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For some I bring the gift of life,
For others I bring death instead,
I've been known to mend relationships,
Or to tear them apart with gossip and innuendo,
Some think of me as a wild rockstar,
But I prefer to be a known as a simpleton,
I am often given, occasionally stolen, rarely sold, and never borrowed,

What am I?

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    $\begingroup$ While the obvious answer is the K word below, I should point out that rot13(Vttl Cbc) also fits every criterion perfectly too . $\endgroup$
    – Sentinel
    Oct 7, 2019 at 20:54

10 Answers 10

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The answer is

Kiss

For some I bring the gift of life

"Kiss of Life" is a term for mouth-to-mouth resuscitation

For others I bring death instead

"Kiss of Death" is a common phrase

I've been known to mend relationships

"Kiss and make up" means to mend a relationship

Or to tear them apart with gossip and innuendo

"Kiss and tell" is to leak gossip about a relationship

Some think of me as a wild rockstar

KISS the band

But I prefer to be a known as a simpleton,

KISS: Keep It Simple Stupid is a design principle

I am often given, occasionally stolen, rarely sold, and never borrowed,

You can give a kiss, steal a kiss, sell one at a kissing booth, but can't really borrow one.

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    $\begingroup$ I might have been first with this answer, but your explanation fits better. Should have known the one for the band and the one for keepink it simple though... $\endgroup$
    – Lidaranis
    Oct 7, 2019 at 16:50
  • $\begingroup$ Would lines 3&4 be rot13("znxr hc" naq "gryy")? $\endgroup$
    – Darrel Hoffman
    Oct 7, 2019 at 18:06
  • $\begingroup$ @DarrelHoffman Yes, correct for both. $\endgroup$
    – JS1
    Oct 7, 2019 at 18:10
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    $\begingroup$ "rarely sold" Certain kinds of people, who sell all sorts of related things, are reported not to do this. $\endgroup$
    – DJClayworth
    Oct 7, 2019 at 19:25
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    $\begingroup$ Fixed lines 3 and 4, good call $\endgroup$
    – Cain
    Oct 8, 2019 at 15:08
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I think the answer might be

Heart

For some I bring the gift of life,

The heart is the organ which pumps blood through the circulatory system, essential to life

For others I bring death instead,

A heart attack is a serious medical emergency which can bring death

I've been known to mend relationships,

A heart-to-heart is a candid and intimate conversation, often used to mend relationships

Or to tear them apart with gossip and innuendo,

To pour your heart out means to share one's deepest thoughts, or secrets, especially in a profuse or sudden manner.

Some think of me as a wild rockstar,

If your heart skips a beat it means you feel a flutter in your chest.

But I prefer to be a known as a simpleton,

Be still my beating heart - an exclamation that something is too exciting or overwhelming for one to bear. Also, it is ideal for your heart to beat with a regular rhythm.

I am often given,

To give your heart to someone means that you love them.

occasionally stolen,

To steal someone's heart means to instil in one a deep affection or love in them.

rarely sold,

Hearts can literally be sold although this is rare.

and never borrowed,

A heart cannot be borrowed.

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    $\begingroup$ [citation needed] on the last quote. Otherwise good job, +1'd. I'm waiting to see where the green checkmark will go. $\endgroup$
    – Mindwin Remember Monica
    Oct 7, 2019 at 18:16
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I'm going to go with the more poetic side of things. Is it a

Kiss?

[Edit] There is a reason for the first line in my answer but due to popular request, I'll explain the reasoning behind my answer.

For some I bring the gift of life,

You can see it as the first step of a relation that leads to children or the sleeping beauty being awoken by the kiss of the prince.

For others I bring death instead,

The "kiss of death" or "Juda's kiss" signifying betrayal and for mafia for example, marking someone for death.

I've been known to mend relationships, Or to tear them apart with gossip and innuendo,

A kiss at the right time can fix things in a relation and kissing someone else can ruin a relationship. Especially if seen by someone.. gossip and innuendo will follow.

Some think of me as a wild rockstar, But I prefer to be a known as a simpleton,

This is stretching it a bit. Some see the first kiss as something special.. others just as a simple gesture.

I am often given, occasionally stolen, rarely sold, and never borrowed,

Giving a kiss is kind of self explanatory, stealing a kiss is sometimes used when one does not expect, selling.. I don't really want to go into details about this here. And borrowing.. didn't find a way of doing this.. Not in a decent way at least...

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    $\begingroup$ You should provide a reasoning why you think your answer is correct or you risk that your answer will be deleted. As a good example look at hexominos answer. $\endgroup$
    – Bananenkopp
    Oct 7, 2019 at 14:48
  • $\begingroup$ I think this is right. I can see obvious interpretations for lines 1,2,3,5,7. But I'll let you edit your answer to explain your reasoning. $\endgroup$
    – DJClayworth
    Oct 7, 2019 at 15:45
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    $\begingroup$ @Mr Heelis, thanks for standing up for me but I don't think it was personal. I am new here but from what I can see, the explanation for the puzzles seems to be part of the rules. There is no need to heat things up :) $\endgroup$
    – Lidaranis
    Oct 7, 2019 at 16:26
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    $\begingroup$ Kiss is a well-known rock band $\endgroup$
    – Gregory Bush
    Oct 7, 2019 at 17:20
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    $\begingroup$ I know, but it didn't came to my mind when i wrote the answer. But @Cain was spot on with that one. $\endgroup$
    – Lidaranis
    Oct 7, 2019 at 17:23
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You are

Advice

For some I bring the gift of life

Good advice can save lives

For others I bring death instead,

Bad advice, or advice in a bad headspace, or advice about a palliative situation can lead to death

I've been known to mend relationships,

Indeed it has!

