Brain Teasers
Guess this prefix...
Guess this prefix...
I change something weighing two thousand pounds into a small, light container.
I turn a food that is decaying into one that isn't.
I turn a whole country into a small flower.
I change something alive into something flat and not alive.
I change something weighing two thousand pounds into a small, light container.
I turn a food that is decaying into one that isn't.
I turn a whole country into a small flower.
I change something alive into something flat and not alive.
Hint
I am also a word that represents an object that is seen and used by people around the world every day.Answer
The prefix is "CAR-".I change something weighing two thousand pounds into a small, light container.
CARton
I turn a food that is decaying into one that isn't.
CARrot
I turn a whole country into a small flower.
CARnation
I change something alive into something flat and not alive.
CARpet
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Comments
nice one! couldn't get carpet tho
got them all except for the last one... its a good teaser, but can it really be called a prefix???
Not bad, I agree with dp. Maybe the title should read "prefix"
I liked that teaser. I got car right away, but car nation was really hard and didn't get carpet
Thanks!
Thanks!
Jan 05, 2008
I frankly thought this was real bad. Car is not a prefix. If I spend time trying to figure it out, I expect that the author did his homework.
Interesting concept here. I didn't get the answers though. I wasn't sure how it worked. Now that I know, maybe next time I'll get some.
Jodi is right. "Car-" is not a real prefix. Labeling it a prefix was misleading.
Bad,Bad, BAd. Need I say more.
I did not get this one at all.
I didn't get it at all either, but ti was fun!
I was thrown off by " prefix " as well, but still think this was a really cool teaser. A slight change in the title, and it will be a great teaser. Good job.
You just have to keep your mind open to all possibilities and see what you can come up with. I got "car" right away for the first one, then tried to find something else for the others; but CARrot came to me, so I just kept "car."
It was a little confusing; but it was also FUN.
It was a little confusing; but it was also FUN.
Nice teaser! Had fun this morning! Got carnation first, then carton...couldn't get the other two, but I had the answer you were looking for, so I quit thinking...I'm lazy....
Well, thanks for the teaser!
Well, thanks for the teaser!
ehh....car isn't really a prefix. okay i guess
Tough one. I loved it when I saw the answer, but am surprised anyone actually got the correct answers. Carpet is a stretch.... but then this is Braingle, not an Astrophysics or English Language grad school class. Lighten up, folks
I missed the heck out of this one. I need more coffee. I loved the teaser. It was well thought out and the answers made you go "duh".
Thanks for the post.
Monday~
Thanks for the post.
Monday~
My brain isn't working this morning. I need more coffee.
It was a great teaser and when I saw the answer I went "duh".
Thanks for posting.
Monday~
It was a great teaser and when I saw the answer I went "duh".
Thanks for posting.
Monday~
Got this one after the first line. It was a LITTLE misleading, but other than that, it was great! Well thought out, and well planned.
Good job.
Good job.
I liked it.
Now, I agree that "car" is not exactly a prefix, so perhaps the author should use "what three letters" instead of prefix.
Got car-nation, so the others were then pretty easy.
Now, I agree that "car" is not exactly a prefix, so perhaps the author should use "what three letters" instead of prefix.
Got car-nation, so the others were then pretty easy.
After thinking about this one for a minute, I referenced the dictionary, and I think perhaps we are being too quick to say that "car" is not a prefix.
My Websters says that a prefix is any series of letters used as an affix. The definition of affix does not list specific words, just says that an affix is any series of letters that change the meaning of the stem word.
Car is just not a common prefix.
Wow, too much thinking on a Saturday morning. I may have cabin fever!
My Websters says that a prefix is any series of letters used as an affix. The definition of affix does not list specific words, just says that an affix is any series of letters that change the meaning of the stem word.
Car is just not a common prefix.
Wow, too much thinking on a Saturday morning. I may have cabin fever!
Well, I had fun with it
Got the carrot thing and the
carpet. Not everyone uses a car tho.
I say it was a good effort Speedy
R U related to Mr. Gonzalez
Don't be so serious people.
Got the carrot thing and the
carpet. Not everyone uses a car tho.
I say it was a good effort Speedy
R U related to Mr. Gonzalez
Don't be so serious people.
I also agree car to me doesn't seem to be a prefix but too
tired to go into it.
Speedy tried & I thought the
rest of the puzzle was pretty good
Thanks Speedy!
tired to go into it.
Speedy tried & I thought the
rest of the puzzle was pretty good
Thanks Speedy!
Got carton right away. then carnation. carpetcame next, but just couldnt get carrot right away. then i did.
Great Teaser.(instead of a prefix it could'be been called 3 letter word) Eier way the teawser was great!.
Great Teaser.(instead of a prefix it could'be been called 3 letter word) Eier way the teawser was great!.
