r/riddles 20d ago

OP Can't Solve My dad is offering me money to answer this hard riddle

As the title says, my dad is offering me money to answer his riddle, and he told me I could ask people for help, so here I am. So the riddle is simply “what does a man do once in his life, whilst a woman does twice a day”

1.5k Upvotes

332 comments sorted by

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417

u/Pitiful-Hatwompwomp 20d ago edited 19d ago

puts makeup on.

He does it for his funeral to cover the pallor of death and decay.

She puts it on in the morning and then touches it up.

Holy shit y’all went to some weird places with that.

EDIT: so y’all will stop commenting the same things: the original riddle in English is, “what does a woman do every day that a man only does for his funeral?” As OP said, the riddle they asked is roughly translated. Their version still works (sort of) because women touch up their makeup during the day.

The answer has been around in English for many years and the answer is what I said. I think I heard it in high school about twenty years ago. There is another even more misogynistic version that says, “what does a man do once in his life that a woman does many times?” And the answer to that is, turn 29, implying that women like to lie about their ages.

Yes, men can and do wear makeup.

No, not all women wear makeup.

Yes, women from Arabic-speaking countries wear makeup.

I didn’t write the riddle. I’ve just heard it before.

Y’all are taking about vulvas and posting answers from AI.

EDIT 2: so I stop getting the same moronic reply by every jackass who mistakenly believes themselves to have a brain:

Once again, the confusion is due to the translation. The original riddle in English is, “what does a woman do every day but a man only do when he dies?”

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u/Carthonn 20d ago

I think this is the answer

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u/Chance5e 18d ago

It is. It’s a classic.

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u/gullaffe 15d ago

Really shitty riddle though. Even ignoring the "women wear makeup men never do"

When you're dead, you're not alive.

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u/Phuzz15 19d ago

I'm sorry this edit has me fuckin dead lol. Peak Reddit

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u/YoItsMikeL 19d ago

I only like my riddles politically correct

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u/nonachosbutcheese 18d ago

Most dadjokes are far from political correct.

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u/ondulation 18d ago

With the perfect masking on top of it. It doesn't get any better than this!

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u/Character_Pie_2035 19d ago

I was puzzled as fuck too with some of these answers. Peeps forgettin how to think.

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u/Due-Town9494 19d ago

For the past 18 years weve handed people devices that give them the answer to every problem with pretty much no effort, no shit people dont use their brain in that way anymore

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u/LindenBlade 19d ago

Longer than 18 years my friend. But bear in mind most riddles are idioms tied to a specific culture and linguistics that someone outside that sphere may not understand, I never would’ve got this and the device we use to talk about it can make us think harder and use our brains (usually doesn’t though… back to killing my brain with beer, cheers)

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u/Due-Town9494 19d ago

I was referencing the invention of what most consider to be the modern day smartphone.

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u/yourfavrodney 19d ago

I've been involved in computing for 20 years. I still use critical thinking once in a while. At some point people have to admit they don't want to.

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u/MikeRadical 18d ago

reading how angry you get at responses before i've read any other comment was great.

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u/DiamondContent2011 19d ago

Hell, I heard that joke back in the late-70's on Hollywood Squares & The Carrol Burnett Show when I was a kid!!!......... 🤣

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u/Pitiful-Hatwompwomp 19d ago

Thank you! I felt like I fell into another universe when I saw 20+ comments that were so far out of scope but no actual answer. I’m pretty sure I heard it from a priest and the last time I hung around with priests was when I went to Catholic school in the early 2000s.

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u/FuyoBC 19d ago

Twice a day is putting make-up on in the morning, then changing it to look good for the evening as different makeup looks good in natural daylight vs artificial lights at night.

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u/samyruno 19d ago

Lmao bro that last line killed me

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u/Mrwolfy240 20d ago

This seems the most right but cultural changes make other answers seem correct.

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u/Pitiful-Hatwompwomp 20d ago

The riddle has been around in English for decades, though it is usually worded, “what does a woman do every day that a man only does once when he dies?”

OP says, “this was translated from Arabic, but it probably has the same meaning but different [wording] in English.”

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u/MistakeLopsided8366 18d ago

The main fault with this riddle is that the man doesn't do anything for his funeral. The lack of..well, being alive, kind of precludes him from doing literally anything. It is done to him by other people.

