Three brothers share a family sport: A non-stop marathon The oldest one is fat and short And trudges slowly on The middle brother's tall and slim And keeps a steady pace The youngest runs just like the wind, a speeding through the race "He's young in years, we let him run," the other brothers say "'Cause though he's surely number one, he's second, in a way."

Why this works

This riddle cleverly uses personification to describe the hands of a clock as "brothers" engaged in a "family sport." The oldest brother, the hour hand, is depicted as fat and short because it moves slowly and takes the longest to complete a cycle. The middle brother, the minute hand, is tall and slim, reflecting its longer length and steady pace as it ticks away minutes. The youngest brother, the second hand, is fast and quick, representing how it sweeps around the clock face rapidly. The twist comes from the line "he’s second, in a way," indicating that while the second hand is the youngest, it is also called the "second" hand, playing on both age and its position in the sequence of clock hands!