A Rare Riley Riddle












13












$begingroup$



My prefix is ironic.



My infix is well-oiled.



My suffix briefly handled a worm.



There aren't many of me - what is my name?






As usual, please include an explanation for each line in your final answer. The title is obliquely related to the final answer.










share|improve this question











$endgroup$












  • $begingroup$
    Yay, this one made it longer than 7 minutes!
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Mar 27 at 23:41






  • 2




    $begingroup$
    but not the 8th lol
    $endgroup$
    – Omega Krypton
    Mar 27 at 23:41










  • $begingroup$
    @OmegaKrypton wait do you have the answer already o_O?
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Mar 27 at 23:42










  • $begingroup$
    nah, i mean it didnt made the 8th minute with score=0 ;)
    $endgroup$
    – Omega Krypton
    2 days ago






  • 2




    $begingroup$
    Could the downvoter please explain the downvote? 3 questions in a row?
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    2 days ago
















13












$begingroup$



My prefix is ironic.



My infix is well-oiled.



My suffix briefly handled a worm.



There aren't many of me - what is my name?






As usual, please include an explanation for each line in your final answer. The title is obliquely related to the final answer.










share|improve this question











$endgroup$












  • $begingroup$
    Yay, this one made it longer than 7 minutes!
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Mar 27 at 23:41






  • 2




    $begingroup$
    but not the 8th lol
    $endgroup$
    – Omega Krypton
    Mar 27 at 23:41










  • $begingroup$
    @OmegaKrypton wait do you have the answer already o_O?
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Mar 27 at 23:42










  • $begingroup$
    nah, i mean it didnt made the 8th minute with score=0 ;)
    $endgroup$
    – Omega Krypton
    2 days ago






  • 2




    $begingroup$
    Could the downvoter please explain the downvote? 3 questions in a row?
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    2 days ago














13












13








13


1



$begingroup$



My prefix is ironic.



My infix is well-oiled.



My suffix briefly handled a worm.



There aren't many of me - what is my name?






As usual, please include an explanation for each line in your final answer. The title is obliquely related to the final answer.










share|improve this question











$endgroup$





My prefix is ironic.



My infix is well-oiled.



My suffix briefly handled a worm.



There aren't many of me - what is my name?






As usual, please include an explanation for each line in your final answer. The title is obliquely related to the final answer.







riddle word wordplay knowledge






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited 2 days ago







Brandon_J

















asked Mar 27 at 23:32









Brandon_JBrandon_J

3,110239




3,110239












  • $begingroup$
    Yay, this one made it longer than 7 minutes!
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Mar 27 at 23:41






  • 2




    $begingroup$
    but not the 8th lol
    $endgroup$
    – Omega Krypton
    Mar 27 at 23:41










  • $begingroup$
    @OmegaKrypton wait do you have the answer already o_O?
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Mar 27 at 23:42










  • $begingroup$
    nah, i mean it didnt made the 8th minute with score=0 ;)
    $endgroup$
    – Omega Krypton
    2 days ago






  • 2




    $begingroup$
    Could the downvoter please explain the downvote? 3 questions in a row?
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    2 days ago


















  • $begingroup$
    Yay, this one made it longer than 7 minutes!
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Mar 27 at 23:41






  • 2




    $begingroup$
    but not the 8th lol
    $endgroup$
    – Omega Krypton
    Mar 27 at 23:41










  • $begingroup$
    @OmegaKrypton wait do you have the answer already o_O?
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Mar 27 at 23:42










  • $begingroup$
    nah, i mean it didnt made the 8th minute with score=0 ;)
    $endgroup$
    – Omega Krypton
    2 days ago






  • 2




    $begingroup$
    Could the downvoter please explain the downvote? 3 questions in a row?
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    2 days ago
















$begingroup$
Yay, this one made it longer than 7 minutes!
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
Mar 27 at 23:41




$begingroup$
Yay, this one made it longer than 7 minutes!
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
Mar 27 at 23:41




2




2




$begingroup$
but not the 8th lol
$endgroup$
– Omega Krypton
Mar 27 at 23:41




$begingroup$
but not the 8th lol
$endgroup$
– Omega Krypton
Mar 27 at 23:41












$begingroup$
@OmegaKrypton wait do you have the answer already o_O?
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
Mar 27 at 23:42




