# 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:** 35
**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 21, 2017, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/681 "2017-07-21T00:33:52Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > Because drama queen. Heh heh. > [@Some\_Call\_Me.Tim](#): > > 1. Were the 51 people correlated to the other cards in a deck of playing cards? > 2. Were the 51 people correlated to each US state and the District of Columbia? > 3. Is the number of pet animals released relevant? 1. No 2. No 3. Not sure how to answer this. I guess yes. ---
**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 21, 2017, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/682 "2017-07-21T00:35:00Z")
> [@Some\_Call\_Me.Tim](#): > > 1. Is the particular number 51 relevant? (Would this problem work as well if she’d unfriended 62 people?) Yes. 62 would NOT work. ---
**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 21, 2017, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/683 "2017-07-21T00:38:29Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > 1. Regulation question for Biotop: Are one or more words in the riddle best understood through some sort of wordplay or other nonstandard definition? No. Standard words. > [@Ludovic](#): > > All but the jewelry on eBay I can understand as going offline: she erases herself from Facebook, no longer plays Pokemon Go (“pet animals”), and swears off online casinos (“cherries”). No. > [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Is this something to do with playing cards? > Is she a queen? No. > [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Are the 51 people the total of her friends on Facebook, or does she still have some friends left? No not total. She has other friends left. ---
**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 21, 2017, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/684 "2017-07-21T00:47:20Z")
> [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](#): > > She doesn’t like Donald Trump. > > “unfriends 51 people on Facebook” - they were Trump supporters > “sells her jewelry on ebay”- they were _Ivanka Trump Collection_ > “releases a number of pet animals into the wild” - they looked like Donald Trump’s hair > “also swears off a certain kind of fruit” - she will no longer buy oranges or orange-colored fruit No to Trump ---
**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 21, 2017, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/685 "2017-07-21T01:00:51Z")
Did the 51 unfriends have the fruit she gave up as a like? ---
**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 21, 2017, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/686 "2017-07-21T01:14:00Z")
1. Does this have anything to do with a conspiracy theory? 2. Is the woman ill? 3. Is the fruit unusual? 4. Has the woman converted to a religion? 5. Does it have anything to do with religion? 6. Even if the woman isn’t ill, was the fruit given up on the advice of her doctor? 7. Is the fruit something very strictly speaking, a fruit, or is it a culinary fruit that might technically be something else biologically? 8. Does “swears off” mean “stop eating”? 9. Did she sell the jewelry to cover a debt? 10. Did she give the money gained from selling the jewelry to charity? 11. Is it significant that she used eBay to sell the jewelry, as opposed to a pawn shop, or a brick & mortar auction house? 12. Did she swear off grapes because she stopped drinking? ---
**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 21, 2017, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/687 "2017-07-21T01:21:36Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > A woman unfriends 51 people on Facebook, sells her jewelry on ebay and releases a number of pet animals into the wild. She also swears off a certain kind of fruit. Why? 1. Is 51 connected to the weeks of the year? 2. Is 51 connected to 3 x 17? 3. Is 51 connected to 1 more than 100 divided by 2? 4. Do the friends all have the same job? 5. Do the friends all live in the same area? 6. Does she know the friends through the same activity? 7. Does she know the friends from the same period of her life? ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2017, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/688 "2017-07-21T01:27:48Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > A woman unfriends 51 people on Facebook, sells her jewelry on ebay and releases a number of pet animals into the wild. She also swears off a certain kind of fruit. Why? Is the woman of sound mind (i.e. not mentally ill, having a psychotic episode or something similar)? ---
**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 21, 2017, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/689 "2017-07-21T01:29:23Z")
1. Were the pets fish? 2. Were the pets animals she should not have had in the first place-- that is, was she keeping deer or squirrels, for example, as pets, and has released them? 3. Or did she actually release dependent cats and dogs into the wild, which is usually referred to as “dumping,” and is considered an immoral act? 4. In sum, was the release of the animals generally something people would consider a cruel act? 5. Was the release of the animals something most people would not consider cruel? ---
