Where “Big” comes before “Old”












11












$begingroup$


Where does "big" come before "old"?



Where does "three" come before "triangular"?



Where does "intelligent" come before "studious"?



Where does "smooth" come before "pearly"?



Where does "beautiful" come before "green"?



There is one place (or rule, or method) where all these orders make sense. Can you find the key that satisfies all conditions?



Notes:




  1. The alphabet is not a part of this puzzle. I know that four out of five pairs are in alphabetical order, but that's actually irrelevant.


  2. I did not come up with this ordering system. It's much older than anyone on this forum and everyone here knows what it is - you might not be able to define it on the first try, but you use it all the time.


  3. All of the orders follow the rule exactly. There is no stretching/bending of rules.







word-property







share|improve this question











$endgroup$












  • $begingroup$
    Using this system, is it possible that two words "rank" in the same position (i.e. neither comes before the other?)
    $endgroup$
    – Hugh
    Feb 10 at 22:26






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    @Hugh that's actually a really hard question to answer. Strictly using the source I did, the answer is "yes".
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:28






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Well, it kind of is a rule, I would think. Perhaps you could make this an answer ;) ?
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:50












  • $begingroup$
    @EricTressler & Brandon_J — well that's clever...
    $endgroup$
    – Hugh
    Feb 10 at 22:55










  • $begingroup$
    @Hugh just our of curiosity, was that serious or sarcastic?
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:56
















11












$begingroup$


Where does "big" come before "old"?



Where does "three" come before "triangular"?



Where does "intelligent" come before "studious"?



Where does "smooth" come before "pearly"?



Where does "beautiful" come before "green"?



There is one place (or rule, or method) where all these orders make sense. Can you find the key that satisfies all conditions?



Notes:




  1. The alphabet is not a part of this puzzle. I know that four out of five pairs are in alphabetical order, but that's actually irrelevant.


  2. I did not come up with this ordering system. It's much older than anyone on this forum and everyone here knows what it is - you might not be able to define it on the first try, but you use it all the time.


  3. All of the orders follow the rule exactly. There is no stretching/bending of rules.







word-property







share|improve this question











$endgroup$












  • $begingroup$
    Using this system, is it possible that two words "rank" in the same position (i.e. neither comes before the other?)
    $endgroup$
    – Hugh
    Feb 10 at 22:26






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    @Hugh that's actually a really hard question to answer. Strictly using the source I did, the answer is "yes".
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:28






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Well, it kind of is a rule, I would think. Perhaps you could make this an answer ;) ?
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:50












  • $begingroup$
    @EricTressler & Brandon_J — well that's clever...
    $endgroup$
    – Hugh
    Feb 10 at 22:55










  • $begingroup$
    @Hugh just our of curiosity, was that serious or sarcastic?
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:56














11












11








11





$begingroup$


Where does "big" come before "old"?



Where does "three" come before "triangular"?



Where does "intelligent" come before "studious"?



Where does "smooth" come before "pearly"?



Where does "beautiful" come before "green"?



There is one place (or rule, or method) where all these orders make sense. Can you find the key that satisfies all conditions?



Notes:




  1. The alphabet is not a part of this puzzle. I know that four out of five pairs are in alphabetical order, but that's actually irrelevant.


  2. I did not come up with this ordering system. It's much older than anyone on this forum and everyone here knows what it is - you might not be able to define it on the first try, but you use it all the time.


  3. All of the orders follow the rule exactly. There is no stretching/bending of rules.







word-property







share|improve this question











$endgroup$




Where does "big" come before "old"?



Where does "three" come before "triangular"?



Where does "intelligent" come before "studious"?



Where does "smooth" come before "pearly"?



Where does "beautiful" come before "green"?



There is one place (or rule, or method) where all these orders make sense. Can you find the key that satisfies all conditions?



Notes:




  1. The alphabet is not a part of this puzzle. I know that four out of five pairs are in alphabetical order, but that's actually irrelevant.


  2. I did not come up with this ordering system. It's much older than anyone on this forum and everyone here knows what it is - you might not be able to define it on the first try, but you use it all the time.


