# 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:** 214
**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:** [October 27, 2020, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4263 "2020-10-27T16:35:43Z")
Newspaper ad? ---
**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:** [October 27, 2020, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4264 "2020-10-27T16:43:06Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > Was it handed out outside of one or more polling locations? Maybe. Not sure. > [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Did it look like a voting sheet? 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:** [October 27, 2020, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4265 "2020-10-27T16:44:05Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > Newspaper ad? No…At least I don’t think it was a newspaper insert. ---
**Author:** ![Ana\_Byrd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Ana\_Byrd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ana_Byrd)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2020, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4266 "2020-10-27T17:16:31Z")
Did people treat the ad like an actual ballot? ---
**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:** [October 27, 2020, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4267 "2020-10-27T17:18:23Z")
reply to Ana\_Byrd: Did people treat the ad like an actual ballot? 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:** [October 27, 2020, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4268 "2020-10-27T17:25:55Z")
Is it close? Did the turmoil occur because the fake ballots were submitted instead of real ones? Were people confused and think they were really ballots? Were they being funny? Do we have to guess what type of hygiene product it was? Was the name of a candidate close to the name of the hygiene product? ---
**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:** [October 27, 2020, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4269 "2020-10-27T17:35:37Z")
reply to Folly: Is it close? Not sure of the meaning of this. Did the turmoil occur because the fake ballots were submitted instead of real ones? I don’t think so. The details ate a bit murky and several sites including wiki and snopes offer slightly different versions of events. Were people confused and think they were really ballots? Again, I don’t think so, but maybe. Were they being funny? The ad was being kind of funny.Don’t know about the voters Do we have to guess what type of hygiene product it was? No. Though that is an amusing part of the story. Was the name of a candidate close to the name of the hygiene product? 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:** [October 27, 2020, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4270 "2020-10-27T17:38:14Z")
> [@Ana\_Byrd](#): > > Did people treat the ad like an actual ballot? I think most people knew it was an ad. So I guess they didn’t treat it like an actual ballot. Some may have. ---
**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:** [October 27, 2020, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4271 "2020-10-27T17:59:45Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > Is it close? Not sure of the meaning of this. Sorry, I meant are _we_ close. Sounds like maybe not… ---
**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:** [October 28, 2020, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4272 "2020-10-28T04:40:14Z")
You are close. But there is a strange twist that has not been guessed. Here’s some more info: The hygiene product is a certain kind of deodorant. ---
**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:** [October 28, 2020, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4273 "2020-10-28T12:46:58Z")
Were there voters that thought they were voting in the real election but weren’t? ---
**Author:** ![Ana\_Byrd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Ana\_Byrd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ana_Byrd)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2020, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4274 "2020-10-28T12:52:31Z")
Was the name of the brand a factor? Was it a “Secret” ballot? ---
**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:** [October 28, 2020, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4275 "2020-10-28T13:46:12Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > Were there voters that thought they were voting in the real election but weren’t? 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:** [October 28, 2020, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4276 "2020-10-28T13:50:22Z")
Ana\_Byrd: Was the name of the brand a factor? Not specifically. While the name is important it could have been anything. It is not a name most of us here in the US know. Was it a “Secret” ballot? Funny answer, but 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:** [October 28, 2020, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4277 "2020-10-28T15:47:12Z")
OK. So people treated the ad like an actual ballot, but did not vote the ad as if it were a ballot or turn the ad in thinking it was a real ballot… Did they enter the deodorant product in as a write-in candidate on the actual ballot either because of confusion or to be funny? ---
**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:** [October 29, 2020, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4278 "2020-10-29T00:51:06Z")
reply to Folly: OK. So people treated the ad like an actual ballot, but did not vote the ad as if it were a ballot or turn the ad in thinking it was a real ballot… Did they enter the deodorant product in as a write-in candidate on the actual ballot either because of confusion or to be funny? You got it! The ad campaign said to vote for the candidate you like, but to vote for the Foot Powder for clean hygienic feet. Depending on the source this election was either for mayor or city council. The motivation of the voters and the eventual outcome is unknown. All the articles online do not follow up. Regardless, the deodorant foot powder won the election. People elected a Foot Powder to an important civic position over real candidates. > **[That Time Foot Powder Was the Best Candidate for Mayor…And Won the Election](https://historycollection.com/time-foot-powder-best-candidate-mayorand-won-election/)** > > It is not too uncommon for an election to be filled with candidates that are nobody’s first choice. However it is hard to image candidates that are so bad that foot powder actually seems like the best option. It happened though, in one of the most... ---
**Author:** ![Ana\_Byrd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Ana\_Byrd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ana_Byrd)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2020, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4279 "2020-10-30T10:28:56Z")
**His lunch was the subject of a congressional hearing. Why?** ---
**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:** [October 30, 2020, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4280 "2020-10-30T12:15:47Z")
Anything to do with _The Naked Lunch_, book or film? ---
**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:** [October 30, 2020, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4281 "2020-10-30T14:00:56Z")
Was this meal considered an an illegal or unethical contribution? Did this meal cause illness or death to somebody who ate it? Did an event occur during this lunch that led to this hearing? Was the lunch the only point of contention in this hearing? ---
**Author:** ![Ana\_Byrd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Ana\_Byrd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ana_Byrd)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2020, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4282 "2020-10-30T15:00:22Z")
> [@](#): > > Anything to do with _The Naked Lunch_ , book or film? **No** > [@](#): > > Was this meal considered an an illegal or unethical contribution? **No** > Did this meal cause illness or death to somebody who ate it? **No** > Did an event occur during this lunch that led to this hearing? **Sort of? Not really?** > Was the lunch the only point of contention in this hearing? **As far as I know, yes** [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=213) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=215)