This is a riddle that's being discussed on a morning radio show here in San Diego, according to my husband. It was sent to the show's hosts, and neither they nor any callers have come up with a good answer (perhaps it isn't really a riddle?)

What is it that a farmer grows, a carpenter doesn't need, and poor people hate?

The first phrase may be "a farmer makes"- my husband wasn't sure.

Any ideas?

Maybe the answer is either a homophone/homonym or homograph rather than a common word to all of them.

The only thing I could come up with was

Farmer - chili dried pod of red pepper
Carpenter - Chile, a South American country
Poor people - chilly, uncomfortably cool

- Homonym: One of two or more words spelled and pronounced alike but different in meaning
- Homophone: One of two or more words pronounced alike but different in meaning or spelling
- Homograph: One of two or more words spelled alike but different in meaning or pronunciation

I think you can see the possibilities going in this direction.

Well, I've verified that it's "a farmer makes..."

Chile is a good idea, but I don't think it's the right one...

There is a riddle that goes like this:

What is it that rich people don't need, poor people don't have and if you eat it you will die?

The answer is nothing...

Not sure about the farmer one Cris.


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Agnes (JTJ)

I keep coming back to dust, as in dust/dirt farmer, saw-dust and...then I get stumped. I can't imagine anyone likes dust, but do 'the poor' particularly hate it? Unless of course you have seen the bizarre sketch-comedy show Little Britain, in which the leader of the weight-loss group is obsessed with the calorific content of dust...That doesn't help much...

I wonder, as you did, Cris, if it is actually a riddle at all? Or if it has been mis-stated, along the lines of the infamous 'gry' story. Which, by the way, I am very glad there is a post about here, as I've actually seen it posed the wrong way (ie what is the 3rd word in English ending in 'gry') with the answer given as 'language' with no further explanation!

Not sure why, but "children" came to mind. Farmers like having them around (to help with chores and stuff), carpenters would surely not need any running around as they might get hurt on the job, and poor people definitely might hate another child to have to feed (though they'd likely manage it). Probably not the right answer though. I'm really thinking this must be some sort of animal...

'A farmer makes children?'
Nah, doesn't work for me Gats. Sorry. I'm still thinking too.

And then I was wondering if it was something to do with the words themselves, as in a letter which is is in 'farmer', but not in 'carpenter' or 'poor', which would be 'f' or 'm' I suppose. Which works as far as it goes, but it's silly. Unless this was brought up on an AM radio station?!?!

Also wondering if A Farmer and A Carpenter might be specific people, but didn't get very far with that one. Then of course there's 'cake' which farmers kind of make, Karen Carpenter thought she didn't need, and the poor hate because they were told to eat it...or 'bread' for the same reasons as 'cake' for farmer and carpenter, but as in 'money' for the poor...

I think this one is going to push us all over the edge!

Yes this is a difficult one. "Food" is the closest I can guess so far[Karen Carpenter reference for me as well,showing our ages], poor people hate it that there`s not enough. I`ve spent a couple of hours searching the net for words that might fit but the only other I can even come close is "paw paw" as in the poor people hate being poor and I can`t find a fit at all for the carpenter unless someone famous [Karen,John,Charisma etc] with the last name Carpenter hated them or John Carpenter made a movie with the word paw in it[Monkey Paw?].
I`m all over the place with this riddle.

Carpenter = Jesus?

Reminds me a little of the riddle about the coffin, the person who makes it doesn't need it, the person buying it doesn't want to and the person it is for doesn't want it.

I thought of that too, Copago, but it didn't help! And if you listen to certain conspiracy theorists, Jesus and Joseph were more likely stone-masons than carpenters anyway...not that I listen to that kind of thing...

But then again, wasn't Adam 'the first farmer'? So, putting it all together, we have...nope, still no idea!

I am now hoping that I don't miss when they finally announce an answer on the show...if there even is one!

How about waste? It kind of works.

The best I could think of was something to to with joints, for example:
"Swollen Joints"
Farmer - injects meat joints with water to make then heavier, for more cash.
Carpenter - Something wrong with the wood.
Poor - Can't afford Medcare.

But not quite convinced though.

Cris, have there been any good suggestions on the radio yet?

No...I usually only hear a few minutes of the show most days, and it hasn't been mentioned at all lately. My husband actually emailed them to see if they have given out an answer, but they haven't responded. We'll keep trying!

Any news on this yet, Cris?

lol people the answer is corns ( corns for the poor people part)

farmers grow them... carpenters dont need then and poor people dont want them ( effects their work lol)

This is my thought:

Tack or tacks

Farmers - tacks for their horses (do farmers make them?)

Carpenter - the sticky stuff or perhaps thumbtacks (neither are necessary for their work)

Poor people - tax (different spelling) or perhaps tack in the sense of the foodstuff

Any other possiblities?

Still stumped but try this one for size:

levee/levy

Farmers can make a levee.
Carpenters don't need a levee/levy.
Poor people hate a levy.

It's a bit iffy I know, but worth a shot.

Some of my best friends are Levys!

I would have to say the answer is nothing

Ahh Guru, I always knew you had good jeans...groan!

Oh Little Grasshopper,

'Nothing' sounds okay too.

I hadn't thought about farmers who don't make any money and poor people obviously hate nothing, but for carpenters both nothing and levy/levee mmm... that seems to be the stickler.