$begingroup$
@OmegaKrypton wait do you have the answer already o_O?
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
Mar 27 at 23:42












$begingroup$
nah, i mean it didnt made the 8th minute with score=0 ;)
$endgroup$
– Omega Krypton
2 days ago




$begingroup$
nah, i mean it didnt made the 8th minute with score=0 ;)
$endgroup$
– Omega Krypton
2 days ago




2




2




$begingroup$
Could the downvoter please explain the downvote? 3 questions in a row?
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
2 days ago




$begingroup$
Could the downvoter please explain the downvote? 3 questions in a row?
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
2 days ago










3 Answers
3






active

oldest

votes


















9












$begingroup$

Possibly:



My prefix is ironic.




FE (iron) as others have pointed out




My infix is well-oiled.




E as in the logo for Enron, a "well-oiled" company




My infix is well-oiled - (second guess)




E as in Euler's Number (pronounced oiler)




My suffix briefly handled a worm.




EW - The exclamation made when touching a worm. EW!




There aren't many of me - what is my name?




FEW which also connects to the title (rare)







share|improve this answer











$endgroup$













  • $begingroup$
    So close! I was thinking of something else for the infix. Think math.
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    2 days ago












  • $begingroup$
    Edited with new infix
    $endgroup$
    – MetaZen
    2 days ago










  • $begingroup$
    You got it! Congratulations!
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    2 days ago



















9












$begingroup$

Wild guess, but I’ll put it on here. The word is




FEWER




My prefix is ironic.




FE is the symbol for iron on the periodic table, as Omega Krypton indicated




My infix is well-oiled.




Not sure about this one - maybe a reference to how a collective (WE) can act like a machine that’s well-oiled, or perhaps a wordplay clue?




My suffix briefly handled a worm.




This one’s also stretch, but ERs - “emergency rooms” - have the ability to remove or at least mitigate the damage from worms that burrow inside the body




There aren't many of me - what is my name?




If there aren’t many of something, there are FEWER of that thing




As for the title,




having fewer of something would make it rarer to find







share|improve this answer









$endgroup$













  • $begingroup$
    This is remarkably close. Infix is wordplay; I would probably add a knowledge tag for it and the prefix.
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    2 days ago



















5












$begingroup$

Partial thoughts, havent come to an answer:



My prefix is ironic.




Fe, chemical symbol of "iron"?




My infix is well-oiled.




Lube for lubrication?







share|improve this answer









$endgroup$













  • $begingroup$
    Don't want to confirm or deny yet :)
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    2 days ago










  • $begingroup$
    is that a hint? @Brandon_J
    $endgroup$
    – Omega Krypton
    2 days ago








  • 4




    $begingroup$
    No. I'm not that clever lol.
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    2 days ago










  • $begingroup$
    could well-oiled be rot13(qehax) or something along those lines? Struggling to make a word with that in it though
    $endgroup$
    – Smock
    2 days ago










  • $begingroup$
    @Smock true, thought of that too, but the OP said its wordplay, so... thanks nevertheless
    $endgroup$
    – Omega Krypton
    2 days ago












Your Answer





StackExchange.ifUsing("editor", function () {
return StackExchange.using("mathjaxEditing", function () {
StackExchange.MarkdownEditor.creationCallbacks.add(function (editor, postfix) {
StackExchange.mathjaxEditing.prepareWmdForMathJax(editor, postfix, [["$", "$"], ["\\(","\\)"]]);
});
});
}, "mathjax-editing");

StackExchange.ready(function() {
var channelOptions = {
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "559"
};
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
createEditor();
});
}
else {
createEditor();
}
});

function createEditor() {
StackExchange.prepareEditor({
heartbeatType: 'answer',
autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader: {
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
},
noCode: true, onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
});


}
});














draft saved

draft discarded


















StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fpuzzling.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f81095%2fa-rare-riley-riddle%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);

Post as a guest















Required, but never shown

























3 Answers
3






active

oldest

votes








3 Answers
3






active

oldest

votes









active

oldest

votes






active

oldest

votes









9












$begingroup$

Possibly:



My prefix is ironic.




