# 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:** 260
**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:** [June 20, 2022, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5183 "2022-06-20T04:45:40Z")
reply to Saint\_Cad: Is the stealing the main plotline of the story? Only an important element to the main plot. Was the story written before 1900? No. If not, does it take place before 1900? No. Were the items used to make a poison? No. I’m thinking those old-timey cosmetics has lead or arsenic in them and combined with alcohol and eggs they were ingested by a victim. Yikes. Scary, but not important here. ---
**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:** [June 20, 2022, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5184 "2022-06-20T05:25:38Z")
Is the story a novel? Short story? Some medium other than literature? Was it a children’s story? Is a crime committed in the story, other than the theft? Is it important what the items were used for? Was the story inspired by real-life events? If so, is that related to why it’s being kept secret? ---
**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:** [June 20, 2022, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5185 "2022-06-20T06:04:12Z")
reply to Ana\_Byrd: Is the story a novel? No. Short story? No. Some medium other than literature? Yes. Was it a children’s story? For the whole family. Is a crime committed in the story, other than the theft? No. Is it important what the items were used for? Yes. Was the story inspired by real-life events? Possibly, though nothing specific that I know.If so, is that related to why it’s being kept secret? Authorities did not want a certain part of the story told because… ---
**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:** [June 20, 2022, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5186 "2022-06-20T06:10:33Z")
Was it a film? TV series? Was the story’s content politically sensitive? Was it considered embarrassing for the author? For someone else? Were there legal complications of some copyright/trademark related sort? Was the work itself illegal? Did anyone in real life get in trouble because of it? Edit: Would it help to know what sort of authorities these are? ---
**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:** [June 20, 2022, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5187 "2022-06-20T06:40:46Z")
I’m thinking of the story about the crossword puzzles that contained codewords for the D-Day landings. Espionage was suspected, but it was just a coincidence. > **[How D-Day code words ended up in British crossword puzzles](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/06/06/how-codewords-for-d-day-ended-up-in-british-newspaper-puzzles-a-month-before-the-operation-started/)** > > On the 73rd anniversary of the pivotal battle, a strange slice of history. I’m wondering if there anything similar in this puzzle. Questions: Did the authorities believe the story gave away official secrets? Did it actually give away official secrets? Was it connected to a war? WWII? ---
**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:** [June 20, 2022, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5188 "2022-06-20T12:09:34Z")
reply to Ana\_Byrd: Was it a film? No. TV series? Yes. Was the story’s content politically sensitive? No. Was it considered embarrassing for the author? No. For someone else? No. Were there legal complications of some copyright/trademark related sort? No. Was the work itself illegal? No.Did anyone in real life get in trouble because of it? No. Edit: Would it help to know what sort of authorities these are? 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:** [June 20, 2022, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5189 "2022-06-20T12:12:05Z")
reply to Peter\_Morris: Questions: Did the authorities believe the story gave away official secrets? No. Did it actually give away official secrets? No Was it connected to a war? No. WWII? No. ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2022, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5190 "2022-06-20T12:26:21Z")
Was the TV series a sitcom? A drama? A variety show? Were these aforementioned authorities some type of network decision makers, such as executives and/or censors and/or producers and/or whatnot? Were they sponsors? Were the authorities concerned because if those “certain parts of the story” were told, members of the public would learn how to do something they ought not be doing? ---
**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:** [June 20, 2022, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5191 "2022-06-20T12:36:25Z")
Were the eggs eaten? Was the alcohol drunk? Were the cosmetics worn on someone’s skin? Was the opposition by the authorities connected to the part of the story involving the eggs, cosmetics, and alcohol? ---
**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:** [June 20, 2022, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5192 "2022-06-20T12:57:08Z")
reply to dirtball: Was the TV series a sitcom? Yes. A drama? No. A variety show? No. Were these aforementioned authorities some type of network decision makers, such as executives and/or censors and/or producers and/or whatnot? Yes. Were they sponsors? No. Were the authorities concerned because if those “certain parts of the story” were told, members of the public would learn how to do something they ought not be doing? 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:** [June 20, 2022, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5193 "2022-06-20T13:00:03Z")
