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Logic riddles
What gets sharper the more you use it?
A tool riddle that behaves backwards. Knives and pencils dull with use, so the answer has to be something that improves the more it works.
What gets sharper the more you use it?
Hint: Puzzles help.
Reveal the answer
Your brain
Using your mind keeps it sharp.
How to solve it (spoilers)
How to think about it
- Physical blades get duller with use, so the riddle is not about a real edge.
- Think of “sharp” in the sense of quick and clever: a sharp mind, a sharp wit.
- What becomes quicker and clearer with practice?
- Your brain gets sharper the more you use it, which is a good argument for puzzles.
Why “your brain” is the answer
A mind that is exercised with reading, problems and puzzles stays quick, and we call that quality sharpness. Unlike a knife, the brain is not worn down by use; it gets better. The riddle moves the word “sharp” from the kitchen drawer to the head.
Common wrong answers
- A knife. A knife gets duller with use and needs sharpening, which is the reverse of the riddle.
- A pencil. A pencil wears down to a blunt point as you write.
Related riddles
- What belongs to you, but other people use it more than you do?
- What has to be broken before you can use it?
- What is black when you buy it, red when you use it and gray when you throw it away?
- What do you throw out when you want to use it and take in when you are done?
- The more you take, the more you leave behind. What are they?
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