FE (iron) as others have pointed out




My infix is well-oiled.




E as in the logo for Enron, a "well-oiled" company




My infix is well-oiled - (second guess)




E as in Euler's Number (pronounced oiler)




My suffix briefly handled a worm.




EW - The exclamation made when touching a worm. EW!




There aren't many of me - what is my name?




FEW which also connects to the title (rare)







share|improve this answer











$endgroup$













  • $begingroup$
    So close! I was thinking of something else for the infix. Think math.
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    2 days ago












  • $begingroup$
    Edited with new infix
    $endgroup$
    – MetaZen
    2 days ago










  • $begingroup$
    You got it! Congratulations!
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    2 days ago
















9












$begingroup$

Possibly:



My prefix is ironic.




FE (iron) as others have pointed out




My infix is well-oiled.




E as in the logo for Enron, a "well-oiled" company




My infix is well-oiled - (second guess)




E as in Euler's Number (pronounced oiler)




My suffix briefly handled a worm.




EW - The exclamation made when touching a worm. EW!




There aren't many of me - what is my name?




FEW which also connects to the title (rare)







share|improve this answer











$endgroup$













  • $begingroup$
    So close! I was thinking of something else for the infix. Think math.
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    2 days ago












  • $begingroup$
    Edited with new infix
    $endgroup$
    – MetaZen
    2 days ago










  • $begingroup$
    You got it! Congratulations!
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    2 days ago














9












9








9





$begingroup$

Possibly:



My prefix is ironic.




FE (iron) as others have pointed out




My infix is well-oiled.




E as in the logo for Enron, a "well-oiled" company




My infix is well-oiled - (second guess)




E as in Euler's Number (pronounced oiler)




My suffix briefly handled a worm.




EW - The exclamation made when touching a worm. EW!




There aren't many of me - what is my name?




FEW which also connects to the title (rare)







share|improve this answer











$endgroup$



Possibly:



My prefix is ironic.




FE (iron) as others have pointed out




My infix is well-oiled.




E as in the logo for Enron, a "well-oiled" company




My infix is well-oiled - (second guess)




E as in Euler's Number (pronounced oiler)




My suffix briefly handled a worm.




EW - The exclamation made when touching a worm. EW!




There aren't many of me - what is my name?




FEW which also connects to the title (rare)








share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited 2 days ago

























answered 2 days ago









MetaZenMetaZen

1,206115




1,206115












  • $begingroup$
    So close! I was thinking of something else for the infix. Think math.
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    2 days ago












  • $begingroup$
    Edited with new infix
    $endgroup$
    – MetaZen
    2 days ago










  • $begingroup$
    You got it! Congratulations!
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    2 days ago


















  • $begingroup$
    So close! I was thinking of something else for the infix. Think math.
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    2 days ago












  • $begingroup$
    Edited with new infix
    $endgroup$
    – MetaZen
    2 days ago










  • $begingroup$
    You got it! Congratulations!
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    2 days ago
















$begingroup$
So close! I was thinking of something else for the infix. Think math.
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
2 days ago






$begingroup$
So close! I was thinking of something else for the infix. Think math.
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
2 days ago














$begingroup$
Edited with new infix
$endgroup$
– MetaZen
2 days ago




$begingroup$
Edited with new infix
$endgroup$
– MetaZen
2 days ago












$begingroup$
You got it! Congratulations!
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
2 days ago




$begingroup$
You got it! Congratulations!
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
2 days ago











9












$begingroup$

Wild guess, but I’ll put it on here. The word is




FEWER




My prefix is ironic.




FE is the symbol for iron on the periodic table, as Omega Krypton indicated




My infix is well-oiled.




Not sure about this one - maybe a reference to how a collective (WE) can act like a machine that’s well-oiled, or perhaps a wordplay clue?




My suffix briefly handled a worm.




This one’s also stretch, but ERs - “emergency rooms” - have the ability to remove or at least mitigate the damage from worms that burrow inside the body




There aren't many of me - what is my name?




