10
$\begingroup$

Another Riley riddle for you, but with a slight twist!

Take two from my prefix, a large plot of land it is
Take five from my infix, it becomes hers or his
Take two from my suffix, there's no better can you do
Take all together, it's something you must see to

Alas, the three smaller parts are missing two things
Prepend the first and third so meaning you might bring

Hint:

These 'fixes alone, they just make no sense
But still, the answer is not purely pretense
No matter how many we take, whether it be two or five
The last line tells us all need two more for meaning to arrive

Improve this question
$\endgroup$
4
  • $\begingroup$ I keep reading that title as "A demanding Ridley Riddle" lol $\endgroup$
    – dcfyj
    Feb 12, 2020 at 19:13
  • $\begingroup$ I've realized a frankly ridiculous mistake in my original puzzle that made it not a good puzzle at all. I've modified it so as to preserve the spirit of the puzzle -- the answer and method of solution are almost precisely the same. However, if folks think this should be closed I will certainly do so. I apologize if I've wasted your time. :( $\endgroup$
    – Tonkleton
    Feb 12, 2020 at 23:35
  • $\begingroup$ The puzzle says two, five, and two; the hint differs. Which is correct? $\endgroup$
    – mbingo
    Feb 13, 2020 at 0:04
  • $\begingroup$ Changed the hint to remove the ambiguity. $\endgroup$
    – Tonkleton
    Feb 13, 2020 at 18:31

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
9
$\begingroup$

The final couplet is telling us to...

... prepend AC to the specified 'fixes.

Accordingly,

"a large plot of land" is an ACRE
"it becomes hers or his" when they ACQUIRE it
"there's no better can you do" once you've ACED something

The answer, then...

... is REQUIRED, so you "must see to" it. 🙂

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
7
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ How about rot13(NPDHVER naq NPRQ sbe svany nafjre ERDHVERQ, juvpu eryngrf gb bgure yvarf naq gvgyr?) $\endgroup$
    – Stiv
    Feb 13, 2020 at 0:18
  • $\begingroup$ I think rot13(guvf qbhoyrf gur R; ER/DHVER/RQ), but yeah, it makes sense... $\endgroup$
    – mbingo
    Feb 13, 2020 at 0:25
  • $\begingroup$ Though I'd want something like rot13(ERDHVERZRAG, gb zngpu gur cneg bs fcrrpu vzcyvrq ol yvar 4). $\endgroup$
    – mbingo
    Feb 13, 2020 at 0:27
  • $\begingroup$ Never mind—rot13(ERDHVERQ jbhyq jbex... "fbzrguvat lbh zhfg frr gb" vf erdhverq). $\endgroup$
    – mbingo
    Feb 13, 2020 at 0:29
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ These kinds of riddles often have overlap between 'fixes - might be worth a shot? :) $\endgroup$
    – Stiv
    Feb 13, 2020 at 6:39

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

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