  3. All of the orders follow the rule exactly. There is no stretching/bending of rules.







word-property




word-property






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited Feb 12 at 22:53









Yout Ried

1,014222




1,014222










asked Feb 10 at 20:17









Brandon_JBrandon_J

1,653228




1,653228












  • $begingroup$
    Using this system, is it possible that two words "rank" in the same position (i.e. neither comes before the other?)
    $endgroup$
    – Hugh
    Feb 10 at 22:26






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    @Hugh that's actually a really hard question to answer. Strictly using the source I did, the answer is "yes".
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:28






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Well, it kind of is a rule, I would think. Perhaps you could make this an answer ;) ?
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:50












  • $begingroup$
    @EricTressler & Brandon_J — well that's clever...
    $endgroup$
    – Hugh
    Feb 10 at 22:55










  • $begingroup$
    @Hugh just our of curiosity, was that serious or sarcastic?
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:56


















  • $begingroup$
    Using this system, is it possible that two words "rank" in the same position (i.e. neither comes before the other?)
    $endgroup$
    – Hugh
    Feb 10 at 22:26






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    @Hugh that's actually a really hard question to answer. Strictly using the source I did, the answer is "yes".
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:28






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Well, it kind of is a rule, I would think. Perhaps you could make this an answer ;) ?
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:50












  • $begingroup$
    @EricTressler & Brandon_J — well that's clever...
    $endgroup$
    – Hugh
    Feb 10 at 22:55










  • $begingroup$
    @Hugh just our of curiosity, was that serious or sarcastic?
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:56
















$begingroup$
Using this system, is it possible that two words "rank" in the same position (i.e. neither comes before the other?)
$endgroup$
– Hugh
Feb 10 at 22:26




$begingroup$
Using this system, is it possible that two words "rank" in the same position (i.e. neither comes before the other?)
$endgroup$
– Hugh
Feb 10 at 22:26




1




1




$begingroup$
@Hugh that's actually a really hard question to answer. Strictly using the source I did, the answer is "yes".
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
Feb 10 at 22:28




$begingroup$
@Hugh that's actually a really hard question to answer. Strictly using the source I did, the answer is "yes".
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
Feb 10 at 22:28




1




1




$begingroup$
Well, it kind of is a rule, I would think. Perhaps you could make this an answer ;) ?
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
Feb 10 at 22:50






$begingroup$
Well, it kind of is a rule, I would think. Perhaps you could make this an answer ;) ?
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
Feb 10 at 22:50














$begingroup$
@EricTressler & Brandon_J — well that's clever...
$endgroup$
– Hugh
Feb 10 at 22:55




$begingroup$
@EricTressler & Brandon_J — well that's clever...
$endgroup$
– Hugh
Feb 10 at 22:55












$begingroup$
@Hugh just our of curiosity, was that serious or sarcastic?
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
Feb 10 at 22:56




$begingroup$
@Hugh just our of curiosity, was that serious or sarcastic?
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
Feb 10 at 22:56










5 Answers
5






active

oldest

votes


















10












$begingroup$

I think your question is referring to




the usual order of adjectives/adverbs in English (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/grammar/british-grammar/about-adjectives-and-adverbs/adjectives-order), which are given there as:






  1. opinion (mysterious)




  2. size (giant)




  3. physical quality (flat)




  4. shape (rectangular)




  5. age (ancient)




  6. colour (black)




  7. origin (alien)




  8. material (???)




  9. type (monolithic)




  10. purpose (judging)








share|improve this answer











$endgroup$













  • $begingroup$
    For 8, "wooden" would be a possible value. See also this post on another SE site which I was going to suggest that this was a duplicate of because i had just come from that site and was obviously still a bit confused. :-)
    $endgroup$
    – Hellion
    Feb 11 at 1:01










  • $begingroup$
    No; it's unclear what the material is, but wood seems unlikely
    $endgroup$
    – Eric Tressler
    Feb 11 at 4:04










  • $begingroup$
    whoops, clearly I missed the theme of the examples.
    $endgroup$
    – Hellion
    Feb 11 at 5:14










  • $begingroup$
    That's okay, I was just trying to make the answer a little more interesting. For what it's worth, I'm pretty sure I saw the post you linked to, a few years ago. I did some further reading and eventually found this article, which stuck with me as well.
    $endgroup$
    – Eric Tressler
    Feb 11 at 5:50



















2












$begingroup$

At a stretch it could be...




A dictionary with the Pe page ripped out and placed at the end.







share|improve this answer









$endgroup$









  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Haha good one - but no stretching or tearing is necessary.
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:09



















2












$begingroup$

How about




the order in which a baby will learn these words?




It does fit pretty nicely, however it may not be the expected answer.






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$













  • $begingroup$
    I'm afraid I don't understand - could you elaborate a bit?
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:10






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Oh, I see what you mean. No, the rule isn't anything that I've created. It's been around for longer than I've been alive.
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:12










  • $begingroup$
    @Brandon_J Edited again :)
    $endgroup$
    – Arnaud Mortier
    Feb 10 at 22:26






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    I like this idea (upvote), but it's not what I was looking for. I've updated my post with a contradictory pair of words. Very creative solution, though!
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:34












  • $begingroup$
    @Brandon_J Thanks! I've also upvoted your question as it seems to be quite far-reaching given the amount of reasonable yet wrong answers.
    $endgroup$
    – Arnaud Mortier
    Feb 10 at 22:37



















0












$begingroup$

I have a solution!