If there aren’t many of something, there are FEWER of that thing




As for the title,




having fewer of something would make it rarer to find







share|improve this answer









$endgroup$













  • $begingroup$
    This is remarkably close. Infix is wordplay; I would probably add a knowledge tag for it and the prefix.
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    2 days ago
















9












$begingroup$

Wild guess, but I’ll put it on here. The word is




FEWER




My prefix is ironic.




FE is the symbol for iron on the periodic table, as Omega Krypton indicated




My infix is well-oiled.




Not sure about this one - maybe a reference to how a collective (WE) can act like a machine that’s well-oiled, or perhaps a wordplay clue?




My suffix briefly handled a worm.




This one’s also stretch, but ERs - “emergency rooms” - have the ability to remove or at least mitigate the damage from worms that burrow inside the body




There aren't many of me - what is my name?




If there aren’t many of something, there are FEWER of that thing




As for the title,




having fewer of something would make it rarer to find







share|improve this answer









$endgroup$













  • $begingroup$
    This is remarkably close. Infix is wordplay; I would probably add a knowledge tag for it and the prefix.
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    2 days ago














9












9








9





$begingroup$

Wild guess, but I’ll put it on here. The word is




FEWER




My prefix is ironic.




FE is the symbol for iron on the periodic table, as Omega Krypton indicated




My infix is well-oiled.




Not sure about this one - maybe a reference to how a collective (WE) can act like a machine that’s well-oiled, or perhaps a wordplay clue?




My suffix briefly handled a worm.




This one’s also stretch, but ERs - “emergency rooms” - have the ability to remove or at least mitigate the damage from worms that burrow inside the body




There aren't many of me - what is my name?




If there aren’t many of something, there are FEWER of that thing




As for the title,




having fewer of something would make it rarer to find







share|improve this answer









$endgroup$



Wild guess, but I’ll put it on here. The word is




FEWER




My prefix is ironic.




FE is the symbol for iron on the periodic table, as Omega Krypton indicated




My infix is well-oiled.




Not sure about this one - maybe a reference to how a collective (WE) can act like a machine that’s well-oiled, or perhaps a wordplay clue?




My suffix briefly handled a worm.




This one’s also stretch, but ERs - “emergency rooms” - have the ability to remove or at least mitigate the damage from worms that burrow inside the body




There aren't many of me - what is my name?




If there aren’t many of something, there are FEWER of that thing




As for the title,




having fewer of something would make it rarer to find








share|improve this answer












share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer










answered 2 days ago









PiIsNot3PiIsNot3

1,01518




1,01518












  • $begingroup$
    This is remarkably close. Infix is wordplay; I would probably add a knowledge tag for it and the prefix.
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    2 days ago


















  • $begingroup$
    This is remarkably close. Infix is wordplay; I would probably add a knowledge tag for it and the prefix.
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    2 days ago
















$begingroup$
This is remarkably close. Infix is wordplay; I would probably add a knowledge tag for it and the prefix.
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
2 days ago




$begingroup$
This is remarkably close. Infix is wordplay; I would probably add a knowledge tag for it and the prefix.
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
2 days ago











5












$begingroup$

Partial thoughts, havent come to an answer:



My prefix is ironic.




Fe, chemical symbol of "iron"?




My infix is well-oiled.




Lube for lubrication?







share|improve this answer









$endgroup$













  • $begingroup$
    Don't want to confirm or deny yet :)
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    2 days ago










  • $begingroup$
    is that a hint? @Brandon_J
    $endgroup$
    – Omega Krypton
    2 days ago








  • 4




    $begingroup$
    No. I'm not that clever lol.
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    2 days ago










  • $begingroup$
    could well-oiled be rot13(qehax) or something along those lines? Struggling to make a word with that in it though
    $endgroup$
    – Smock
    2 days ago










  • $begingroup$
    @Smock true, thought of that too, but the OP said its wordplay, so... thanks nevertheless
    $endgroup$
    – Omega Krypton
    2 days ago
















5












$begingroup$

Partial thoughts, havent come to an answer:



My prefix is ironic.




Fe, chemical symbol of "iron"?




My infix is well-oiled.




