# 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:** 276
**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:** [January 21, 2023, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5508 "2023-01-21T22:32:06Z")
Executive or legislative branch? Or both? ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2023, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5509 "2023-01-21T22:39:40Z")
Executive and judicial. ---
**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:** [January 21, 2023, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5510 "2023-01-21T22:41:35Z")
OK going out on a limb here James Marshall was unable to deliver all of the “midnight judges” judicial commissions signed by John Adams before Thomas Jefferson took office as President. Jefferson told the new Secretary of State James Madison not to deliver the remaining commissions as they were now void. One of those that did not receive his commission was William Marbury who sued Madison to get his commission. This resulted in the landmark SCOTUS case _Marbury v. Madison_. This led to the concept of judicial review wherein a court can declare a law unconstitutional. This hits a lot of the points in the thread but I’m not sure it hits them all. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2023, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5511 "2023-01-21T22:45:33Z")
Aaaaand we have a solution here! Congratulations and thanks for playing 🙂 For those who don’t know the exact factual background: John Marshall was both the secretary of state responsible for sealing and delivering the commissions and the Chief Justice who would later adjudicate Marbury’s case - in fact, for about a month (and at the time he was trying to send the commissions, March 4, 1801), he was both simultaneously. He handed over the commissions to his brother James Marshall for delivery to the appointees, but James left some of them (including Marbury’s) behind and thus failed to deliver them before the expiry of Adams’ term as President and John’s as secretary of state. ---
**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:** [January 21, 2023, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5512 "2023-01-21T22:49:23Z")
OK I don’t know how this one will go. It may be brilliant or stupid. I’m thinking the latter. He was taken when only 1 year old. Do you believe in miracles? He was returned home 78 years later. His brother has become world famous. ---
**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:** [January 21, 2023, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5513 "2023-01-21T22:55:05Z")
Does ‘he’ refer to: - A living human being? - A deceased human being, such as a mummy or a skull? - An animal? - An artistic representation of a person or an animal? - A painting? - A statue, doll, mannequin or similar ? ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2023, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5514 "2023-01-22T00:38:54Z")
Would it help to know what the brother is famous for? Is his fame related to this incident? Are saints or relics involved? Is religion in general involved? ---
**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:** [January 22, 2023, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5515 "2023-01-22T00:57:08Z")
Is this a real-life story? Fictional? Was he given up for adoption? Removed from his home by authorities for some reason? Separated from the family by slavery? By war? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2023, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5516 "2023-01-22T01:20:46Z")
Is his brother named after a movie? ---
**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:** [January 22, 2023, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5517 "2023-01-22T03:18:00Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Does ‘he’ refer to: > > - A living human being? > - A deceased human being, such as a mummy or a skull? > - An animal? > - An artistic representation of a person or an animal? > - A painting? > - A statue, doll, mannequin or similar ? No No No Yes No No ---
**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:** [January 22, 2023, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5518 "2023-01-22T03:18:51Z")
> [@Fretful\_Porpentine](#): > > Would it help to know what the brother is famous for? Is his fame related to this incident? > > Are saints or relics involved? Is religion in general involved? It would narrow it down a lot, maybe even give away the puzzle. Fame related to the incident itself? Hmmmm - I would say no. Nope ---
**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:** [January 22, 2023, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5519 "2023-01-22T03:20:08Z")
> [@dirtball](#): > > Is this a real-life story? > Fictional? > Was he given up for adoption? > Removed from his home by authorities for some reason? > Separated from the family by slavery? > By war? Yep Nope Nope Nope Nope ---
**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:** [January 22, 2023, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5520 "2023-01-22T03:20:48Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Is his brother named after a movie? Not at all although now I’m curious who you are thinking of. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2023, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5521 "2023-01-22T03:27:08Z")
I was thinking of Michael Caine, who found out late in life (namely, after becoming world-famous) that he had an older brother who’d been institutionalized. ---
**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:** [January 22, 2023, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5522 "2023-01-22T03:31:15Z")
That would have been a good one. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2023, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5523 "2023-01-22T04:35:25Z")
Is the “do you believe in miracles” a hint? If so, is it a reference to religion? Is it a reference to sports? ---
**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:** [January 22, 2023, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5524 "2023-01-22T04:43:14Z")
Great pickup on that Definitely Nope Oh yes - that is a BIG hint ---
**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:** [January 22, 2023, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5525 "2023-01-22T05:44:53Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > > [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > > > Does ‘he’ refer to: > > > > - A living human being? > > - A deceased human being, such as a mummy or a skull? > > - An animal? > > - An artistic representation of a person or an animal? > > - A painting? > > - A statue, doll, mannequin or similar ? > > No > No > No > Yes > No > No So, it’s a statue? One of a pair? With a sporting connection? But not a religious one? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2023, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5526 "2023-01-22T05:51:07Z")
I thought the answer there said it’s NOT a statue. (“No” to “a statue, doll, mannequin or similar.”) Is it related to hockey? Is it related to the Olympics? Is it related to Al Michaels? (That’s obviously where I was going with the sport question, but I’m having difficulty teasing out the answer here.) ---
**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:** [January 22, 2023, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5527 "2023-01-22T06:02:00Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I thought the answer there said it’s NOT a statue. (“No” to “a statue, doll, mannequin or similar.”) It’s not entirely clear, but I thought it was yes to statue, no to doll, no to mannequin. Can we have clarification on this, please. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=275) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=277)