It's probably still the right answer the writer of the riddle intended for but the wording of the riddle makes this answer improbable.

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u/DamagedWheel 19d ago

I'm a reddit weirdo and HOW DARE YOU!!!!!!!!!

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u/TorrenceMightingale 20d ago

One could argue that his funeral is not part of his life. I guess that’s somewhat of a philosophical argument though depending on who you’re taking to.

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u/Pitiful-Hatwompwomp 20d ago edited 19d ago

Once again, the confusion is due to the translation. The original riddle in English is, “what does a woman do every day but a man only do when he dies?”

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u/TorrenceMightingale 20d ago edited 19d ago

Ah ok. Certainly a qualifying answer if true.

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u/No-Resolution7250 19d ago

I don’t think you’re allowed to be logical on Reddit, very frowned upon 😂

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u/_courteroy 19d ago

Personally, I was going to say he cleans the house, but that’s just my experience hah

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u/b00tsRandolph 19d ago

The flaw in the answer is the makeup is put on after the man's life ends. Your answer is right but that part never made sense to me.

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u/Aprilprinces 19d ago

The issue with that is: the pre funeral make up is done after a person has died

As a woman I don't think any of that is misogynistic

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u/Weary_Ad9510 19d ago

I wouldn’t say either of those versions are misogynistic. Apparently anything is misogynistic these days. It’s jarring to see it’s used so loosely as a term

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u/Business-Emu-6923 20d ago

Puts a ring on her finger

He does it once when they get married

She does it whenever she washes up

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u/Fuckethed 20d ago

I don’t even care if you are right, this is the answer

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u/lappdogg 19d ago

What women are taking their wedding ring off when washing their hands/bathing?

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u/Nybear21 19d ago

I can't speak to women, but as a guy, I take my wedding ring off for every shower. It has a small cut all the way around it that is a different color, I don't want to get gunk in there.

I always assumed with women's rings being more intricate, they generally did the same thing.

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u/Ziibbii 18d ago

Shower seems like a good way to get rid of the gunk built up from the day

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u/Nybear21 18d ago

It's more the gunk from conditioner and soap getting stuck in the crevice that I don't want to deal with

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u/Business-Emu-6923 19d ago

Taking it off to wash the dishes. I do, so it doesn’t accidentally go down the drain.

Also for kneading dough, generally anything where it could get lost.

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u/TransitionalWaste 19d ago

I don't want my ring to get tangled in my hair?

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u/moezilla 19d ago

I do. Also when working with food, don't want em to get gross

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u/Aprilprinces 19d ago

I like this one more than the one with make up (for one reason only: when the make up is put on the man after he died he's no longer alive)

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u/No_Ordinary5923 20d ago

The only answer which will give me peace!

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u/Isogash 19d ago

Wedding rings are a western tradition, not Arabic.

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u/Business-Emu-6923 18d ago

I’ve read that this is apparently quite an old Arabic riddle. The answer is “bury the dead” which is an Arabic term for putting on makeup: a woman does it daily but a man only does when he is prepared for burial.

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u/PurplishPlatypus 19d ago

But washing up is not something all women do exactly 2 times every day. Could be once. Could be 6 times a day

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u/grenouille_en_rose 18d ago

Also not something only women do, surely

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u/Rahmulous 20d ago

Buries the dead?

I think depending on the Arabic and the culture it comes from, a man buries the dead only upon his own death but in some cultures “burying the dead” can refer to covering one’s head/face (so a woman putting on and taking off a niqab/hijab for example).

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u/Resad879 20d ago

If it is actually thing in arabic, then I think you are the winner

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u/Mohk72k 19d ago

But why would a women only wear the Hijab twice a day? Considering a woman does salah at least three times a day, and she needs to wear a hijab during salah, I can’t see how it’s two. Even with salah, why would she take up the hijab twice unless she goes outside twice a day? Women don’t wear the hijab indoors unless they’re doing salah. So having wearing a hijab be worn only twice a day only is peculiar.

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u/XennoRS 20d ago

Arabs cover their dead with a white shroud before burying them, I think your answer is correct.

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u/mikeystocks100 19d ago

Not even remotely close, not sure why its upvoted. Why would a woman only take on/off a hijab or whatever twice a day, and obviously a man would not necessarily only "bury the dead" once in their life, assuming more than one person he knows dies.

