To break the "why?" cycle with every child?

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So, I can't stand the "why?" Cycle. Drives me crazy, I refuse to be drawn into it with kids.

Eg
Adult: we have to go home
Kid: why?
Adult: because it's 3
Kid: why?
Adult: because that's the time

Etc as the kid finds it amusing that the adult is getting all flustered and annoyed.

My go to is 'I will only answer proper questions, so ask me again properly'. They occasionally ask me one, maybe two follow up questions.

According to a friend, I'm spoiling the kids fun

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime
though I did resort to "because it's the law, and if I get a fine we don't get any ice-cream for a year" when the argument was about seatbelts

I used to say something along those lines and then one day outside nursery the police were doing a surprise carseat check. When the policewoman popped her head in to check their seats the kids' eyes were out on stalks, they couldn't believe it. And afterwards, total silence in the car. It was like
Me:
The kids:
Me:
The kids:
Me: SEE???

Such an important stage to engage with and not to shut down down. Not always possible unless you have the patient of a saint, but I generally lived that stage in all my children.

toomuchtooold

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime
though I did resort to "because it's the law, and if I get a fine we don't get any ice-cream for a year" when the argument was about seatbelts

I used to say something along those lines and then one day outside nursery the police were doing a surprise carseat check. When the policewoman popped her head in to check their seats the kids' eyes were out on stalks, they couldn't believe it. And afterwards, total silence in the car. It was like
Me:
The kids:
Me:
The kids:
Me: SEE???

Oh, that's brilliant! I wish I had thought to organise it: we lived almost next door to a police station and I could have asked one of them, I knew them fairly well from the local shop.

I seriously thought about asking them to ask if they'd brushed their teeth properly as well