# 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:** 40
**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:** [December 2, 2019, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/781 "2019-12-02T01:35:41Z")
Was Fred caught on tape saying something that led to his electoral defeat? If yes, would the sound of running water have masked it? Did Fred do something illegal? Something not illegal but generally regarded as ethically wrong? Something neither illegal nor wrong, but embarrassing? ---
**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:** [December 2, 2019, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/782 "2019-12-02T01:43:17Z")
Damn, too late to edit – I would like to change “caught on tape” to “overheard or caught on tape” in my previous post. Also, is the time period when this happens 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:** [December 2, 2019, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/783 "2019-12-02T03:17:00Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > Would Fred have noticed a lack of water had he used his bathroom? NO > > Is his water coming from a different jurisdiction from where his house is? > > YES > > Does he have well water? IRRELEVANT(let’s say “NO”) > > Does this have anything to do with fracking? NO > > Was the new job an appointed position rather than an elected position? NO > [@Fretful\_Porpentine](#): > > Was Fred caught on tape saying something that led to his electoral defeat? If yes, would the sound of running water have masked it? > > NO > > Did Fred do something illegal? > > YES(???) - I am not sure. Maybe. > > Something not illegal but generally regarded as ethically wrong? > > YES…again, I think so. > > Something neither illegal nor wrong, but embarrassing? > > NO - not really > [@Fretful\_Porpentine](#): > > Also, is the time period when this happens relevant? Nope. 2017 if you care. We got a few interesting answers here, but there is work left to solve it. Doable, though. ---
**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:** [December 2, 2019, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/784 "2019-12-02T03:33:37Z")
Would Fred have noticed anything unusual about the water in his bathroom had he used the bathroom? Is the bathroom in question in his house? Is it relevant that the water in his bathroom is coming from a different jurisdiction from where his bathroom is? ---
**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:** [December 2, 2019, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/785 "2019-12-02T03:45:49Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > Would Fred have noticed anything unusual about the water in his bathroom had he used the bathroom? > > NO > > Is the bathroom in question in his house? > > Well…NO. I think not. > > Is it relevant that the water in his bathroom is coming from a different jurisdiction from where his bathroom is? > > I can not answer this as asked. kk ---
**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:** [December 2, 2019, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/786 "2019-12-02T04:01:16Z")
Was Fred lying about where he lived? ---
**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:** [December 2, 2019, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/787 "2019-12-02T04:19:56Z")
So the bathroom in question is not in Fred’s house? Is the bathroom in question in Fred’s office or office building? Is it relevant where the water supplying the bathroom in question is coming from? ---
**Author:** ![Personal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Personal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Personal)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2019, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/788 "2019-12-02T06:45:15Z")
Did Fred get arrested? Convicted? ---
**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:** [December 2, 2019, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/789 "2019-12-02T13:32:53Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > Was Fred lying about where he lived? YES > [@Folly](#): > > So the bathroom in question is not in Fred’s house? NO(it is) > > Is the bathroom in question in Fred’s office or office building? NO > > Is it relevant where the water supplying the bathroom in question is coming from? NO > [@Personal](#): > > Did Fred get arrested? > Convicted? NO to both. ---
**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:** [December 2, 2019, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/790 "2019-12-02T13:34:20Z")
This one is not solved, but the information is, for the most part there. I will give one hint to move things along and to clarify for my own answers: Fred has at least two houses. (this has made “house” very hard to determine my answer). ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2019, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/791 "2019-12-02T14:05:45Z")
Was his actual residence not in the district that he wanted to run for office, and thus he didn’t meet the requirements to run? ---
**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:** [December 2, 2019, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/792 "2019-12-02T14:42:05Z")
So, he had gone to the bathroom in the house he was actually living, instead of the house he was supposed to be living? ---
**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:** [December 2, 2019, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/793 "2019-12-02T15:18:52Z")
Was there some sort of problem with the water that anyone who used the bathroom in the appropriate place have known about? ---
**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:** [December 2, 2019, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/794 "2019-12-02T16:16:34Z")
Did someone notice that zero water had been used in one of the houses? Did amount of water usage prove that one of the houses was not being resided in? ---
**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:** [December 2, 2019, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/795 "2019-12-02T16:20:38Z")
Was residence defined legally by where one used the bathroom? ---
**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:** [December 2, 2019, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/796 "2019-12-02T16:21:04Z")
Had the water been shut off in one of the houses, proving that he took a shower elsewhere? ---
**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:** [December 2, 2019, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/797 "2019-12-02T17:52:32Z")
Oh, I think that Folly’s got it. Bound to be that. ---
**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:** [December 2, 2019, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/798 "2019-12-02T20:34:07Z")
Solved! Frederick Ramirez water usage in the bathroom was about two flushes per month. This indicated that he did not really live or have permanent residence in the district he was running for. He had another house he really lived in and neighbors in his potential district literally never saw him at the house he claimed to live in. [Read about the full story here.](https://www.nwitimes.com/digital/graphics/today-s-quirky-news-too-few-flushes-get-legislative-candidate/collection_8797120d-9a9e-59ff-9d97-24d18cdf529d.html) ---
**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:** [December 2, 2019, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/799 "2019-12-02T23:47:05Z")
**Les paid $2000 at an auction for an item even though he knew most of what made it valuable was fake. What is it and why did he pay so much?** ---
**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:** [December 2, 2019, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/800 "2019-12-02T23:53:46Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > **Les paid $2000 at an auction for an item even though he knew most of what made it valuable was fake. What is it and why did he pay so much?** Was Les a counterfeiter? Did he need to recover the item so he wouldn’t be found out? Was it a painting? A statue? A vehicle? An activity? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=39) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=41)