Or to tear them apart with gossip and innuendo,

Well meaning advice is often based on hearsay, or gossip or innuendo presented as advice, and can then be wildly wrong and harmful to marriages, and other relationships......

Some think of me as a wild rockstar,

There is a band called "The Advice".

But I prefer to be a known as a simpleton,

"A word of simple advice". Advice is often described with that exact word, as "simple".

I am often given, occasionally stolen, rarely sold, and never borrowed,

Advice is indeed given (almost always), at times stolen (used by an unintended person who has obtained or overheard the advice that was given), not often/rarely sold (its then professional advice which is quite a bit different from everyday advice. Everyday advice is given but very rarely sold), and of course, is never borrowed (as it can't be returned).

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  • $\begingroup$ Something similar could be said about knowledge, wisdom etc. (many possibilities in that area) $\endgroup$
    – Imago
    Oct 10, 2019 at 15:12
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I am guessing it must be:

Love

For some I bring the gift of life

Love is a true gift

For others I bring death instead

Those who died for love

I've been known to mend relationships

Feel and express unconditional Love

Or to tear them apart with gossip and innuendo

Toxic talks

Some think of me as a wild rockstar

Some are loud admirers of love

But I prefer to be a known as a simpleton,

Some are silent love birds

I am often given, occasionally stolen, rarely sold, and never borrowed,

Often given to others, some might steal your love mostly common nowadays, yes, selling your love for money, but cannot be borrowed in any circumstances.

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    $\begingroup$ You should provide a reasoning why you think your answer is correct or you risk that your answer will be deleted. As a good example look at hexominos answer. $\endgroup$
    – Bananenkopp
    Oct 7, 2019 at 14:48
  • $\begingroup$ Also your comment on "tear them.apart", seems to not be your answer but a different thing entirely. TT is nevertruly L or even part of L, is it?? $\endgroup$
    – Stilez
    Oct 7, 2019 at 22:15
  • $\begingroup$ @Stilez its part of the answer, i referred TT as in people who tend to do that to loved ones. Like negative vibes around which may lead to breakups and stuffs like that. $\endgroup$
    – ahmed
    Oct 8, 2019 at 7:27
  • $\begingroup$ Yeah. But * doing it to * loved ones doesn't mean it * is " that. Hence why I question marked that part of your answer. $\endgroup$
    – Stilez
    Oct 8, 2019 at 9:03
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You're a kiss!

For some I bring the gift of life,

A kiss can lead to procreation, which brings life to the conceived child

For others I bring death instead,

A kiss can transmit deadly diseases that could kill someone

I've been known to mend relationships,

A shared kiss can reignite passion and bring a couple back together

Or to tear them apart with gossip and innuendo,

but a kiss outside of a relationship, or too soon, can cause others to talk and ruin the relationship

Some think of me as a wild rockstar,

The band KISS, of course

But I prefer to be a known as a simpleton,

Keep It Simple Stupid

I am often given, occasionally stolen, rarely sold, and never borrowed,

Kisses are usually given or "stolen," and rarely sold as a form of prostitution. You can't borrow a kiss; that makes no sense in the English language.

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You are

an idea

For some I bring the gift of life,

an idea in emergencies could save lives

For others I bring death instead,

following a bad idea could be bad, really bad

I've been known to mend relationships,

idea for apology

Or to tear them apart with gossip and innuendo,

to plant an idea into ones mind ("Don't you think she looks tired")

Some think of me as a wild rockstar,

I have a great idea for an app, it'll make millions!

But I prefer to be a known as a simpleton,

simple ideas are often the most effective

I am often given, occasionally stolen, rarely sold, and never borrowed,

an idea is often given, most usually stolen (great artist), can't sell an idea and can't be borrowed, only stolen.

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As it probably just has the correct answer, I will post my own solution anyway for the concept of brainstorming.

What am I?

A star

For some I bring the gift of life,

In cosmology, a star at the last stage of its life, gives birth to a supernova.

For others I bring death instead,

If someone watched Star Wars, he probably knows what I keep in my mind.

I've been known to mend relationships, Or to tear them apart with gossip and innuendo,

If someone beliefs in astrology/occultism too much it can usually harm his/her relationships.

Some think of me as a wild rockstar,

Self explanatory in the word 'rockstar' itself

But I prefer to be a known as a simpleton,

Celestial bodies did not develop any brains (as far as we scientifically know)

I am often given, occasionally stolen, rarely sold, and never borrowed,

I mean social media/rating portals here in general.
-We can give stars to hotels/restaurants/artists/movies etc.
-Stealing stars can be done by plagiarism/posting duplicates
-By selling I mean using paid troll-farms.
-I have never heard of borrowing a star. (someone can say that about transferring famous sportsman to a different club but it is technically just selling)

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For some I bring the gift of life,

Heart pumps medically

For others I bring death instead,

Heart stops medically

I've been known to mend relationships,

Heart in the emotional sense. You have heart, you forgive someone

Or to tear them apart with gossip and innuendo,

Heart in the emotional sense. Your heart is broken by gossip and innuendo

Some think of me as a wild rockstar,

Emotional heart goes wild with infatuation

But I prefer to be a known as a simpleton,

People who are ruled by Heart (rather than Brain) are called simpleton

I am often given,

You give someone your Heart when your are in love with them

occasionally stolen,

Your Heart is stolen by someone, i.e. another way of falling in love with them

rarely sold,

Person can buy your Heart, i.e. Buy your love

and never borrowed,

How do you borrow a Heart?

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I'm thinking about

a password

I still owe you an explanation in a later edit.

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