In the alphabet. B comes before O, th comes before tr, I comes before S and S comes before P.







share|improve this answer











$endgroup$









  • 4




    $begingroup$
    Unfortunately, P comes before S in the alphabet :) Good try, though!
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 21:49










  • $begingroup$
    Sorry. Oops, I was so happy!
    $endgroup$
    – E.Hinde
    Feb 10 at 21:51



















0












$begingroup$

One possible answer may be:




Time. One chronologically can come before the other.

It does not say that it always has to come before, since it uses "where does" instead of "what always". Therefore, I believe that time is a possible answer.




Where does "big" come before "old"?




When you are old, you shrink. A person is often a couple inches shorter (or more) when they are very old, largely due to spinal compression from gravity along with loss of bone density. So, you are bigger when you are younger.




Where does "three" come before "triangular"?




You need 3 sides first before you can have a triangle.




Where does "intelligent" come before "studious"?




If you are intelligent, it can follow that you are also studious, as you are more likely to study a lot. It does often follow that the person is studious when they are intelligent.




Where does "smooth" come before "pearly"?




In order to be considered pearly, you must first be smooth. While is is possible to be smooth and not pearly, it is unlikely to be considered pearly if it is not smooth first.







Update:



You edited your question with a new pair.



Where does "beautiful" come before "green"?




You changed the terms of this question. Please don't change a question which invalidates existing answers. That said, I can still follow the rule:


A picked flower. A picked flower in a vase must first be beautiful if it is to remain green. If the flower is ugly, it will not be green as it will be thrown in the trash and become brown.







share|improve this answer











$endgroup$









  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Another good possibility (upvote) - but not what I'm looking for. I should probably add some new pairs.
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:30












  • $begingroup$
    Haha! Great :) Yes may not be your original intent but based on what currently exists in the question I believe my answer is possible :)
    $endgroup$
    – Riddler
    Feb 10 at 22:32










  • $begingroup$
    There we go - I've invalidated your answer :)
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:33










  • $begingroup$
    @Brandon_J One of the unspoken rules on this site is Please don't change a question which invalidates existing answers. It is considered rude. Thanks! :)
    $endgroup$
    – Riddler
    Feb 10 at 22:36










  • $begingroup$
    I suppose it's spoken now :) I only did it to narrow down possible answers and justify explaining why your answers aren't what I was looking for. Should I rollback?
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:38











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5 Answers
5






active

oldest

votes








5 Answers
5






active

oldest

votes









active

oldest

votes






active

oldest

votes









10












$begingroup$

I think your question is referring to




the usual order of adjectives/adverbs in English (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/grammar/british-grammar/about-adjectives-and-adverbs/adjectives-order), which are given there as:






  1. opinion (mysterious)




  2. size (giant)




  3. physical quality (flat)




  4. shape (rectangular)




  5. age (ancient)




  6. colour (black)




  7. origin (alien)




  8. material (???)




  9. type (monolithic)




  10. purpose (judging)








share|improve this answer











$endgroup$













  • $begingroup$
    For 8, "wooden" would be a possible value. See also this post on another SE site which I was going to suggest that this was a duplicate of because i had just come from that site and was obviously still a bit confused. :-)
    $endgroup$
    – Hellion
    Feb 11 at 1:01










  • $begingroup$
    No; it's unclear what the material is, but wood seems unlikely
    $endgroup$
    – Eric Tressler
    Feb 11 at 4:04










  • $begingroup$
    whoops, clearly I missed the theme of the examples.
    $endgroup$
    – Hellion
    Feb 11 at 5:14










  • $begingroup$
    That's okay, I was just trying to make the answer a little more interesting. For what it's worth, I'm pretty sure I saw the post you linked to, a few years ago. I did some further reading and eventually found this article, which stuck with me as well.
    $endgroup$
    – Eric Tressler
    Feb 11 at 5:50
















10












$begingroup$

I think your question is referring to




the usual order of adjectives/adverbs in English (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/grammar/british-grammar/about-adjectives-and-adverbs/adjectives-order), which are given there as:






  1. opinion (mysterious)




  2. size (giant)




  3. physical quality (flat)




  4. shape (rectangular)




  5. age (ancient)




  6. colour (black)




  7. origin (alien)




  8. material (???)




