Riddle me crazy

November 22, 2009 10:22 AM

This is starting to get seriously depressing - I'm no nearer to solving this riddle than I was 3 freaking hours ago. (Neither is my husband - and he's the smart one.)

It's NOT part of a contest - just a maddening tease from a lawyer friend in the UK. I've included the bit she wrote in the same sentence as the riddle, because it seems to be relevant (yes, she's really in a book club, yes, Melanie is another friend of ours and yes, the first friend mentioned one of these books recently in another, totally separate email.)

(sidebar: I was humming Holst, as it were, for a while. But I can't make that sort of answer work at all!)

This is exactly what she wrote:


"Meanwhile, (based on our recent reading - first we did Wolf Hall and then we did A man for all seasons), Melanie sent me this riddle: what links 6 periods of time, starting with 23 years and 11 months with sharp decreases in time spans thereafter. I couldn't understand the question for ages and then suddenly I got it!"

posted by Jody Tresidder to grab bag (10 comments total)

1,1,2,3 is the beginning of the Fibonacci series...?
posted by dfriedman at 10:29 AM on November 22, 2009

Anything to do with reigns of English kings? For instance 6 different kings, or maybe their houses (Plantagenets, Tudors etc), starting with 23 years 11months?
posted by Petrot at 10:34 AM on November 22, 2009

it's possible that "periods" or "sharp decreases" is some kind of double entendre.
posted by Jon_Evil at 10:34 AM on November 22, 2009

Marriages of Henry VIII?
posted by Snerd at 10:35 AM on November 22, 2009 [1 favorite]

Its the length of marriages between Henry VIII and his 6 wives.
posted by Petrot at 10:36 AM on November 22, 2009 [1 favorite]

As seen here: Henry VIII
posted by Petrot at 10:37 AM on November 22, 2009 [1 favorite]

Bear in mind that that is only by arranging them in order of length, not by chronology. And it was a simple search in google for "23 years 11 months" that helped
posted by Petrot at 10:39 AM on November 22, 2009

23 and 11 are both prime
posted by Jon_Evil at 10:41 AM on November 22, 2009

oh. nevermind.
posted by Jon_Evil at 10:41 AM on November 22, 2009

Petrot,
I wish you a long and happy life.
Thank you very, very much.

(And I will admit to my friend I'm a stupid cheat!)
posted by Jody Tresidder at 10:57 AM on November 22, 2009