**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 21, 2017, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/690 "2017-07-21T03:23:38Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > Did the 51 unfriends have the fruit she gave up as a like? No. > [@RivkahChaya](#): > > 1. Does this have anything to do with a conspiracy theory? > > 2. Is the woman ill? > > 3. Is the fruit unusual? > > 4. Has the woman converted to a religion? > > 5. Does it have anything to do with religion? > > 6. Even if the woman isn’t ill, was the fruit given up on the advice of her doctor? > > 7. Is the fruit something very strictly speaking, a fruit, or is it a culinary fruit that might technically be something else biologically? > > 8. Does “swears off” mean “stop eating”? > > 9. Did she sell the jewelry to cover a debt? > > 10. Did she give the money gained from selling the jewelry to charity? > > 11. Is it significant that she used eBay to sell the jewelry, as opposed to a pawn shop, or a brick & mortar auction house? > > 12. Did she swear off grapes because she stopped drinking? 1. No 2. No 3. No 4. No 5. No 6. No 7. Yes. It’s a regular fruit 8. Yes 9. No 10. No 11. No 12. 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 21, 2017, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/691 "2017-07-21T03:41:43Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > 1. Is 51 connected to the weeks of the year? > 2. Is 51 connected to 3 x 17? > 3. Is 51 connected to 1 more than 100 divided by 2? > 4. Do the friends all have the same job? > 5. Do the friends all live in the same area? > 6. Does she know the friends through the same activity? > 7. Does she know the friends from the same period of her life? 1. No 2. No 3. No 4. No 5. I don’t think it is necessarily so 6. Yes 7. Yes > [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](#): > > Is the woman of sound mind (i.e. not mentally ill, having a psychotic episode or something similar)? Yes. Sound mind. > [@RivkahChaya](#): > > 1. Were the pets fish? > > 2. Were the pets animals she should not have had in the first place-- that is, was she keeping deer or squirrels, for example, as pets, and has released them? > > 3. Or did she actually release dependent cats and dogs into the wild, which is usually referred to as “dumping,” and is considered an immoral act? > > 4. In sum, was the release of the animals generally something people would consider a cruel act? > > 5. Was the release of the animals something most people would not consider cruel? 1. No 2. No. 3. No. Probably still not the nicest thing to do. 4. I guess… 5. Again I think most people would be rightly critical… ---
**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 21, 2017, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/692 "2017-07-21T03:46:25Z")
My unanswered questions on post #689 plus the following: 1. Are the unfriended people dead? 2. If yes, is their death possibly connected to the fruit? 3. Is the woman worried she may die too? 4. Did she give the money from her jewelry sale to her children or to other relatives or close friends? ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2017, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/693 "2017-07-21T04:18:39Z")
Is the woman expecting to go to prison soon? Is the woman expecting to die soon? Is the woman expecting to change place of residence soon? ---
**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 21, 2017, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/694 "2017-07-21T04:44:28Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > My unanswered questions on post #689 plus the following: > > 1. Are the unfriended people dead? > > 2. If yes, is their death possibly connected to the fruit? > > 3. Is the woman worried she may die too? > > 4. Did she give the money from her jewelry sale to her children or to other relatives or close friends? No to all these. I think I covered the #689 questions in #691. ---
**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 21, 2017, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/695 "2017-07-21T04:47:31Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Is the woman expecting to go to prison soon? > > Is the woman expecting to die soon? > > Is the woman expecting to change place of residence soon? No to these. ---
**Author:** ![Ignotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecc23a/32.png) [@Ignotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignotus)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2017, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/696 "2017-07-21T08:31:49Z")
1. Are all of the pets vertebrates? 2. Are some of the pets mammals? 3. Are some of the pets birds? 4. Are some of the pets reptiles? 5. Are some of the pets amphibians? ---
**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 21, 2017, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/697 "2017-07-21T10:30:52Z")
1. Was she angry at the people she unfriended? 2. Was selling the jewelry some kind of protest? (eg, getting rid of diamonds, but not limited to that) 3. Did the woman live in the US when this occurred? 4. Is the fruit typically consumed in its raw form, like an apple? 5. Is the fruit (defining it loosely) typically consumed as an ingredient, like coconut? 6. Is the fruit typically consumed as a juice, like cranberries? 7. Did selling he jewelry bring in a substantial amount of money? ---
**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 21, 2017, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/698 "2017-07-21T11:38:58Z")
I think we need to narrow down the fruit and the pets. I’ll try the fruit. 1. Does the fruit have “berry” in its name?\* 2. Is it citrus? 3. Is it most commonly grown in tropical countries? 4. Does it have a stone? 5. Is the peel or outer coating commonly removed before eating? 6. Does it grow on trees? 7. Does it grown on vines? That’s enough for now. ---
**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 21, 2017, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/699 "2017-07-21T12:28:40Z")
Is the fruit related to a particular American state? Are the pets related to a particular American state? Does the woman have the name of an American state? (Including pre-Civil War.) ---
**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 21, 2017, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/700 "2017-07-21T12:29:02Z")
Does the logic of her actions only make sense to her? I ask because this sounds like a typical FB meltdown. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868.md?page=34) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868.md?page=36)