  9. type (monolithic)




  10. purpose (judging)








share|improve this answer











$endgroup$













  • $begingroup$
    For 8, "wooden" would be a possible value. See also this post on another SE site which I was going to suggest that this was a duplicate of because i had just come from that site and was obviously still a bit confused. :-)
    $endgroup$
    – Hellion
    Feb 11 at 1:01










  • $begingroup$
    No; it's unclear what the material is, but wood seems unlikely
    $endgroup$
    – Eric Tressler
    Feb 11 at 4:04










  • $begingroup$
    whoops, clearly I missed the theme of the examples.
    $endgroup$
    – Hellion
    Feb 11 at 5:14










  • $begingroup$
    That's okay, I was just trying to make the answer a little more interesting. For what it's worth, I'm pretty sure I saw the post you linked to, a few years ago. I did some further reading and eventually found this article, which stuck with me as well.
    $endgroup$
    – Eric Tressler
    Feb 11 at 5:50














10












10








10





$begingroup$

I think your question is referring to




the usual order of adjectives/adverbs in English (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/grammar/british-grammar/about-adjectives-and-adverbs/adjectives-order), which are given there as:






  1. opinion (mysterious)




  2. size (giant)




  3. physical quality (flat)




  4. shape (rectangular)




  5. age (ancient)




  6. colour (black)




  7. origin (alien)




  8. material (???)




  9. type (monolithic)




  10. purpose (judging)








share|improve this answer











$endgroup$



I think your question is referring to




the usual order of adjectives/adverbs in English (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/grammar/british-grammar/about-adjectives-and-adverbs/adjectives-order), which are given there as:






  1. opinion (mysterious)




  2. size (giant)




  3. physical quality (flat)




  4. shape (rectangular)




  5. age (ancient)




  6. colour (black)




  7. origin (alien)




  8. material (???)




  9. type (monolithic)




  10. purpose (judging)









share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited Feb 10 at 23:09

























answered Feb 10 at 22:56









Eric TresslerEric Tressler

1,9211216




1,9211216












  • $begingroup$
    For 8, "wooden" would be a possible value. See also this post on another SE site which I was going to suggest that this was a duplicate of because i had just come from that site and was obviously still a bit confused. :-)
    $endgroup$
    – Hellion
    Feb 11 at 1:01










  • $begingroup$
    No; it's unclear what the material is, but wood seems unlikely
    $endgroup$
    – Eric Tressler
    Feb 11 at 4:04










  • $begingroup$
    whoops, clearly I missed the theme of the examples.
    $endgroup$
    – Hellion
    Feb 11 at 5:14










  • $begingroup$
    That's okay, I was just trying to make the answer a little more interesting. For what it's worth, I'm pretty sure I saw the post you linked to, a few years ago. I did some further reading and eventually found this article, which stuck with me as well.
    $endgroup$
    – Eric Tressler
    Feb 11 at 5:50


















  • $begingroup$
    For 8, "wooden" would be a possible value. See also this post on another SE site which I was going to suggest that this was a duplicate of because i had just come from that site and was obviously still a bit confused. :-)
    $endgroup$
    – Hellion
    Feb 11 at 1:01










  • $begingroup$
    No; it's unclear what the material is, but wood seems unlikely
    $endgroup$
    – Eric Tressler
    Feb 11 at 4:04










  • $begingroup$
    whoops, clearly I missed the theme of the examples.
    $endgroup$
    – Hellion
    Feb 11 at 5:14










  • $begingroup$
    That's okay, I was just trying to make the answer a little more interesting. For what it's worth, I'm pretty sure I saw the post you linked to, a few years ago. I did some further reading and eventually found this article, which stuck with me as well.
    $endgroup$
    – Eric Tressler
    Feb 11 at 5:50
















$begingroup$
For 8, "wooden" would be a possible value. See also this post on another SE site which I was going to suggest that this was a duplicate of because i had just come from that site and was obviously still a bit confused. :-)
$endgroup$
– Hellion
Feb 11 at 1:01




$begingroup$
For 8, "wooden" would be a possible value. See also this post on another SE site which I was going to suggest that this was a duplicate of because i had just come from that site and was obviously still a bit confused. :-)
$endgroup$
– Hellion
Feb 11 at 1:01












$begingroup$
No; it's unclear what the material is, but wood seems unlikely
$endgroup$
– Eric Tressler
Feb 11 at 4:04




$begingroup$
No; it's unclear what the material is, but wood seems unlikely
$endgroup$
– Eric Tressler
Feb 11 at 4:04












$begingroup$
whoops, clearly I missed the theme of the examples.
$endgroup$
– Hellion
Feb 11 at 5:14




$begingroup$
whoops, clearly I missed the theme of the examples.
$endgroup$
– Hellion
Feb 11 at 5:14












$begingroup$
That's okay, I was just trying to make the answer a little more interesting. For what it's worth, I'm pretty sure I saw the post you linked to, a few years ago. I did some further reading and eventually found this article, which stuck with me as well.
$endgroup$
– Eric Tressler
Feb 11 at 5:50




$begingroup$
That's okay, I was just trying to make the answer a little more interesting. For what it's worth, I'm pretty sure I saw the post you linked to, a few years ago. I did some further reading and eventually found this article, which stuck with me as well.
$endgroup$
– Eric Tressler
Feb 11 at 5:50











2












$begingroup$

At a stretch it could be...




