" are concert halls. I was under the mistaken impression that violas didn't use chinrests in the orchestra, so this clue is pretty much invalid.

I've always read differently than the rest of my family

Violas, of course, read alto clef, unlike violins, cellos, and double basses (this was the other big hint about which string instrument it was)

And here's a hint: I've not got an E.

No E-string on the viola.

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.