# 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:** 174
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2020, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3463 "2020-07-17T16:19:15Z")
His actions were unusual in their intensity ---
**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 17, 2020, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3464 "2020-07-17T16:22:54Z")
Would this have happened only to him, or someone with some rare characteristic he had, or could it have happened to anyone under the right circumstances? Was the snack a potato chip? Was it a corn chip? ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2020, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3465 "2020-07-17T16:37:48Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Would this have happened only to him, or someone with some rare characteristic he had, or could it have happened to anyone under the right circumstances? > > **It would have happened to anyone who acted the way he acted** > > Was the snack a potato chip? > **No** > > Was it a corn chip? **No** ---
**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 17, 2020, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3466 "2020-07-17T16:41:15Z")
Is this the proverbial dude who put beans up his nose? ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2020, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3467 "2020-07-17T17:05:40Z")
No, LOL. And I did that as a child, I don’t think that’s all that proverbial! ---
**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:** [July 17, 2020, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3468 "2020-07-17T17:11:55Z")
Did this involve rubbing or applying the food to his body in some way? To his face? ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2020, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3469 "2020-07-17T17:15:35Z")
**No to both** ---
**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:** [July 18, 2020, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3470 "2020-07-18T19:31:47Z")
Did he get his head stuck in something? a bag? Was the container of the snack involved? ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2020, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3471 "2020-07-18T19:37:16Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > Did he get his head stuck in something? **No** > > a bag? **No** > > Was the container of the snack involved? **Yes** ---
**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:** [July 18, 2020, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3472 "2020-07-18T19:46:17Z")
Is the potential poisoning ingesting part of the container? Are the snacks individually wrapped (by portion)? Does the snack come in a bag? plastic containing container? paper containing container? metal containing container? ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2020, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3473 "2020-07-18T21:35:57Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > Is the potential poisoning ingesting part of the container? > **No** > > Are the snacks individually wrapped (by portion)? > **Most people would treat this as a single portion** > > Does the snack come in a bag? > **Yes, I would call it a bag** > > plastic containing container? > **Yes** > > paper containing container? > **Yes** > > metal containing container? **I don’t think so** ---
**Author:** ![SurrenderDorothy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/surrenderdorothy/32/1221_2.png) [@SurrenderDorothy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SurrenderDorothy)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2020, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3474 "2020-07-18T21:38:01Z")
is it popcorn lung, where some of the chemicals used to flavor popcorn can cause respiratory issues? ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2020, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3475 "2020-07-18T21:45:33Z")
Bingo! Can you guess why the person I’m thinking of was unusual? ---
**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:** [July 18, 2020, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3476 "2020-07-18T23:42:38Z")
He was unusual in that he was’t employed in a popcorn factory? Just a voracious consumer? Or did he just have the habit of deeply inhaling from the bag before/during consumption? ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2020, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3477 "2020-07-19T01:24:14Z")
Basically both - he was the only person who got popcorn lung (at least at the time I read the story) who didn’t work in a popcorn factory. This happened because he would make a bag in the microwave, open the bag up, stick his face in it, and take a deep breath. Don’t huff popcorn, kids ---
**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:** [July 19, 2020, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3478 "2020-07-19T01:53:17Z")
I have one. I am taking this one for the most part verbatim from where I got it. I usually adapt them, but I had a hard time so I am just going to go ahead and post it as I saw it. **I’ve been spending some time in a cottage in a relatively remote area. The road that I take to get it is very twisty and has scenic features along it. A few years ago, the local county paid to have signs put up at these features and when they did, they also gave the scenic features colorful names. This decision has saved lives since then. How?** ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2020, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3479 "2020-07-19T02:28:26Z")
Does it have to do with the speed people drive? ---
**Author:** ![SurrenderDorothy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/surrenderdorothy/32/1221_2.png) [@SurrenderDorothy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SurrenderDorothy)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2020, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3480 "2020-07-19T02:29:06Z")
Is it to do with the names themselves? Is it to do with the fact that they have names at all? Does it have anything to do with communicating location to emergency services? Does it help people navigate? Does “colorful” mean there are colors in the names? ---
**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:** [July 19, 2020, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3481 "2020-07-19T02:44:40Z")
> [@Zyada](#): > > Does it have to do with the speed people drive? NO > [@SurrenderDorothy](#): > > Is it to do with the names themselves? NO > Is it to do with the fact that they have names at all? YES, I guess so > Does it have anything to do with communicating location to emergency services? YES > Does it help people navigate? YES, somewhat > Does “colorful” mean there are colors in the names NO kk ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2020, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3482 "2020-07-20T17:05:38Z")
Is it because if there is an accident, the people in the accident could say “I just passed SillyName Falls viewpoint, right before the accident”? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=173) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=175)