# 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:** 38
**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:** [November 30, 2019, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/741 "2019-11-30T04:28:09Z")
> [@am77494](#): > > Does this involve his vision ? His weight ? No. ---
**Author:** ![Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_Arachnid_Laser_1)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2019, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/742 "2019-11-30T08:49:37Z")
Was the thing that he needed to do something one would typically do in a bathroom? Is there something particular in Fred’s bathroom that wouldn’t be usual in most bathrooms? Is Fred a man or an Alfreda? ---
**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:** [November 30, 2019, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/743 "2019-11-30T13:22:27Z")
> [@](#): > > Did he need to use an object in his bathroom? YES Was it a mirror? Was there something on his face? Something in his hair? ---
**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:** [November 30, 2019, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/744 "2019-11-30T14:34:57Z")
> [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser](#): > > Was the thing that he needed to do something one would typically do in a bathroom? YES > > Is there something particular in Fred’s bathroom that wouldn’t be usual in most bathrooms? NO > > Is Fred a man or an Alfreda? MAN(Frederick) > [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Was it a mirror? Was there something on his face? Something in his hair? No to all. ---
**Author:** ![Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_Arachnid_Laser_1)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2019, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/745 "2019-11-30T15:17:22Z")
So, things one does in a bathroom. Showering? Brushing teeth? Going number one? Crying in a corner about the dark and depressing failure you call life? Going number two? Drying up? Combing his hair? Cutting his nails? Shaving? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2019, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/746 "2019-11-30T18:02:34Z")
Would he have seen something in the bathroom mirror? Was there something about his attire that he wasn’t aware of, that he would have seen in the bathroom mirror? Did it have to do with his zipper? Did it have to do with his teeth or dentures? ---
**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:** [November 30, 2019, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/747 "2019-11-30T18:05:18Z")
Is this about a specific product that was in the man’s bathroom? ---
**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:** [November 30, 2019, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/748 "2019-11-30T18:15:05Z")
Is the specific job relevant? ---
**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:** [November 30, 2019, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/749 "2019-11-30T18:27:58Z")
> [@go\_arachnid\_laser](#): > > so, things one does in a bathroom. > > Showering? Yes > > brushing teeth? Yes > > going number one? Yes > > crying in a corner about the dark and depressing failure you call life? No > > going number two? Yes > > drying up? No > > combing his hair? No > > cutting his nails? No > > shaving? Yes > [@panache45](#): > > would he have seen something in the bathroom mirror? Yes(himself) > was there something about his attire that he wasn’t aware of, that he would have seen in the bathroom mirror? No > did it have to do with his zipper? No > did it have to do with his teeth or dentures? No > [@biotop](#): > > is this about a specific product that was in the man’s bathroom? no > [@biotop](#): > > is the specific job relevant? 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:** [November 30, 2019, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/750 "2019-11-30T18:31:47Z")
Was what Fred had been doing just prior to this relevant? ---
**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:** [November 30, 2019, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/751 "2019-11-30T18:51:27Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > Was what Fred had been doing just prior to this relevant? I’m going to need a clearer question, specifically telling me what “this” means in your sentence. ---
**Author:** ![Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_Arachnid_Laser_1)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2019, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/752 "2019-11-30T18:53:12Z")
So, he didn’t get the job because he didn’t look clean enough? ---
**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2019, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/753 "2019-11-30T19:22:48Z")
Has this to do with plumbing or drainage ? Like the plumbing in the apartment complex was not working and he would have known that if he used the bathroom ? What about hot water ? ---
**Author:** ![Personal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Personal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Personal)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2019, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/754 "2019-11-30T19:22:55Z")
Did Fred have an interview scheduled? Did he have it in his calendar for the wrong day? ---
**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:** [November 30, 2019, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/755 "2019-11-30T20:41:46Z")
> [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser](#): > > So, he didn’t get the job because he didn’t look clean enough? No > [@am77494](#): > > Has this to do with plumbing or drainage ? > > Like the plumbing in the apartment complex was not working and he would have known that if he used the bathroom ? > > What about hot water ? No to all. > [@Personal](#): > > Did Fred have an interview scheduled? > Did he have it in his calendar for the wrong day? No to both. ---
**Author:** ![Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_Arachnid_Laser_1)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2019, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/756 "2019-11-30T21:30:14Z")
Ugh… did he have to go to the workplace’s bathroom at the time of the interview and therefore missed his turn? ---
**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:** [November 30, 2019, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/757 "2019-11-30T21:30:58Z")
> [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser](#): > > Ugh… did he have to go to the workplace’s bathroom at the time of the interview and therefore missed his turn? 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:** [November 30, 2019, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/758 "2019-11-30T22:51:55Z")
Did Fred do something in the 24 hours prior to the job rejection that has relevance? Did anything about Fred’s appearance indicate he was a poor choice for the job? Was the rejected job a professional job? A long term job? An acting job? A white collar job? A blue collar job? A personal job (a person working for 1 other person)? A job whose performance was allowable by law? A job that had Fred gotten would have paid him financially for the work? Would Fred have paid taxes for doing his job? Did the potential employer perceive a conflict of interest? Would Fred have been unable to do the proposed job because he would eventually need to use a bathroom where none would be available? ---
**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:** [November 30, 2019, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/759 "2019-11-30T23:20:08Z")
\*\*Fred just missed out on a great new job. If he had only gone to the bathroom, he might have gotten it. What happened? \*\* > [@Biotop](#): > > Did Fred do something in the 24 hours prior to the job rejection that has relevance? NO > > Did anything about Fred’s appearance indicate he was a poor choice for the job? NO > > Was the rejected job a professional job? YES > > A long term job? YES, potentially. > > An acting job? NO > > A white collar job? YES > > A blue collar job? NO > > A personal job (a person working for 1 other person)? NO > > A job whose performance was allowable by law? YES > > A job that had Fred gotten would have paid him financially for the work? YES > > Would Fred have paid taxes for doing his job? YES > > Did the potential employer perceive a conflict of interest? NO > > Would Fred have been unable to do the proposed job because he would eventually need to use a bathroom where none would be available? > NO ---
**Author:** ![Personal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Personal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Personal)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2019, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/760 "2019-11-30T23:28:40Z")
A job in politics? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=37) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=39)