# Lateral Thinking Puzzles. Let's do it again! **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [October 23, 2019, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193 "2019-10-23T21:32:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2019, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/181 "2019-11-04T06:58:42Z")
Was his name Pheidippides? (or possibly Philippides) ---
**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:** [November 4, 2019, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/182 "2019-11-04T11:59:58Z")
Would the athlete’s death be considered an accident? **No** Murder? **No** Suicide? **No** Natural causes? **Yes** Was the athlete from somewhere in the Americas? **No** Asia? **No** Africa? **No** Europe? **Yes** Was he in his own country when the victory took place? **Yes** Does this story take place in the present day? **No** Does it matter why he decided to say the name of a company? **Yes** Was the company related to the sport he played? **Yes** Did the company’s name actually mean something in his native language? **Yes** Did the company’s name have a meaning that directly resulted in his death? **No** Did the company’s name result in somebody killing him? **No** Is it relevant that he said the company’s name following a victory? **Yes** Was his name Pheidippides? (or possibly Philippides) **Yes** **Aspidistra** , would you care to fill in the details for those who don’t know, or shall I? ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2019, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/183 "2019-11-04T12:58:02Z")
Thank you, I will. [Pheidippides](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pheidippides) was the runner who brought news of the victory of Athens at the battle of Marathon, famously keeling over dead immediately after. “Victory” in Greek being the word “Nike”, now more well-known to us in other contexts. I’m not sure if anyone has a new one up their sleeve, but let me do a little trivial one in the meantime (I don’t really know how easy this is going to be - for all I know someone may get it in two guesses. **When I entered the portaloos on a recent cycling event, something unexpected immediately told me they were made in America. What was it?** ---
**Author:** ![Calavera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calavera/32/70_2.png) [@Calavera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calavera)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2019, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/184 "2019-11-04T14:07:24Z")
Is there a date of manufacture listed?, (or some other date integral to the structure?) ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2019, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/185 "2019-11-04T15:20:40Z")
Was it something in writing, in or on the structure? ---
**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:** [November 4, 2019, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/186 "2019-11-04T20:25:41Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > **When I entered the portaloos on a recent cycling event, something unexpected immediately told me they were made in America. What was it?** Was the toilet water usage listed in Gallons Per Flush? Was it anything to do with metric vs imperial measurements or something? Was it free instead of charging money? Did the door not go all the way down to the floor? Was it not labeled W.C.? I’m just listing things I know about American bathrooms. ---
**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:** [November 4, 2019, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/187 "2019-11-04T20:28:15Z")
Was it something about left and right being flipped from what was expected? Does it involve regional slang? Was it something involving smell? ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2019, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/188 "2019-11-04T21:02:24Z")
Is there a date of manufacture listed?, (or some other date integral to the structure?) NO Was it something in writing, in or on the structure? YES Was the toilet water usage listed in Gallons Per Flush? NO Was it anything to do with metric vs imperial measurements or something? NO Was it free instead of charging money? NO Did the door not go all the way down to the floor? NO Was it not labeled W.C.? NO (Note: I don’t remember if it was or it wasn’t - but that wasn’t the thing) Was it something about left and right being flipped from what was expected? NO Does it involve regional slang? NO Was it something involving smell? NO ---
**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:** [November 4, 2019, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/189 "2019-11-04T21:04:20Z")
Did it involve American spelling instead of British spelling? If so, must we guess the exact word that was spelled different? ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2019, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/190 "2019-11-04T21:34:21Z")
Did it involve American spelling instead of British spelling? NO If so, must we guess the exact word that was spelled different? I’m not nearly that evil 😉 ---
**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:** [November 4, 2019, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/191 "2019-11-04T23:56:28Z")
At the risk of stating the obvious: Was “Made in America”, or the equivalent, written somewhere on the port-a-potty? ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2019, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/192 "2019-11-05T00:11:22Z")
Would the writing have been part of the structure when it was manufactured? Was it graffiti? Does this involve differences in word usage between cultures (of the “bonnet” vs. “hood” type)? Was the writing in English? ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2019, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/193 "2019-11-05T02:03:20Z")
It’s hard to do quotes because I’m on my phone, but NO to all of the last five questions - Porpentine’s and Chronos’ ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2019, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/194 "2019-11-05T02:08:30Z")
Because a sign was written in both English and Spanish. ---
**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2019, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/195 "2019-11-05T02:50:58Z")
Did they use a period for a decimal point rather than a comma? Did they use a comma to separate thousands rather than period? ---
**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2019, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/196 "2019-11-05T02:53:22Z")
Was the last serviced date written in MM-DD-YYYY form? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2019, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/197 "2019-11-05T03:37:48Z")
Was it called a “Porta-Potty” rather than a “Portaloo”? ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2019, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/198 "2019-11-05T04:55:43Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > Because a sign was written in both English and Spanish. This is the answer. Hand-washing instructions were bilingual English/Spanish - an odd combination (and one I don’t recall seeing before) in a country where Spanish is tenth (and falling) on the ‘languages spoken at home’ list. I conjectured it must have come from the only major country I know of where ‘English, then Spanish’ is in fact the true language popularity order (then went looking for manufacturer info - I was right) Who’s next? ---
**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:** [November 5, 2019, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/199 "2019-11-05T05:28:07Z")
**How did his naked desire embarrass Kevin?** ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2019, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/200 "2019-11-05T05:41:48Z")
Was he naked while desiring? Was it a desire for money? Sex? Status? Something somebody else possessed? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=11)