# My short riddle 1 [closed]

I am something. Take away a letter and I'm still such a thing. Take away another and I'm still such a thing. Take away another and I cease being such a thing. What am I now?

Hint 1:

I wasn't a word initially.

• I've rolled back your last edit (rev 4) because a) people who saw the hint have an unfair advantage and b) 'Were you actually expecting to find a hint? Ha ha ha!' is not constructive in any way. Mar 20, 2017 at 7:45
• Now it's getting broad I guess. Mar 20, 2017 at 8:26
• This puzzle cannot be accurately solved without the hint. Even then, there is nothing that suggests one answer is more correct than another. Mar 20, 2017 at 17:34

This fits

I am something. Take away a letter and I'm still one.
Alone ->Lone
Take away another and I'm still one
Lone->One
Take away another and I cease being one.
One->on

So you're now the word on.

Explanation

The initial something is the word alone.
(The 'still' in the next phrase indicates you were one/singular earlier too.)
Taking away the letter a, you're now the word lone, which essentially signifies singularity.
Taking away the letter l, you're now the word one.
Taking away the letter e, you're now the word on, and no longer one.

• how does the hint fits here ? Mar 20, 2017 at 8:25
• Doesn't. But every question should be designed so it can be answered without a hint. And without the hint, this fits. Mar 20, 2017 at 8:31
• That's not what was intended. Good answer though. Mar 20, 2017 at 8:32

Is it:

Postman with 3 letters to deliver?

Because:

Take one letter, take 2 - he still has a letter to deliver. Take away third, and he isn't a postman with letters anymore.

• Wait, you said it's correct and then you said it's not correct? Which is it? Mar 21, 2017 at 8:37

A very long shot !

You are nothing
Initially you were a phase "is a"
Take away a letter "a", "is" refers to singular
Take away another letter "s", "I" refers to singular
Take away another letter "i", you are now Nothing

I am not sure. But I think, you were (Updated after hint)

A Noun or Xoun (Taking any letter as the first which doesn't give a word $\rightarrow$ as per hint)

I am something.

NOUN is something. It's a word and is used to define class of things.
Also, XOUN is gibberish. And gibberish is something.

Take away a letter and I'm still one.

Noun $\rightarrow$ Uno $\rightarrow$ One in Italian
Xoun $\rightarrow$ Uno $\rightarrow$ One in Italian

Take away another and I'm still one

Uno $\rightarrow$ UN $\rightarrow$ One in French

Take away another and I cease being one

Un $\rightarrow$ U/N stops being one. And, now you are just a letter U or N. :-)

• Uno is also Spanish for 1 ;) Mar 20, 2017 at 12:00

You are a

bee

take a letter away

be

and another

b

and another

• This was my first thought, too... until the hint, of course. Mar 20, 2017 at 20:54
• @SenorAmor a bee isn't a word ... it is an insect. 'be' is just a word on the other hand ;) Mar 20, 2017 at 20:58
• To bee or not to bee? Mar 20, 2017 at 21:24

You are

IIII

Based on the hint, you aren't a word initially.

Take away any letter, you get III. Take away any other letter, you get II. Take away a third letter, and you get I. You have transitioned from nonsense to nonsense to nonsense to a word.

You are a

Sword (something that causes pain)

Take away one letter

Word (Can also cause pain)

Take away another letter

Ord (Old English for spear point) (Can also cause pain)

Take away another letter

Rd which means nothing

The hint:

The "such a thing" refers to something that inflicts pain. It initially wasn't a WORD but a SWORD (This may be a stretch)

Are you a

Postman

Explanation:

Based on answer by @Zizy, "Postman with letters" was almost correct. The question asks "what am I now" - now I am a "postman without letters" or just postman. But if this is correct, I think Zizy's answer should really get the points.