# 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:** 49
**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:** [August 15, 2017, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/961 "2017-08-15T19:08:20Z")
To generalize those last few: Did T consume any portion of V’s body? Did T use any part of V’s body to consume some other food or drink? I’m thinking kuru, or some other prion disease. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2017, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/962 "2017-08-15T20:32:02Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > Hope this isn’t a repeat. > > 1. Did T’s celebration involve desecrating the body of V in some manner? > > 2. Did he eat or try to eat his heart? > > 3. Did he drink from his skull? > > 4. Did he carry around any V body parts while celebrating? 1. Yes. 2. No. 3. No. 4. Yes. > [@Chronos](#): > > To generalize those last few: > Did T consume any portion of V’s body? > Did T use any part of V’s body to consume some other food or drink? > > I’m thinking kuru, or some other prion disease. No to all. ---
**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:** [August 15, 2017, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/963 "2017-08-15T20:37:38Z")
> [@](#): > > 1. Did he carry around any V body parts while celebrating? > > - yes Head on a spike? ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2017, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/964 "2017-08-15T20:51:46Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Head on a spike? Head not on a spike? The entire body? One or more limbs or parts of limbs? Torso or partial torso? um… private parts? One or more bones? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2017, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/965 "2017-08-15T21:51:00Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Head on a spike? No. > [@Folly](#): > > 1. Head not on a spike? > > 2. The entire body? > > 3. One or more limbs or parts of limbs? > > 4. Torso or partial torso? > > 5. um… private parts? > > 6. One or more bones? 1. Yes. 2. No. 3. No. 4. No. 5. No. 6. No. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2017, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/966 "2017-08-15T22:54:20Z")
OK. So he was carrying around his enemy’s head while celebrating, but did not use it to eat or drink anything and he did not eat any portion of the head itself. This somehow caused an infection in a wound caused by V to T. This infection could possibly be transmissible from one human to another, but there is something different about the infection or transmission of the infection in this circumstance) I can’t even think of any follow up questions to ask right now… ETA: OK. I thought of this. Is the infection tetanus? Was the head used like a soccer ball or other ball? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/967 "2017-08-16T00:38:12Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > OK. So he was carrying around his enemy’s head while celebrating, but did not use it to eat or drink anything and he did not eat any portion of the head itself. This somehow caused an infection in a wound caused by V to T. This infection could possibly be transmissible from one human to another, but there is something different about the infection or transmission of the infection in this circumstance) > > I can’t even think of any follow up questions to ask right now… > ETA: OK. I thought of this. > > Is the infection tetanus? > Was the head used like a soccer ball or other ball? No to tetanus. No, it was not used as a ball. ---
**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:** [August 16, 2017, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/968 "2017-08-16T00:42:27Z")
Did it somehow manage to bite him after being decapitated? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/969 "2017-08-16T01:10:03Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Did it somehow manage to bite him after being decapitated? Yes(sort of). ---
**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:** [August 16, 2017, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/970 "2017-08-16T02:09:40Z")
Did he KISS the head? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/971 "2017-08-16T02:17:03Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > Did he KISS the head? No. You guys pretty much have it. Anyone want to try to put it all together to explain what happened? If you guys are close enough, I’ll tell you and end it. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/972 "2017-08-16T02:39:35Z")
I’ll give it a shot by combining Chronos’s summary with mine, but I think I might still be missing a step or component. T and V (and their men) fought, and T and his men won through treachery, killing V in the process. V was decapitated either during or after the battle. At some point afterwards, T celebrated along with V’s head. As a result of the celebrations\*, V’s teeth ended up injuring T, perhaps just a nice scratch. Human mouths being gross and filthy means that this somehow caused an infection in a wound caused by V to T. T ends up dying from his infection and boy does he wish he hadn’t been playing with that head. \*Maybe he was putting on a ventriloquist show. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/973 "2017-08-16T03:06:14Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > I’ll give it a shot by combining Chronos’s summary with mine, but I think I might still be missing a step or component. > > T and V (and their men) fought, and T and his men won through treachery, killing V in the process. V was decapitated either during or after the battle. At some point afterwards, T celebrated along with V’s head. As a result of the celebrations\*, V’s teeth ended up injuring T, perhaps just a nice scratch. Human mouths being gross and filthy means that this somehow caused an infection in a wound caused by V to T. T ends up dying from his infection and boy does he wish he hadn’t been playing with that head. > \*Maybe he was putting on a ventriloquist show. Done!!! [Here is the story. I changed the names to help folks who are tempted into googling things. Read all about it if you like.]([http://readicon.com/bizarre-viking-deaths-sigurd-the-mighty-killed-by-a-bite-from-a-severed-head/](http://readicon.com/bizarre-viking-deaths-sigurd-the-mighty-killed-by-a-bite-from-a-severed-head/)) ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/974 "2017-08-16T03:15:03Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Done!!! > > [Here is the story. I changed the names to help folks who are tempted into googling things. > > Read all about it if you like.]([http://readicon.com/bizarre-viking-deaths-sigurd-the-mighty-killed-by-a-bite-from-a-severed-head/](http://readicon.com/bizarre-viking-deaths-sigurd-the-mighty-killed-by-a-bite-from-a-severed-head/)) No way, was he seriously called Máel Brigte the Bucktoothed? That’s awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/975 "2017-08-16T03:38:29Z")
If someone else would like to go, please let us know and I’ll pause this next one and go afterwards. If not, here is my next one: \*\* Michael had a brilliant facility for blindfold chess, which means to play without sight of the board. In fact, he did not only do this with one other opponent, but once even played 45 simultaneous games of blind chess(he won 39 of them, by the way). He did all of this without paper, keeping all the games in his mind simultaneously. However, he only played blind chess like this for a few years, then stopped. Why did he stop?\*\* ---
**Author:** ![Ignotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecc23a/32.png) [@Ignotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignotus)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/976 "2017-08-16T17:25:47Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > \*\* > Michael had a brilliant facility for blindfold chess, which means to play without sight of the board. In fact, he did not only do this with one other opponent, but once even played 45 simultaneous games of blind chess(he won 39 of them, by the way). He did all of this without paper, keeping all the games in his mind simultaneously. > > However, he only played blind chess like this for a few years, then stopped. > > Why did he stop?\*\* Did M develop a medical condition which made him unable to continue? ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/977 "2017-08-16T17:30:51Z")
Did he stop being blind? ---
**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:** [August 16, 2017, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/978 "2017-08-16T17:53:14Z")
Did he die? Did he actually move the pieces while playing? Did the chess convention rules change? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/979 "2017-08-16T19:27:04Z")
> [@Ignotus](#): > > Did M develop a medical condition which made him unable to continue? No. > [@Folly](#): > > Did he stop being blind? No. (he was not blind at any point). > [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > Did he die? > Did he actually move the pieces while playing? > Did the chess convention rules change? No to all. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/980 "2017-08-16T19:43:03Z")
Was he cheating (having someone radio him moves?) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868.md?page=48) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868.md?page=50)