# 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:** 237
**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:** [September 27, 2021, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4723 "2021-09-27T15:03:45Z")
> [@pjd](#): > > If Bob’s work is not legal, doesn’t that make him a criminal in an ipso facto type way ? Sorry folks. My mistake. Bob’s work WAS legal. I misread the question. ---
**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:** [September 27, 2021, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4724 "2021-09-27T15:07:00Z")
reply to Folly: Did Bob take away the bucket again at the end of the work? Not relevant Did some or all of the fish get used up by the work? At some point they have to be discarded so yes Did Bob’s friends know about the fish? Yes Was the fish being used as a fertilizer? No Does it have anything to do with the use of fish by native americans 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:** [September 27, 2021, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4725 "2021-09-27T15:14:04Z")
Sorry, if some of this covered before. Did Bob and his friends work on land? On the sea? On a lake? on boats? Did they work with animals or an animal? Was discarding of the fish the helpful part? ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2021, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4726 "2021-09-27T15:18:36Z")
Is the rotting fish somehow related to the manufacture of [garum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garum) or similar regional fish sauce? ---
**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:** [September 27, 2021, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4727 "2021-09-27T15:23:26Z")
reply to Folly: Did Bob and his friends work on land? Yes, I guess technically… On the sea? No On a lake? No on boats? No Did they work with animals or an animal? No Was discarding of the fish the helpful part? 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:** [September 27, 2021, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4728 "2021-09-27T15:24:34Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Is the rotting fish somehow related to the manufacture of [garum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garum) or similar regional fish sauce? 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:** [September 27, 2021, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4729 "2021-09-27T15:32:17Z")
Did they work high in the air? ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2021, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4730 "2021-09-27T15:32:19Z")
Did the fish perform some actually real function, or did they only _believe_ it would work ? ---
**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:** [September 27, 2021, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4731 "2021-09-27T15:50:50Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > Did they work high in the air? 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:** [September 27, 2021, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4732 "2021-09-27T15:51:35Z")
> [@pjd](#): > > Did the fish perform some actually real function, or did they only _believe_ it would work ? The fished performed actual function ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2021, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4733 "2021-09-27T18:44:22Z")
Are the fish dead ? ---
**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:** [September 27, 2021, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4734 "2021-09-27T19:03:15Z")
Did the odor of the fish play a part in their usefulness? Did the state of decay of the fish play a part in their usefulness, aside from any odor? Would very fresh fish have been equally or nearly as useful? Were the stinking rotten fish kept somewhere nearby specifically so that Bob (or friend) could get them to help with the work? ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2021, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4735 "2021-09-27T19:05:52Z")
To accomplish the goal, did it **have** to be rotting fish or would other rotting animal carcasses do? ---
**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:** [September 27, 2021, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4736 "2021-09-27T19:47:22Z")
> [@pjd](#): > > Are the fish dead ? 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:** [September 27, 2021, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4737 "2021-09-27T19:50:14Z")
reply to Cheesesteak: Did the odor of the fish play a part in their usefulness? No Did the state of decay of the fish play a part in their usefulness, aside from any odor? Yes Would very fresh fish have been equally or nearly as useful? No Were the stinking rotten fish kept somewhere nearby specifically so that Bob (or friend) could get them to help with the work? 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:** [September 27, 2021, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4738 "2021-09-27T19:51:15Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > To accomplish the goal, did it **have** to be rotting fish or would other rotting animal carcasses do? Needed to be fish. ---
**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:** [September 27, 2021, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4739 "2021-09-27T20:14:33Z")
Did the decaying fish release a chemical that was useful to Bob’s work? Did Bob motivate people to work better by pointing out the rotting fish? ---
**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:** [September 27, 2021, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4740 "2021-09-27T22:10:47Z")
Was Bob working in an occupation which is now obsolete? Did it involve any part of the food production process? Manufacturing of some other sort? Moving things from place to place? Entertainment? Education? ---
**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:** [September 27, 2021, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4741 "2021-09-27T22:55:27Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Did the decaying fish release a chemical that was useful to Bob’s work? > > Did Bob motivate people to work better by pointing out the rotting fish? No to all ---
**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:** [September 27, 2021, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4742 "2021-09-27T23:03:05Z")
reply to Aspidistra: Was Bob working in an occupation which is now obsolete? No, but no rotting fish needed today. Did it involve any part of the food production process? No Manufacturing of some other sort? No Moving things from place to place? Sort of, but not how I’d describe the job. Entertainment? No Education? No [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=236) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=238)