A dictionary with the Pe page ripped out and placed at the end.







share|improve this answer









$endgroup$









  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Haha good one - but no stretching or tearing is necessary.
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:09
















2












$begingroup$

At a stretch it could be...




A dictionary with the Pe page ripped out and placed at the end.







share|improve this answer









$endgroup$









  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Haha good one - but no stretching or tearing is necessary.
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:09














2












2








2





$begingroup$

At a stretch it could be...




A dictionary with the Pe page ripped out and placed at the end.







share|improve this answer









$endgroup$



At a stretch it could be...




A dictionary with the Pe page ripped out and placed at the end.








share|improve this answer












share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer










answered Feb 10 at 22:08









Matthew BarberMatthew Barber

2262




2262








  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Haha good one - but no stretching or tearing is necessary.
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:09














  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Haha good one - but no stretching or tearing is necessary.
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:09








1




1




$begingroup$
Haha good one - but no stretching or tearing is necessary.
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
Feb 10 at 22:09




$begingroup$
Haha good one - but no stretching or tearing is necessary.
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
Feb 10 at 22:09











2












$begingroup$

How about




the order in which a baby will learn these words?




It does fit pretty nicely, however it may not be the expected answer.






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$













  • $begingroup$
    I'm afraid I don't understand - could you elaborate a bit?
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:10






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Oh, I see what you mean. No, the rule isn't anything that I've created. It's been around for longer than I've been alive.
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:12










  • $begingroup$
    @Brandon_J Edited again :)
    $endgroup$
    – Arnaud Mortier
    Feb 10 at 22:26






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    I like this idea (upvote), but it's not what I was looking for. I've updated my post with a contradictory pair of words. Very creative solution, though!
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:34












  • $begingroup$
    @Brandon_J Thanks! I've also upvoted your question as it seems to be quite far-reaching given the amount of reasonable yet wrong answers.
    $endgroup$
    – Arnaud Mortier
    Feb 10 at 22:37
















2












$begingroup$

How about




the order in which a baby will learn these words?




It does fit pretty nicely, however it may not be the expected answer.






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$













  • $begingroup$
    I'm afraid I don't understand - could you elaborate a bit?
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:10






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Oh, I see what you mean. No, the rule isn't anything that I've created. It's been around for longer than I've been alive.
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:12










  • $begingroup$
    @Brandon_J Edited again :)
    $endgroup$
    – Arnaud Mortier
    Feb 10 at 22:26






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    I like this idea (upvote), but it's not what I was looking for. I've updated my post with a contradictory pair of words. Very creative solution, though!
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:34












  • $begingroup$
    @Brandon_J Thanks! I've also upvoted your question as it seems to be quite far-reaching given the amount of reasonable yet wrong answers.
    $endgroup$
    – Arnaud Mortier
    Feb 10 at 22:37














2












2








2





$begingroup$

How about




the order in which a baby will learn these words?




It does fit pretty nicely, however it may not be the expected answer.






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$



How about




the order in which a baby will learn these words?




It does fit pretty nicely, however it may not be the expected answer.







share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited Feb 10 at 22:26

























answered Feb 10 at 22:08









Arnaud MortierArnaud Mortier

543210




543210












  • $begingroup$
    I'm afraid I don't understand - could you elaborate a bit?
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:10






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Oh, I see what you mean. No, the rule isn't anything that I've created. It's been around for longer than I've been alive.
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:12










  • $begingroup$
    @Brandon_J Edited again :)
    $endgroup$
    – Arnaud Mortier
    Feb 10 at 22:26






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    I like this idea (upvote), but it's not what I was looking for. I've updated my post with a contradictory pair of words. Very creative solution, though!
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:34












  • $begingroup$
    @Brandon_J Thanks! I've also upvoted your question as it seems to be quite far-reaching given the amount of reasonable yet wrong answers.
    $endgroup$
    – Arnaud Mortier
    Feb 10 at 22:37


















  • $begingroup$
    I'm afraid I don't understand - could you elaborate a bit?
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:10






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Oh, I see what you mean. No, the rule isn't anything that I've created. It's been around for longer than I've been alive.
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:12










