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What kind of coat is best put on wet?
A clothing riddle that is not about clothing. Putting on a wet coat sounds miserable, so the coat must be a different kind of coat.
What kind of coat is best put on wet?
Hint: Think brushes.
Reveal the answer
A coat of paint
Paint goes on wet and dries on the wall.
How to solve it (spoilers)
How to think about it
- No one wants a wet raincoat or overcoat, so “coat” is being used in another sense.
- Think of a coat you apply rather than wear: a coat of varnish, a coat of wax, a coat of paint.
- The hint says to think of brushes.
- A coat of paint goes on wet and dries in place.
Why “a coat of paint” is the answer
A coat of paint is applied while the paint is wet and then dries on the wall, so it is the one coat that is best put on wet. The riddle plays on the two meanings of “coat”: a garment and a layer of material. Varnish and primer work the same way, but paint is the classic version.
Common wrong answers
- A raincoat. A raincoat gets wet while you wear it, but you do not want to put it on already wet.
- A wetsuit. A wetsuit works wet, but it is a suit, not a coat, and the brush hint points to paint.
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