What can you keep after giving it to someone?

How to think about it

1. Think of things that are “given” in a figurative sense: a hand, a smile, a promise, your word.
2. Now ask which of those you are also said to “keep”.
3. You keep a promise by honoring it, and you keep your word by doing what you said.
4. Giving your word and keeping your word happen together, which is exactly what the riddle describes.

Why “your word” is the answer

When you give someone your word, you make a promise, and keeping your word means following through on it. So you give it and keep it at once, and the riddle is simply two idioms placed side by side. Promises work the same way, which is why both answers are accepted.

Common wrong answers

• A cold. You can give someone a cold and still have it, which is a joke answer; the riddle is about a promise.
• A gift. Once a gift is given, it belongs to the other person.