hardwhat am-i

Illustration for riddle: Decapitate me and all becomes equal. Then truncate me and I become second. Cut me front and back and — Can you figure out this riddle?

Decapitate me and all becomes equal. Then truncate me and I become second. Cut me front and back and I become two less than I started. What am I?

The word Seven. seven even (equal) eve (2nd person, according to the Bible) v (Roman numeral five; two less than seven)

Why this works

This riddle cleverly plays with the word "seven" through a series of transformations. When you "decapitate" it, removing the 's' leaves you with "even," which means equal. Truncating "seven" by cutting off the last letter gives you "eve," referring to the second person in the Bible, often associated with the first woman, thus signifying 'second.' Finally, if you remove both the first and last letters of "seven," you are left with "v," which is the Roman numeral for five—two less than seven. Each step reveals a different layer to the word, showcasing its playful nature!

Common Wrong Answers

“Five”

Decapitating 'five' does not yield a word that means equal, nor does truncating it lead to a second meaning.

“Eight”

Decapitating 'eight' does not create a word that signifies equality, and truncating it does not produce a term associated with being second.

“Ten”

Cutting off the first letter of 'ten' does not result in a word related to equality, nor does it provide a meaning that fits the riddle's conditions.

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