  • $begingroup$
    @Brandon_J Edited again :)
    $endgroup$
    – Arnaud Mortier
    Feb 10 at 22:26






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    I like this idea (upvote), but it's not what I was looking for. I've updated my post with a contradictory pair of words. Very creative solution, though!
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:34












  • $begingroup$
    @Brandon_J Thanks! I've also upvoted your question as it seems to be quite far-reaching given the amount of reasonable yet wrong answers.
    $endgroup$
    – Arnaud Mortier
    Feb 10 at 22:37
















$begingroup$
I'm afraid I don't understand - could you elaborate a bit?
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
Feb 10 at 22:10




$begingroup$
I'm afraid I don't understand - could you elaborate a bit?
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
Feb 10 at 22:10




1




1




$begingroup$
Oh, I see what you mean. No, the rule isn't anything that I've created. It's been around for longer than I've been alive.
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
Feb 10 at 22:12




$begingroup$
Oh, I see what you mean. No, the rule isn't anything that I've created. It's been around for longer than I've been alive.
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
Feb 10 at 22:12












$begingroup$
@Brandon_J Edited again :)
$endgroup$
– Arnaud Mortier
Feb 10 at 22:26




$begingroup$
@Brandon_J Edited again :)
$endgroup$
– Arnaud Mortier
Feb 10 at 22:26




1




1




$begingroup$
I like this idea (upvote), but it's not what I was looking for. I've updated my post with a contradictory pair of words. Very creative solution, though!
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
Feb 10 at 22:34






$begingroup$
I like this idea (upvote), but it's not what I was looking for. I've updated my post with a contradictory pair of words. Very creative solution, though!
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
Feb 10 at 22:34














$begingroup$
@Brandon_J Thanks! I've also upvoted your question as it seems to be quite far-reaching given the amount of reasonable yet wrong answers.
$endgroup$
– Arnaud Mortier
Feb 10 at 22:37




$begingroup$
@Brandon_J Thanks! I've also upvoted your question as it seems to be quite far-reaching given the amount of reasonable yet wrong answers.
$endgroup$
– Arnaud Mortier
Feb 10 at 22:37











0












$begingroup$

I have a solution!




In the alphabet. B comes before O, th comes before tr, I comes before S and S comes before P.







share|improve this answer











$endgroup$









  • 4




    $begingroup$
    Unfortunately, P comes before S in the alphabet :) Good try, though!
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 21:49










  • $begingroup$
    Sorry. Oops, I was so happy!
    $endgroup$
    – E.Hinde
    Feb 10 at 21:51
















0












$begingroup$

I have a solution!




In the alphabet. B comes before O, th comes before tr, I comes before S and S comes before P.







share|improve this answer











$endgroup$









  • 4




    $begingroup$
    Unfortunately, P comes before S in the alphabet :) Good try, though!
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 21:49










  • $begingroup$
    Sorry. Oops, I was so happy!
    $endgroup$
    – E.Hinde
    Feb 10 at 21:51














0












0








0





$begingroup$

I have a solution!




In the alphabet. B comes before O, th comes before tr, I comes before S and S comes before P.







share|improve this answer











$endgroup$



I have a solution!




In the alphabet. B comes before O, th comes before tr, I comes before S and S comes before P.








share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited Feb 10 at 21:50

























answered Feb 10 at 21:48









E.HindeE.Hinde

313




313








  • 4




    $begingroup$
    Unfortunately, P comes before S in the alphabet :) Good try, though!
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 21:49










  • $begingroup$
    Sorry. Oops, I was so happy!
    $endgroup$
    – E.Hinde
    Feb 10 at 21:51














  • 4




    $begingroup$
    Unfortunately, P comes before S in the alphabet :) Good try, though!
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 21:49










  • $begingroup$
    Sorry. Oops, I was so happy!
    $endgroup$
    – E.Hinde
    Feb 10 at 21:51








4




4




$begingroup$
Unfortunately, P comes before S in the alphabet :) Good try, though!
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
Feb 10 at 21:49




$begingroup$
Unfortunately, P comes before S in the alphabet :) Good try, though!
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
Feb 10 at 21:49












$begingroup$
Sorry. Oops, I was so happy!
$endgroup$
– E.Hinde
Feb 10 at 21:51




$begingroup$
Sorry. Oops, I was so happy!
$endgroup$
– E.Hinde
Feb 10 at 21:51











0












$begingroup$

One possible answer may be:




Time. One chronologically can come before the other.

It does not say that it always has to come before, since it uses "where does" instead of "what always". Therefore, I believe that time is a possible answer.




Where does "big" come before "old"?




When you are old, you shrink. A person is often a couple inches shorter (or more) when they are very old, largely due to spinal compression from gravity along with loss of bone density. So, you are bigger when you are younger.




