Answer this...
A Riddle,A nine-letter word, common as air,When each letter’s cut, a new word to pare,What's the word?
The word you are looking for is "STARTLING".
To solve this riddle, we need to find a nine-letter word that becomes a new word when each of its letters is removed. Let's break down the process step by step:
1. Start by thinking of common nine-letter words. One approach is to think of words related to the word "air" mentioned in the riddle. Examples could include "breathing" or "atmosphere."
2. Consider cutting (removing) each letter from the nine-letter word one at a time, starting with the first letter. As you cut each letter, mentally form a new word. For instance, if we take the word "breathing" and cut the first letter "b," we get the word "reathing."
3. Repeat the process for each subsequent letter. If we continue with the example of "breathing" and cut the second letter "r," we get the word "beathing." Keep doing this until you have gone through all nine letters.
4. Eventually, you will find a word where each letter can be removed one by one, forming a new word at each step. This word, common as air when all its letters are intact, is "startling."
So, the answer to the riddle is the word "startling."