Didn't get it but I liked it. Extra points.
Got it from that 1st line, and I really liked it . Naming the puzzle "which three-letter word am I" would have made it clearer to all.THX
Great teaser but I couldn't get it!!!!
I have to agree that 'car' is not a prefix. It was a pretty good teaser besides tha though.
"Car" is not a prefix; a syllable in some words but definitely not a prefix. You need to say "Guess this syllable" instead.
I guessed it after the first line. Two-thousand pounds was too specific. Maybe if it has said something very heavy instead of the actual weight? The other clues made you think more, which made it better.
So far there have been 13 comments stating that "car" is not a prefix. How annoying! Don't you read the rest of the comments before making one? I am a teacher with a special interest in English, but I didn't let it bother me. I thought it was fun anyway.
Annoying? How about another poorly thought-out teaser where the actual answer isn't what it's supposed to be. "Car-" is not a prefix, it's just part of a word. That's like saying "-hicle" is a suffix of "vehicle". INcorrect. (Notice the actual prefix.)
I didn't say that "car" is a prefix. I just said what is the point of repeating that comment so many times? I think everyone got the idea after the first few comments. At first a correction like that may be just a constructive criticism, but after that--yes, annoying! Let's have more fun here!
I liked this...joining in the 'prefix' arguement, the word is derived from latin...prae(before) and figere(fasten) and so it is intrinsically a prefix because of the fact we are asked to fasten something to the front of an existing word...my problem is with the fact that a ton is 2240 pounds in England and the fact that a 'carrot' could still be decaying....it seemed to make people think, and discuss their ideas, so its a definate winner based purely on that aspect !
I've decided to steer clear of the great prefix debate. It was a fun puzzle (period).
Great teaser! I guess the title is a big joke (on the prefix part) XD, that messed me up.
Never mind the prefix argument, how can rot be a food? Food can rot, yes, but that doesn't make rot a food.
Never mind, I reread and realized I read it wrong.
I'm a little surprised the title and wording haven't been changed in all these years! However, since I saw the 3-letter answer right away in line 1 and used it again in the next 2, I ignored the mis-use of the title word and went along. Like many others, could not get carpet. If the instructions are modified to something like 'add a syllable', it would be a superb teaser!
Car is not a prefix. I didn't get any. My first thought was of car - ton but dismissed it as CAR is not a prefix.
No I didn't read the comments before posting. But if CAR is a prefix, what does it mean?
>My Websters says that a prefix is any series of letters used as an affix. The definition of affix does not list specific words, just says that an affix is any series of letters that change the meaning of the stem word.
Agreed. Unfortunately CAR does not meet this definition. CAR-TON. How is the meaning of TON changed by adding car to the front? It's not. It's creating a whole new word.
Sorry. I'll go away now.
Agreed. Unfortunately CAR does not meet this definition. CAR-TON. How is the meaning of TON changed by adding car to the front? It's not. It's creating a whole new word.
Sorry. I'll go away now.
No sense my voicing my opinion as it has mostly been said before, and I did not care for the quiz anyway.
I don't think of car as a prefix either. I'll have to get out my old grammar book!
Insofar as it is true, for the sake of this little puzzle, that "car" can be affixed to the beginnings of the words "ton," "rot," "nation" and "pet" and that so affixing it changes the meanings of those words, then "car" rather precisely fulfills the dictionary definition requirements to be considered a prefix. To claim otherwise begins to sound like the kind of quibbling to be expected from those who were unable to solve the puzzle.
I agree w/most people. Bad teaser
Knowing what 2,000 lbs = helped. I didn't get carrot. I was thinking what is the opposite of decay.
2/2 I got the first and third ones pretty fast
People 'pre' means comes before. Quit over analyzing. * sheesh *
Is the prefix issue a huge deal? No. But it is an issue. It could be a lot better by simply calling it "the same string of letters appended to the beginning of each word." Because by the common definition of the word "prefix," it is not at all a prefix.
Good grief! Even the hint didn't help me.
Wow, I just saw my 2014 comment. I guess I'll have to blame my ignorance on "loss of brain cells to older age".
I thought it was fun.
I got them all but it took awhile; thank you for posting this fun and entertaining teaser.
I had trouble with this one. Maybe I skipped through the instructions too quickly. I liked the teaser though and will try harder next time. Thanks for posting!
Loved this one! Got the prefix from the first clue, then used it to figure out the 2nd and 3rd clue. I also could not figure out the last clue. Great teaster!
Got first got 1st 3rd amd 4th right away. Couldn't think of carrot. oops!
Still, fun teaser.
Still, fun teaser.
Loved it! I didn't get carpet, but figured it out after carrot.
The third made it way easy - although I still wanted to figure out the rest of the clues, so I did.
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