reply to Chronos: Were the eggs eaten? Yes. Was the alcohol drunk? Yes. Were the cosmetics worn on someone’s skin? Yes. Was the opposition by the authorities connected to the part of the story involving the eggs, cosmetics, and alcohol? Not directly, but they are both tied together by the solution to the egg/cosmetic/alcohol mystery. ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2022, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5194 "2022-06-20T13:52:59Z")
The elements of the story the authorities found objectionable: Were they told anyway, in defiance of the authorities’ wishes? Was there some negotiation that led to a compromise in how those elements were handled? Were those elements deemed objectionable due to any type of sexual behavior? ---
**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:** [June 20, 2022, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5195 "2022-06-20T14:05:51Z")
reply to dirtball: The elements of the story the authorities found objectionable: Were they told anyway, in defiance of the authorities’ wishes? No. Was there some negotiation that led to a compromise in how those elements were handled? Yes. Were those elements deemed objectionable due to any type of sexual behavior? No. ---
**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:** [June 20, 2022, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5196 "2022-06-20T16:45:39Z")
Is the maid relevant? That is, would the solution be any different if the part about the maid was left out? Edit: Does this have anything to do with the BBC’s restrictions on advertising? ---
**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:** [June 20, 2022, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5197 "2022-06-20T17:15:02Z")
reply to Ana\_Byrd: Is the maid relevant? That is, would the solution be any different if the part about the maid was left out? No. The maid part is only important in that it shows how some of the characters attempted to find an answer to the missing items puzzle. Edit: Does this have anything to do with the BBC’s restrictions on advertising? No. This is really two puzzles in one. Figure out why the authorities had trouble with the story and that could point to the answer of just why the items disappeared. On the other hand, solving the missing item mystery might lead a solver into guessing why the authorities had trouble with the story. ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2022, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5198 "2022-06-20T17:17:06Z")
Since sitcoms often inhabit cartoonish or surrealistic worlds, it might help to nail this down: Would it be easy to believe that this story could take place in the real world, exactly as portrayed in the show? Would it be possible for it to happen but highly unlikely? Would it be just plain impossible? ---
**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:** [June 20, 2022, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5199 "2022-06-20T17:27:10Z")
reply to dirtball: Since sitcoms often inhabit cartoonish or surrealistic worlds, it might help to nail this down: Would it be easy to believe that this story could take place in the real world, exactly as portrayed in the show? Yes. At least that was how it was intended anyway. Would it be possible for it to happen but highly unlikely? I would say in reality the story is fairly unlikely, but maybe not “highly unlikely.” Would it be just plain impossible? No. ---
**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:** [June 20, 2022, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5200 "2022-06-20T17:46:57Z")
Was the show made in UK? USA? Another largely English-speaking country? Europe? A fairly free/ democratic country? Were “the authorities” actually a government body? Senior people in the TV company? A non-Government organisation? A bunch of experts who claim to be “authorities” on a particular subject? Was the show ever broadcast, despite the objections? If so, was it broadcast edited? unedited? Could the show be broadcast today, without objection from the authorities? ---
**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:** [June 20, 2022, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5201 "2022-06-20T18:00:21Z")
reply to Peter\_Morris: Was the show made in UK? USA? Yes, USA. Another largely English-speaking country? Europe? A fairly free/ democratic country? Were “the authorities” actually a government body? I don’t think so, though the government might have been in agreement with them. Senior people in the TV company? Yes. A non-Government organisation? Yes. See previous and post #5193. A bunch of experts who claim to be “authorities” on a particular subject? No. Was the show ever broadcast, despite the objections? Only after the compromise. If so, was it broadcast edited? Just with the compromise intact. unedited? No. Could the show be broadcast today, without objection from the authorities? Yes. ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2022, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5202 "2022-06-20T18:11:07Z")
Did the objections involve only one single episode of the show? Did the authorities’ objections primarily have anything to do with believing the cost of producing the episode(s) in question would be too high? Or that it would be too controversial? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=259) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=261)