# 53 bicycles: A lateral thinking puzzle **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [July 9, 2017, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868 "2017-07-09T19:51:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 22
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/421 "2017-07-16T15:57:08Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Some years back, a man and his wife run out of gas on a country road. Leaving his wife in the car, the man sets out to get gas. When he returns with a can of gas, he finds his wife dead, and a stranger in the car. But the stranger is not arrested, or even questioned by the police when they arrive. > > Why? I haven’t heard this, but I think I have a pretty good guess: Is he happy about being a dad? ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/422 "2017-07-16T15:58:38Z")
The stranger is a new-born baby. The wife died in childbirth. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/423 "2017-07-16T16:03:26Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > The stranger is a new-born baby. The wife died in childbirth. Yup. > [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I haven’t heard this, but I think I have a pretty good guess: > > Is he happy about being a dad? Well, mixed feelings, given the circumstances. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/424 "2017-07-16T16:18:09Z")
I just read about a unique school in Arizona. The teachers are career criminals. The students have mostly not committed any crimes. The parents of the students do not care much about any of this. The police do not get involved. Huh? ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Shine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr_shine/32/464_2.png) [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/425 "2017-07-16T16:22:02Z")
Do the teachers teach regular school subjects? (English, Maths, History, Science etc.) Did the teachers commit crimes that under Arizona law, they would normally receive a prison sentence? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/426 "2017-07-16T16:22:29Z")
Is it a doggy school? ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Shine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr_shine/32/464_2.png) [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/427 "2017-07-16T16:24:40Z")
Oh, forgetting about standard American terminology versus UK When you say “school” do you mean an institution that mainly educates people 18 and under? ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/428 "2017-07-16T16:24:41Z")
> [@Mr\_Shine](#): > > Do the teachers teach regular school subjects? (English, Maths, History, Science etc.) > Did the teachers commit crimes that under Arizona law, they would normally receive a prison sentence? Yes to subjects taught No to Arizona crimes under Arizona law ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/429 "2017-07-16T16:26:31Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Is it a doggy school? No. > [@Mr\_Shine](#): > > Oh, forgetting about standard American terminology versus UK > > When you say “school” do you mean an institution that mainly educates people 18 and under? Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Shine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr_shine/32/464_2.png) [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/430 "2017-07-16T16:35:27Z")
Does “career criminal” mean “person who has regularly committed acts that are against the law over an extended period of time” If yes, did all the teachers commit the same, (or substantially similar) crime? ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/431 "2017-07-16T16:41:49Z")
> [@Mr\_Shine](#): > > Does “career criminal” mean “person who has regularly committed acts that are against the law over an extended period of time” > > If yes, did all the teachers commit the same, (or substantially similar) crime? No. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/432 "2017-07-16T16:50:22Z")
Possibly (un?)helpful hint: blame can be laid on coyotes ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/433 "2017-07-16T17:05:25Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > Possibly (un?)helpful hint: blame can be laid on coyotes They set booby-traps for Road Runners, but were never convicted? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/434 "2017-07-16T17:40:03Z")
Is immigration involved? ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/435 "2017-07-16T17:58:14Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Is immigration involved? No. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/436 "2017-07-16T18:09:55Z")
1. Are the students in grades K-12? 2. Could the school be anywhere else besides Arizona? 3. If so, would those other places have similar geographical characteristics to Arizona? 4. Are the parents alive? 5. Is some kind of hunting involved? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/437 "2017-07-16T18:22:46Z")
Were the crimes the teachers committed considered crimes by the state of Arizona? Were they considered crimes by the federal government of the US? Were they considered crimes in any jurisdiction at all in the US? Did the crimes they commit require specialized skills? Are they still committing crimes, while employed as teachers? ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/438 "2017-07-16T18:43:10Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > 1. Are the students in grades K-12? > 2. Could the school be anywhere else besides Arizona? > 3. If so, would those other places have similar geographical characteristics to Arizona? > 4. Are the parents alive? > 5. Is some kind of hunting involved? 1. Yes 2. Yes 3. Not relevant 4. Yes 5. No ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/439 "2017-07-16T18:45:45Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Were the crimes the teachers committed considered crimes by the state of Arizona? > Were they considered crimes by the federal government of the US? > Were they considered crimes in any jurisdiction at all in the US? > Did the crimes they commit require specialized skills? > Are they still committing crimes, while employed as teachers? No to all. But they are still criminals thanks to those damn coyotes. I am going to work now and cannot answer more until later. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Shine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr_shine/32/464_2.png) [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/440 "2017-07-16T18:49:50Z")
Is “criminal” a nickname for something benign, e.g a local sports team? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868.md?page=21) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868.md?page=23)