Who is "this man"?
Asked by
Strauss (
23829
)
June 7th, 2009
I heard this riddle when I was young. I have seen it stump a lot of people, and it has launched many discussions. It goes like this:
A man is arrested and put in jail. Another man comes to post his bail. In order to post bail, the jailer asks the second man to identify his relationship with the man in jail. The man replies:
Brothers and sisters I have none,
But this man’s father is my father’s son.
Who is this man?
Observing members:
0
Composing members:
0
27 Answers
“This man” is the prisoner’s father.
removed because now I’m not sure
Edited again! Good point shrub. Okay, now I think bailer-outer is the arrested guy’s dad.
I’ll give the answer in 3 days…
But he can’t be the grandfather because then “this man’s” father would then be “my son”, not “my father’s son”. It doesn’t work. And he can’t be the prisoner’s father, because that would imply he has a brother, which he states he doesn’t.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…
It’s the prisoner’s father. He’s simply referring to himself in third person, no?
@shrubbery: I don’t see why it would imply his has a brother? He’s saying sort of saying ‘I am my father’s son’.
Point of clarification: “this man”=the prisoner
The father is bailing out the son.
Yes. I think the father is bailing out his son, too.
Okay, wait a minute:
He’s saying has not brothers or sisters: “Brothers and sisters I have none”,
but then he says “This man’s father is my father’s son.”.
He can’t be his uncle since he has no brothers. But I guess he can be his father..
Because he might be referring to himself in third-person.
So, yes I think the father’s bailing out his son as well.
The prisoner is the bailer-outer’s son.
@La_chica_gomela, yeah, oops, I stuffed up, I think I meant to say he can’t be his uncle, so I think I agree that he is the father and talking about himself in third person…
Ok, if you want to reword it so that this man is the prisoner than yes.. the prisoner is the bailer outers son.
@NaturalMineralWater…Allow me to give credit where credit is due (your first post, way at the top). See ya…wtf
The second man is the first man’s father. He’s saying, “I’m an only child. His father is my father’s son.”
He’s the guys father.
The second guys father’s only son is himself. He’s the father.
Can’t the ‘bailer out’ be the Jailed’s half uncle? (from another marriage in which he’s the only child, but is the ‘Jailed’s fathers’ half brotha from anotha motha?
A priest. Jesus. The illegitimate son of the bailpayer’s priest? Oh, hell. I give up.
The Father is bailing out his son
OK…
The speaker is posting bail for “this man”.
Brothers and sisters I have none—obviously, no siblings
This man’s father is my father’s son—so if you reverse the sentence to:
My father’s son (the speaker) is this man’s father
therefore Dad is posting bail for his son, and is none too proud of it!
Answer this question 
This question is in the General Section. Responses must be helpful and on-topic.
Composing members:
0