Lube for lubrication?







share|improve this answer









$endgroup$













  • $begingroup$
    Don't want to confirm or deny yet :)
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    2 days ago










  • $begingroup$
    is that a hint? @Brandon_J
    $endgroup$
    – Omega Krypton
    2 days ago








  • 4




    $begingroup$
    No. I'm not that clever lol.
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    2 days ago










  • $begingroup$
    could well-oiled be rot13(qehax) or something along those lines? Struggling to make a word with that in it though
    $endgroup$
    – Smock
    2 days ago










  • $begingroup$
    @Smock true, thought of that too, but the OP said its wordplay, so... thanks nevertheless
    $endgroup$
    – Omega Krypton
    2 days ago














5












5








5





$begingroup$

Partial thoughts, havent come to an answer:



My prefix is ironic.




Fe, chemical symbol of "iron"?




My infix is well-oiled.




Lube for lubrication?







share|improve this answer









$endgroup$



Partial thoughts, havent come to an answer:



My prefix is ironic.




Fe, chemical symbol of "iron"?




My infix is well-oiled.




Lube for lubrication?








share|improve this answer












share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer










answered 2 days ago









Omega KryptonOmega Krypton

5,0772845




5,0772845












  • $begingroup$
    Don't want to confirm or deny yet :)
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    2 days ago










  • $begingroup$
    is that a hint? @Brandon_J
    $endgroup$
    – Omega Krypton
    2 days ago








  • 4




    $begingroup$
    No. I'm not that clever lol.
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    2 days ago










  • $begingroup$
    could well-oiled be rot13(qehax) or something along those lines? Struggling to make a word with that in it though
    $endgroup$
    – Smock
    2 days ago










  • $begingroup$
    @Smock true, thought of that too, but the OP said its wordplay, so... thanks nevertheless
    $endgroup$
    – Omega Krypton
    2 days ago


















  • $begingroup$
    Don't want to confirm or deny yet :)
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    2 days ago










  • $begingroup$
    is that a hint? @Brandon_J
    $endgroup$
    – Omega Krypton
    2 days ago








  • 4




    $begingroup$
    No. I'm not that clever lol.
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    2 days ago










  • $begingroup$
    could well-oiled be rot13(qehax) or something along those lines? Struggling to make a word with that in it though
    $endgroup$
    – Smock
    2 days ago










  • $begingroup$
    @Smock true, thought of that too, but the OP said its wordplay, so... thanks nevertheless
    $endgroup$
    – Omega Krypton
    2 days ago
















$begingroup$
Don't want to confirm or deny yet :)
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
2 days ago




$begingroup$
Don't want to confirm or deny yet :)
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
2 days ago












$begingroup$
is that a hint? @Brandon_J
$endgroup$
– Omega Krypton
2 days ago






$begingroup$
is that a hint? @Brandon_J
$endgroup$
– Omega Krypton
2 days ago






4




4




$begingroup$
No. I'm not that clever lol.
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
2 days ago




$begingroup$
No. I'm not that clever lol.
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
2 days ago












$begingroup$
could well-oiled be rot13(qehax) or something along those lines? Struggling to make a word with that in it though
$endgroup$
– Smock
2 days ago




$begingroup$
could well-oiled be rot13(qehax) or something along those lines? Struggling to make a word with that in it though
$endgroup$
– Smock
2 days ago












$begingroup$
@Smock true, thought of that too, but the OP said its wordplay, so... thanks nevertheless
$endgroup$
– Omega Krypton
2 days ago




$begingroup$
@Smock true, thought of that too, but the OP said its wordplay, so... thanks nevertheless
$endgroup$
– Omega Krypton
2 days ago


















draft saved

draft discarded




















































Thanks for contributing an answer to Puzzling Stack Exchange!


  • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

But avoid



  • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

  • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.


Use MathJax to format equations. MathJax reference.


To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.




draft saved


draft discarded














StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fpuzzling.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f81095%2fa-rare-riley-riddle%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);

Post as a guest















Required, but never shown





















































Required, but never shown














Required, but never shown












Required, but never shown







Required, but never shown

































Required, but never shown














Required, but never shown












Required, but never shown







Required, but never shown







Popular posts from this blog

How did Captain America manage to do this?

迪纳利

南乌拉尔铁路局