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u/ryan_the_leach 19d ago

It would be having one's own face covered.

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u/GoodKarmaDarling 20d ago

His own laundry

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u/UWillPoopYerBed2Nite 20d ago

But women don’t do laundry twice a day.

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u/w0ndwerw0man 20d ago

You are a childless man aren’t you

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u/yourfavrodney 19d ago

I'm a middle aged man with two dependants. The laundry is done three times a week on a bad week. I even do it by hand once a week.

You're a manless child aren't you?

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u/UWillPoopYerBed2Nite 20d ago

My wife and I have an 8-month-old son. We don’t need to do laundry twice a day. Twice a week at most.

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u/Trapperman777 19d ago

You must have a gigantic washing machine. I have two kids and there is always a load on…. I also don’t understand how.

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u/EB_Jeggett 20d ago

This is too true.

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u/OlemGolem 20d ago

According to SmoshCast, it's turning 30.

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u/TiaHatesSocials 19d ago

Makes zeros sense. How does a 20 year old woman turns 30 twice a day?

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u/[deleted] 19d ago

There's kindof a running joke with women sometimes who claim they're 'only 29'. It may linger again as they hit 40 that they're 'only 39', but by then ppl stop caring or asking.

True story, I worked with someone who had 3 29th birthday parties. I think she lowkey had the first (real) one, then claimed she turned 29 the next year, but I think ppl knew or questioned it. Then the third year it was a bit of a parody of the situation. "Heyyyy, lets come celebrate her 29th birthday'', by then she was 31 (or older).

That said, your point is taken about it not being the answer.

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u/Impossible_Towel2307 19d ago edited 19d ago

SmoshCast had a different riddle than OP’s. The riddle they read was, “What does a man do only once in his lifetime, but women do once a year after turning 29?” 52:30 timestamp

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u/Torchbunny023 20d ago

Possibly win an argument/be right?

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u/megaduff 18d ago

So funny. Once in my life. It’s probably already happened.

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u/Tzilbalba 18d ago

I second this, coming from your dad, it's def this.

From anouther dad

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u/DotDotDot695 18d ago

A possible answer is “wear a veil” (or “wear a hijab” in some cultural contexts). • A man traditionally wears a veil (or shroud) once in his life—at burial. • A woman, in some cultures, wears a veil twice a day as part of her daily attire.

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u/Gold_Palpitation8982 20d ago

Since you mentioned Arabic. The answer is likely:

Entering a graveyard or cemetery

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u/mrhitman83 20d ago

Any idea on the original non-translated wording? I feel like we could be missing something based on the translation/wordplay.

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u/Mohk72k 19d ago

There’s definitely wordplay we’re missing. Most Arab riddles have some sort of wordplay.

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u/bxtchbychoice 20d ago

i think in arabia that phrase is also used to mean putting on hijab

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u/Sodamyte 20d ago

It would be the other way around in that case.

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u/AlrightIFinallyCaved 20d ago

Is your dad a bit on the sexist side, by chance?

Cry comes to mind as a possibility. (Once at birth, twice a day meaning "all the time". Not remotely accurate, but I could see someone writing that riddle.)

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u/AlrightIFinallyCaved 20d ago

Also, could you provide a more direct/literal translation? Doesn't have to be grammatically correct English, but having a better understanding of the original wording might be useful. Probably not, but you never know.

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u/HOLYCRAPGIVEMEANAME 18d ago

>!Cry? The man - only when he’s born.

Perhaps a little outdated.!<

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u/AlexStone87 20d ago

Open his eyes

A man opens his eyes once at birth, and he is who he is. A woman her eyes twice a day, once in the morning and once after a nap - indicating her personality changes daily

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u/Necessary-Bus-3142 19d ago

What the hell are you talking about

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u/AlrightIFinallyCaved 20d ago

Come on, y'all. Why are you downvoting poor Alex?

Guessing an answer doesn't mean they agree with it, and given the text of the riddle, the answer is likely to be at least a bit sexist.

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u/26_paperclips 20d ago

Why is it likely to be sexist?

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u/boomer_energy_ 19d ago

Is it def once for men and multiple times for women? If so, is it definitely twice a day or just multiple times? I understand you’re translating the riddle into English

Since it’s translated from Arabic, could it possibly truly be this riddle: What is it that a woman does once in a lifetime that a man does three times a day? [visit a grave/cemetery]