Alive without breath, As cold as death, Clad in mail never clinking, Never thirsty, ever drinking

Why this works

This riddle cleverly describes a fish through contrasting imagery and metaphors. "Alive without breath" refers to how fish are living creatures that extract oxygen from water rather than breathing air like humans do. "As cold as death" highlights their cold-blooded nature, as fish have a body temperature that matches their environment. The phrase "clad in mail never clinking" invokes the scales of a fish, which resemble armor but are silent, and "never thirsty, ever drinking" points to how fish absorb water through their gills and skin, needing no water in the traditional sense of drinking. Together, these lines paint a vivid picture of a fish’s unique characteristics.