Where does "three" come before "triangular"?




You need 3 sides first before you can have a triangle.




Where does "intelligent" come before "studious"?




If you are intelligent, it can follow that you are also studious, as you are more likely to study a lot. It does often follow that the person is studious when they are intelligent.




Where does "smooth" come before "pearly"?




In order to be considered pearly, you must first be smooth. While is is possible to be smooth and not pearly, it is unlikely to be considered pearly if it is not smooth first.







Update:



You edited your question with a new pair.



Where does "beautiful" come before "green"?




You changed the terms of this question. Please don't change a question which invalidates existing answers. That said, I can still follow the rule:


A picked flower. A picked flower in a vase must first be beautiful if it is to remain green. If the flower is ugly, it will not be green as it will be thrown in the trash and become brown.







share|improve this answer











$endgroup$









  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Another good possibility (upvote) - but not what I'm looking for. I should probably add some new pairs.
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:30












  • $begingroup$
    Haha! Great :) Yes may not be your original intent but based on what currently exists in the question I believe my answer is possible :)
    $endgroup$
    – Riddler
    Feb 10 at 22:32










  • $begingroup$
    There we go - I've invalidated your answer :)
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:33










  • $begingroup$
    @Brandon_J One of the unspoken rules on this site is Please don't change a question which invalidates existing answers. It is considered rude. Thanks! :)
    $endgroup$
    – Riddler
    Feb 10 at 22:36










  • $begingroup$
    I suppose it's spoken now :) I only did it to narrow down possible answers and justify explaining why your answers aren't what I was looking for. Should I rollback?
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:38
















0












$begingroup$

One possible answer may be:




Time. One chronologically can come before the other.

It does not say that it always has to come before, since it uses "where does" instead of "what always". Therefore, I believe that time is a possible answer.




Where does "big" come before "old"?




When you are old, you shrink. A person is often a couple inches shorter (or more) when they are very old, largely due to spinal compression from gravity along with loss of bone density. So, you are bigger when you are younger.




Where does "three" come before "triangular"?




You need 3 sides first before you can have a triangle.




Where does "intelligent" come before "studious"?




If you are intelligent, it can follow that you are also studious, as you are more likely to study a lot. It does often follow that the person is studious when they are intelligent.




Where does "smooth" come before "pearly"?




In order to be considered pearly, you must first be smooth. While is is possible to be smooth and not pearly, it is unlikely to be considered pearly if it is not smooth first.







Update:



You edited your question with a new pair.



Where does "beautiful" come before "green"?




You changed the terms of this question. Please don't change a question which invalidates existing answers. That said, I can still follow the rule:


A picked flower. A picked flower in a vase must first be beautiful if it is to remain green. If the flower is ugly, it will not be green as it will be thrown in the trash and become brown.







share|improve this answer











$endgroup$









  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Another good possibility (upvote) - but not what I'm looking for. I should probably add some new pairs.
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:30












  • $begingroup$
    Haha! Great :) Yes may not be your original intent but based on what currently exists in the question I believe my answer is possible :)
    $endgroup$
    – Riddler
    Feb 10 at 22:32










  • $begingroup$
    There we go - I've invalidated your answer :)
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:33










  • $begingroup$
    @Brandon_J One of the unspoken rules on this site is Please don't change a question which invalidates existing answers. It is considered rude. Thanks! :)
    $endgroup$
    – Riddler
    Feb 10 at 22:36










  • $begingroup$
    I suppose it's spoken now :) I only did it to narrow down possible answers and justify explaining why your answers aren't what I was looking for. Should I rollback?
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:38














0












0








0





$begingroup$

One possible answer may be:




Time. One chronologically can come before the other.

It does not say that it always has to come before, since it uses "where does" instead of "what always". Therefore, I believe that time is a possible answer.




Where does "big" come before "old"?




When you are old, you shrink. A person is often a couple inches shorter (or more) when they are very old, largely due to spinal compression from gravity along with loss of bone density. So, you are bigger when you are younger.




Where does "three" come before "triangular"?




You need 3 sides first before you can have a triangle.




Where does "intelligent" come before "studious"?




If you are intelligent, it can follow that you are also studious, as you are more likely to study a lot. It does often follow that the person is studious when they are intelligent.




Where does "smooth" come before "pearly"?




In order to be considered pearly, you must first be smooth. While is is possible to be smooth and not pearly, it is unlikely to be considered pearly if it is not smooth first.







Update:



You edited your question with a new pair.



Where does "beautiful" come before "green"?




