For those not familiar with lateral thinking puzzles, one person gives a brief setup, which everyone else has to try to explain. You’re allowed to ask yes-or-no questions to narrow it down (no limit on the number; this isn’t 20 questions). In addition to yes or no, the answers might also be “I don’t know” if the question has no bearing whatsoever on the solution, or “probably” or “probably not” if it could work either way, but the nature of the solution suggests a likely answer. Careful phrasing of the questions is important, since some things might not mean what you think they mean: If your question contains an assumption, then you probably want to verify your assumption before you ask. Since this is a text medium where all the answers are recorded, I’m going to be a little stricter in my answers than if I were playing in real life. The precise wording of a question might be important; refer back to how it was phrased when asked.
I’ll go first, with my favorite such puzzle. If you know it already, please don’t spoil it. After someone solves it, we can do another, if interest is there.
The puzzle: “A man is found dead, surrounded by 53 bicycles. What happened?”
A man walks into a bar, and orders a glass of water. The bartender then draws a gun from underneath the bar, aims it straight at the man, and then puts it away. The man thanks the bartender and leaves. Why?
