There was a tramp going to the 99-cent supermarket who met a busybody. They were both heading the same way, so they walked together. Soon, the tramp was annoyed by the busybody’s nonstop talk, but then he realized that he could use the busybody to get even with an assistant manager who had thrown him out of the supermarket once. So, when he could get the busybody to be quiet a moment, he explained how he wanted to trick the assistant manager. After he explained slowly and clearly the busybody understood what he had to do. When they got to the shop, the tramp stayed outside. The assistant manager, who knew the busybody was a foolish time-waster, tersely asked what he wanted. After asking for several items he knew the assistant manager wouldn’t have, the busybody told the assistant manager that he wanted to make a wager. The busybody said that he had two coins in his pocket that added up to 35 cents, but that one of the coins was not a dime. He bet the assistant manager that he couldn’t figure out what the two coins were. If the assistant manager could figure it out, the busybody would give him ten dollars, but if he couldn’t, the assistant manager would have to let the tramp take whatever he wanted from the shop. The assistant manager was apprehensive, but he knew the busybody was a real idiot, so, believing he’d win, he took the wager. Then, after he had thought, considered, calculated and figured for some time, he couldn’t see how the two coins could be 35 cents if one of them was not a dime. Finally, he gave up, and demanded to see the two coins. So what were the two coins?
"I give up." "It's a dime and a quarter." "But you said one wasn't a dime!" "Right, the other one is." Not exactly a "math" riddle.
