# 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:** 114
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/2261 "2020-02-19T10:25:33Z")
Is this the one about the DNA from somewhere during manufacturing something like a glove contaminating DNA results? ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/2262 "2020-02-19T11:52:59Z")
He was connected to the victims by DNA… was the evidence: Found on the murder weapon itself? Found on the victim? Found near the murder scene? ---
**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:** [February 19, 2020, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/2263 "2020-02-19T13:03:50Z")
> [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser](#): > > Oh, god, he wasn’t some coroner boinking the bodies, was he? I once saw Sam Kinison on stage acting that story out… ---
**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:** [February 19, 2020, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/2264 "2020-02-19T13:08:50Z")
Was there actually more than one killer? Were the actual killer(s) and suspect related? Was somebody’s body part transplanted to or in another person’s body? ---
**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:** [February 19, 2020, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/2265 "2020-02-19T13:18:53Z")
> [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser](#): > > Did the suspect’s job have him interacting with the corpses? > > NO > > Did the suspect’s job have him interacting with the people before they were killed? > > NO > > The unrelated murders and murder attempts had anything in common? > > I don’t know. > [@kitap](#): > > Is this the one about the DNA from somewhere during manufacturing something like a glove contaminating DNA results? YES to DNA in the manufacturing. NO to a glove. > [@Cheesesteak](#): > > He was connected to the victims by DNA… was the evidence: > > Found on the murder weapon itself? > Found on the victim? > Found near the murder scene? Possibly all? > [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > Was there actually more than one killer? > > YES, almost certainly. > > Were the actual killer(s) and suspect related? > > NO > > Was somebody’s body part transplanted to or in another person’s body? > > NO I think we have enough here to bring a solution together. A few more questions and I think you guys will have it. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/2266 "2020-02-19T13:54:53Z")
Was the suspect’s DNA found on the DNA collection supplies (swabs, bags, or the like) because he handled the gear during manufacturing/distribution? ---
**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:** [February 19, 2020, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/2267 "2020-02-19T15:14:17Z")
Did the suspect and actual murderer know each other? Did they live in the same place (where DNA evidence was gathered)? If so, at the same time? Different times? ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/2268 "2020-02-19T15:21:47Z")
Is there an in built DNA verification profile? Was there inadvertant DNA from the manufacturing process? Was there inadvertant DNA from a quality control process? Was there inadvertant DNA from activities at the forensic lab? ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/2269 "2020-02-19T16:17:46Z")
So, something involved in DNA collection or analysis had one single person’s DNA, which the crime lab was detecting. Because it showed up in multiple tests of different samples, police were getting matches between otherwise unrelated crimes. Initially they thought there was a serial killer at work. After realizing who the DNA donor was, and how it was deposited, they called off the investigation into the serial killer, because they now knew the crimes were unrelated. Do we have to figure out who it was, and/or how it was deposited or where? ---
**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:** [February 19, 2020, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/2270 "2020-02-19T20:24:53Z")
> [@eschrodinger](#): > > So, something involved in DNA collection or analysis had one single person’s DNA, which the crime lab was detecting. Because it showed up in multiple tests of different samples, police were getting matches between otherwise unrelated crimes. Initially they thought there was a serial killer at work. After realizing who the DNA donor was, and how it was deposited, they called off the investigation into the serial killer, because they now knew the crimes were unrelated. > > Do we have to figure out who it was, and/or how it was deposited or where? This is close enough for me. [The Phantom of Heilbronn - police thought a serial killer was out there since they found DNA at so many crime scenes. It was actually the DNA of a woman who worked at the factory where the cotton swabs were made.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantom_of_Heilbronn) ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/2271 "2020-02-19T20:45:50Z")
I don’t have one to start, so anyone who does should feel free. ---
**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:** [February 19, 2020, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/2272 "2020-02-19T22:10:16Z")
Quick and easy one till Mahaloth comes up with the next poser. **A wicked witch placed a curse on the princess, that no one shall understand what she says. The princess remarks “If only I could bake the hall in the candle of her brain.” What’s going on?** ---
**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:** [February 19, 2020, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/2273 "2020-02-19T22:44:22Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > **A wicked witch placed a curse on the princess, that no one shall understand what she says. The princess remarks “If only I could bake the hall in the candle of her brain.” What’s going on?** Does it sound like what she really means? Is it wordplay of any kind? Is it a code of any kind? ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/2274 "2020-02-19T22:56:11Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > Quick and easy one till Mahaloth comes up with the next poser. > > **A wicked witch placed a curse on the princess, that no one shall understand what she says. The princess remarks “If only I could bake the hall in the candle of her brain.” What’s going on?** Kermit is telling a story? ---
**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:** [February 19, 2020, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/2275 "2020-02-19T23:08:42Z")
What’s going on is that, because of the witch’s curse, she’s speaking nonsense. ---
**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:** [February 19, 2020, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/2276 "2020-02-19T23:29:56Z")
Is the princess attempting to articulate a method by which she could break the curse (in a method which is coming out as garbled speech)? Is the intended answer to the puzzle, that we ungarble the speech and figure out what she was trying to say? ---
**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:** [February 19, 2020, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/2277 "2020-02-19T23:31:20Z")
Oh, and then I guess Would the curse be lifted if someone were to break the ball in the handle of the witch’s cane? ---
**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:** [February 20, 2020, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/2278 "2020-02-20T01:00:38Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Does it sound like what she really means? > > Is it wordplay of any kind? > > Is it a code of any kind? Yes, yes, 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:** [February 20, 2020, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/2279 "2020-02-20T01:02:34Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > Is the princess attempting to articulate a method by which she could break the curse (in a method which is coming out as garbled speech)? > > Is the intended answer to the puzzle, that we ungarble the speech and figure out what she was trying to say? Yes, yes ---
**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:** [February 20, 2020, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/2280 "2020-02-20T01:03:42Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > Oh, and then I guess > > Would the curse be lifted if someone were to break the ball in the handle of the witch’s cane? Winnah winnah chicken dinner. Told you it’d be quick and easy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=113) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=115)