You changed the terms of this question. Please don't change a question which invalidates existing answers. That said, I can still follow the rule:


A picked flower. A picked flower in a vase must first be beautiful if it is to remain green. If the flower is ugly, it will not be green as it will be thrown in the trash and become brown.







share|improve this answer











$endgroup$



One possible answer may be:




Time. One chronologically can come before the other.

It does not say that it always has to come before, since it uses "where does" instead of "what always". Therefore, I believe that time is a possible answer.




Where does "big" come before "old"?




When you are old, you shrink. A person is often a couple inches shorter (or more) when they are very old, largely due to spinal compression from gravity along with loss of bone density. So, you are bigger when you are younger.




Where does "three" come before "triangular"?




You need 3 sides first before you can have a triangle.




Where does "intelligent" come before "studious"?




If you are intelligent, it can follow that you are also studious, as you are more likely to study a lot. It does often follow that the person is studious when they are intelligent.




Where does "smooth" come before "pearly"?




In order to be considered pearly, you must first be smooth. While is is possible to be smooth and not pearly, it is unlikely to be considered pearly if it is not smooth first.







Update:



You edited your question with a new pair.



Where does "beautiful" come before "green"?




You changed the terms of this question. Please don't change a question which invalidates existing answers. That said, I can still follow the rule:


A picked flower. A picked flower in a vase must first be beautiful if it is to remain green. If the flower is ugly, it will not be green as it will be thrown in the trash and become brown.








share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited Feb 10 at 22:40

























answered Feb 10 at 22:28









RiddlerRiddler

65915




65915








  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Another good possibility (upvote) - but not what I'm looking for. I should probably add some new pairs.
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:30












  • $begingroup$
    Haha! Great :) Yes may not be your original intent but based on what currently exists in the question I believe my answer is possible :)
    $endgroup$
    – Riddler
    Feb 10 at 22:32










  • $begingroup$
    There we go - I've invalidated your answer :)
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:33










  • $begingroup$
    @Brandon_J One of the unspoken rules on this site is Please don't change a question which invalidates existing answers. It is considered rude. Thanks! :)
    $endgroup$
    – Riddler
    Feb 10 at 22:36










  • $begingroup$
    I suppose it's spoken now :) I only did it to narrow down possible answers and justify explaining why your answers aren't what I was looking for. Should I rollback?
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:38














  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Another good possibility (upvote) - but not what I'm looking for. I should probably add some new pairs.
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:30












  • $begingroup$
    Haha! Great :) Yes may not be your original intent but based on what currently exists in the question I believe my answer is possible :)
    $endgroup$
    – Riddler
    Feb 10 at 22:32










  • $begingroup$
    There we go - I've invalidated your answer :)
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:33










  • $begingroup$
    @Brandon_J One of the unspoken rules on this site is Please don't change a question which invalidates existing answers. It is considered rude. Thanks! :)
    $endgroup$
    – Riddler
    Feb 10 at 22:36










  • $begingroup$
    I suppose it's spoken now :) I only did it to narrow down possible answers and justify explaining why your answers aren't what I was looking for. Should I rollback?
    $endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Feb 10 at 22:38








1




1




$begingroup$
Another good possibility (upvote) - but not what I'm looking for. I should probably add some new pairs.
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
Feb 10 at 22:30






$begingroup$
Another good possibility (upvote) - but not what I'm looking for. I should probably add some new pairs.
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
Feb 10 at 22:30














$begingroup$
Haha! Great :) Yes may not be your original intent but based on what currently exists in the question I believe my answer is possible :)
$endgroup$
– Riddler
Feb 10 at 22:32




$begingroup$
Haha! Great :) Yes may not be your original intent but based on what currently exists in the question I believe my answer is possible :)
$endgroup$
– Riddler
Feb 10 at 22:32












$begingroup$
There we go - I've invalidated your answer :)
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
Feb 10 at 22:33




$begingroup$
There we go - I've invalidated your answer :)
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
Feb 10 at 22:33












$begingroup$
@Brandon_J One of the unspoken rules on this site is Please don't change a question which invalidates existing answers. It is considered rude. Thanks! :)
$endgroup$
– Riddler
Feb 10 at 22:36




$begingroup$
@Brandon_J One of the unspoken rules on this site is Please don't change a question which invalidates existing answers. It is considered rude. Thanks! :)
$endgroup$
– Riddler
Feb 10 at 22:36












$begingroup$
I suppose it's spoken now :) I only did it to narrow down possible answers and justify explaining why your answers aren't what I was looking for. Should I rollback?
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
Feb 10 at 22:38




$begingroup$
I suppose it's spoken now :) I only did it to narrow down possible answers and justify explaining why your answers aren't what I was looking for. Should I rollback?
$endgroup$
– Brandon_J
Feb 10 at 22:38


















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