Last will of an eccentric lady reads:
I bequest $1000 less then one half of my estate to my beloved red cat.
I bequest $800 less then one third of my estate to my favorite striped cat.
I bequest $600 less then one quarter of my estate to my darling black cat.
All my money must be divided between my dearest three cats.
How much did the eccentric lady leave to her cats?
first, bequest is a noun. The verb is bequeath. I know, I know -- in English any noun can be verbed, but why bother, when there is already a perfectly good verb available? This is a sure sign of an incompetent attorney!
Anyway, if the estate has $x,
the red cat gets x/2 -1000
Stripey gets x/3 - 800
Blacky gets x/4 - 600
Add up all the parts:
x/2-1000 + x/3-800 + x/4-600 = x
x = 28,800
Now you can figure out each cat's share.