This short riddle sounds simple: What can you borrow but never return? The trick is to think beyond physical objects. If you borrow a book, money, or a tool, you can normally give it back. But there is one thing people often describe as “borrowed” even though it can never literally be returned.
Answer: Time.
We often use the phrase “borrowed time” when someone has been given extra time or an unexpected extension. Once that time passes, however, it cannot be handed back. Every minute moves forward and becomes part of the past.
That wordplay is what makes the riddle effective: “borrow” usually implies returning something later, while time is something we can never restore after it has passed.
