# 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:** 175
**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 20, 2020, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3483 "2020-07-20T18:08:50Z")
Do the names contain cardinal directions? In other words, on the “twisty” road, people would lose track of directions, but the were passing points that were labeled “north,” or “west,” so they could give the directions to a 911 operator. Do the signs have mile markers on them? ---
**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 20, 2020, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3484 "2020-07-20T18:17:35Z")
> [@Zyada](#): > > 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”? Yes, this is the answer. I guess this one wasn’t that great. The scenic spots were bridges since there is a huge river there. The river rises and cars get trapped. They realized naming all the bridges distinct names helped people report where they were when they called for help. That’s all there is. ---
**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, 2020, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3485 "2020-07-21T13:40:10Z")
In 2014, for the first time, someone gave Barbara six horseshoes and sixty-one nails. She promptly returned them. Barbara had no use for these horseshoes or these nails. In 2015, someone gave Barbara six horseshoes and sixty-one nails. She again returned the items. In 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 this also happened. Will Barbara get six horseshoes and sixty-one nails again in 2020? Why or why not? ---
**Author:** ![CardboardBoxx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardboardboxx/32/7079_2.png) [@CardboardBoxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CardboardBoxx)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2020, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3486 "2020-07-21T14:19:52Z")
Presumably so, unless COVID ruins the ceremony or she leaves her post. ---
**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 21, 2020, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3487 "2020-07-21T14:40:51Z")
Does she expect to get these items? Is this part of a ceremony? Is this related to a job? Is this related to a position she hold that might not be a job? ---
**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, 2020, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3488 "2020-07-21T14:56:58Z")
🙂 ∆ Does she expect to get these items? Yes Is this part of a ceremony? Yes Is this related to a job? Yes Is this related to a position she hold that might not be a job? Position related ---
**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, 2020, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3489 "2020-07-21T14:58:04Z")
I assume you know this one, CardboardBoxx 🙂 ---
**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 21, 2020, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3490 "2020-07-21T15:17:21Z")
Is this a real person/event? Does it matter if it’s a she? Is she human? Does she give the horseshoes/nails back to the person who gave it to her, or to someone else? ---
**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, 2020, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3491 "2020-07-21T15:56:37Z")
Does the ceremony honour the winner of a competition or sporting event? Are the items connected to the team or person that came 2nd? ---
**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, 2020, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3492 "2020-07-21T16:18:00Z")
reply toZyada: Does it matter if it’s a she? Barbara is a she, but she could have been a he. Is she human? Yes Does she give the horseshoes/nails back to the person who gave it to her, or to someone else? Not sure. Probably the same person. ---
**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, 2020, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3493 "2020-07-21T16:19:29Z")
reply to Peter Morris: Does the ceremony honour the winner of a competition or sporting event? No Are the items connected to the team or person that came 2nd? 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, 2020, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3494 "2020-07-21T16:20:47Z")
Missed one. Yes Zyada, the person is real. ---
**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 21, 2020, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3495 "2020-07-21T23:36:23Z")
Is the job in a regular company? Non-profit? Government? (Did I miss something?) ---
**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 22, 2020, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3496 "2020-07-22T01:58:02Z")
reply to Zyada: Is the job in a regular company? No Non-profit? No Government? 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 22, 2020, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3497 "2020-07-22T06:44:55Z")
I think I will change my mind and give Cardboard Boxx credit for getting this one as he answered the questions. > **[The Ceremony of Quit Rents](https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/The-Ceremony-of-Quit-Rents/)** > > Every October, in a ceremony dating back to 1211, something rather odd happens. The City of London pays rent to the Crown on two pieces of land, even though it no longer knows their exact locations! The ceremony of the quick rents is performed in the fall every year. Hopefully Barbara will be around in 2020. Government job indeed! ---
**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 22, 2020, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3498 "2020-07-22T07:40:14Z")
But I will try again with what I hope is a more interesting riddle. Nothing too difficult. Rossa, according to wiki, is the first person ever to be fired by her boss while on the job because of this most unique of reasons. What was the reason for her firing, a reason deemed wrongful by several lawmakers of the time who tried to craft legislation to prevent a repeat of similar mistreatments of an employee? Helpful(?) hint: this incident occurred in 1877 and Rossa’s job was at an aquarium. Further hint: Despite laws, some employees today (men and women) are still occasionally fired for the same dubious reason as Rossa. I found in recent history, for example, an employee sadly terminated in the UK in 2011 for doing pretty much what Rossa did. ---
**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 22, 2020, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3499 "2020-07-22T11:48:00Z")
Does “fired” in this case mean “let go from a job,” or does it mean something else? Was the reason unique in 1877, but no longer is? (In other words, was she merely the first, so that it was unique until someone else did it). Were aquatic animals involved in any way in the incident? Was she literally fired by her boss, or only figuratively, as he was the head of the workplace? (in other words, did he do it himself, or delegate the actual act of firing). Does the fact of her being a woman figure into the situation? I’m trying to figure out how to phrase what I want to say, because it’s tricky, but was it the actual firing that the legislature considered wrong and did not want repeated, or was it the cause or excuse for it? Was Rossa injured on the job, so that she was basically fired for assuming the risks of her job? ---
**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 22, 2020, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3500 "2020-07-22T14:59:54Z")
reply to RivkahChaya: Does “fired” in this case mean “let go from a job,” or does it mean something else? something else Was the reason unique in 1877, but no longer is? (In other words, was she merely the first, so that it was unique until someone else did it). She was the first. Were aquatic animals involved in any way in the incident? No Was she literally fired by her boss, or only figuratively, as he was the head of the workplace? (in other words, did he do it himself, or delegate the actual act of firing). Not sure. Does the fact of her being a woman figure into the situation? No I’m trying to figure out how to phrase what I want to say, because it’s tricky, but was it the actual firing that the legislature considered wrong and did not want repeated, or was it the cause or excuse for it? Legislature was concerned about the actual firing Was Rossa injured on the job, so that she was basically fired for assuming the risks of her job? No. ---
**Author:** ![CardboardBoxx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardboardboxx/32/7079_2.png) [@CardboardBoxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CardboardBoxx)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2020, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3501 "2020-07-22T15:16:29Z")
Does terminated mean “died”? Is this anything to do with human cannonballs? ---
**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 22, 2020, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3502 "2020-07-22T15:23:58Z")
You guys are too good at this game. Yes, she was the first human cannonball. > **[World’s First Human Cannonball Zazel or Rossa Matilda Richter - Geri Walton](https://www.geriwalton.com/first-human-cannonball-zazel-rossa-matilda-richter/)** > > The world’s first human cannonball Zazel was born Rossa Matilda Richter in 1863.\* From an early age she was performing aerial stunts, and when she turned 14 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=174) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=176)