# What do you throw out when you want to use it and take in when you are done?

Source: https://silverapuzzles.com/riddles/what-do-you-throw-out-when-you-want-to-use-it-and-take-in-when-you-are

A riddle about an object used backwards. Most things are taken out to use and put away afterward; this one is thrown away to work and brought back when the job ends.

**Answer:** An anchor.

An anchor is thrown overboard to hold a boat and pulled back in afterward.

Hint: Think of boats.

## How to think about it

1. “Throw out” here cannot mean putting in the trash, because you take the thing back later.
2. Think of situations where throwing something away from you is how you use it.
3. The hint mentions boats. What do sailors throw overboard on purpose and haul back up?
4. An anchor goes out to hold the boat and comes in when it is time to leave.

## Why “an anchor” is the answer

An anchor is thrown over the side to grip the seabed and keep the boat in place, then pulled back on board when the boat gets under way. The riddle uses “throw out” and “take in” in the sailor’s sense, not the household one. Fishing lines and nets follow a similar rhythm, but the anchor is the classic answer.

## Common wrong answers

- **A fishing line.** A line is cast out and reeled in, so it is a reasonable alternative; the usual answer is an anchor.
- **Garbage.** You throw garbage out when you are done with it, not when you want to use it.