# 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:** 54
**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 16, 2019, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1061 "2019-12-16T15:40:26Z")
Is the death an actual physical death of a real human? ---
**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:** [December 16, 2019, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1062 "2019-12-16T16:08:28Z")
Did the man know ahead of time that his chuckling would be a crime and (sort of) cause a death? ---
**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 16, 2019, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1063 "2019-12-16T20:03:23Z")
Was it at a comedian’s show? Is “death” a comedian doing badly at a comedy gig? ---
**Author:** ![Personal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Personal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Personal)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2019, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1064 "2019-12-16T22:08:33Z")
Did he chuckle to mask the sound of something? ---
**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 16, 2019, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1065 "2019-12-16T22:18:08Z")
\*\*Reply to Knowed Out \*\* Did his chuckling cause an accident? No Was his chuckling interpreted as a signal? No Was anybody else involved in the crime? Could be but NR Was the crime real, as opposed to one in a fictional portrayal? Not a fictional portrayal. ---
**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 16, 2019, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1066 "2019-12-16T22:22:56Z")
> [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser](#): > > Is the death an actual physical death of a real human? Rephrase please. ---
**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 16, 2019, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1067 "2019-12-16T22:24:26Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Did the man know ahead of time that his chuckling would be a crime and (sort of) cause a death? > [@Mahaloth](#): > > Was it at a comedian’s show? > > Is “death” a comedian doing badly at a comedy gig? > [@Personal](#): > > Did he chuckle to mask the sound of something? 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:** [December 16, 2019, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1068 "2019-12-16T22:52:24Z")
The death. Was it a real death or a symbolic death? Was it the death of a real human being? A fictional human being? Something non-human? ---
**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 16, 2019, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1069 "2019-12-16T23:44:57Z")
**reply to Go\_Arachnid\_Laser** The death. Was it a real death or a symbolic death? Was it the death of a real human being? A fictional human being? Something non-human? No The first three are hard to answer. If it was not a real death then it would not be a crime. But I cannot say “There, right there is the dead person.” I cannot say something like, “The dead person was Richard Roe of Pleasants Corner, Vermont in 1953.” It’s not like that. But the death of a fictional or symbolic person is not a crime and this is definitely a crime here. So you see the problem. I will just keep referring you back to post #1059, which I kid you not is all you need to know to solve this. _Indeed the key to this puzzle is realizing that all you need to know is in that post._ Because once you accept that, you realize that if you are asking me a question about what else might have happened you are on the wrong track. The trick is still working. You are still being distracted. Hoodwinked. Please solve this thing and stop me before I pontificate for many many more paragraphs about my thoughts on LT puzzles. ---
**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 17, 2019, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1070 "2019-12-17T00:03:29Z")
So the laughter caused certain unspecified people to die? Is it related to law? Religion? Sex? Economy? Politics? Education? Medicine? ---
**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:** [December 17, 2019, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1071 "2019-12-17T00:10:46Z")
Is it kuru? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**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 17, 2019, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1072 "2019-12-17T02:00:52Z")
**reply to\_Arachnid\_Laser** So the laughter caused certain unspecified people to die? I don’t know who died. Someone must have. It may sound callous, but this is NR to a solution. The fellow’s chuckling _is the crime_. Cause and effect misleads. Is it related to law? No. Religion? No. Sex? No. Economy? No. Politics? No. Education? No. Medicine? 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:** [December 17, 2019, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1073 "2019-12-17T02:04:46Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Is it kuru? > Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk I had to google kuru. Definitely NOT KURU. ---
**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 17, 2019, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1074 "2019-12-17T02:17:50Z")
Did someone’s death cause him to laugh? ---
**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 17, 2019, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1075 "2019-12-17T02:32:16Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Did someone’s death cause him to laugh? No. ---
**Author:** ![Personal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Personal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Personal)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2019, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1076 "2019-12-17T02:32:36Z")
Was the death a homicide? The chuckling was a crime because it caused a death. Doesn’t matter how. It just did. ---
**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 17, 2019, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1077 "2019-12-17T03:00:49Z")
**reply to Personal** Was the death a homicide? Yes The chuckling was a crime because it caused a death. Doesn’t matter how. It just did. **Right. Though I do not like the word "caused."** ---
**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 17, 2019, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1078 "2019-12-17T13:02:47Z")
Related to not liking the word caused: Was the homicide a result of the chuckle? Is the fact that a homicide was committed what made the chuckle a crime? Is this event famous? Do we all likely know it? ---
**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 17, 2019, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1079 "2019-12-17T13:10:02Z")
I fully expect this to be solved today and we can move on. But in the meantime here are some more ramblings on LT puzzles. I warned you. There are many types of LT puzzles. Many are like the infamous [Albatross Soup](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://nobudge.com/main/albatross-soup&ved=2ahUKEwjky7vC17zmAhWPZ80KHbH2ALgQFjAFegQIDhAJ&usg=AOvVaw0Knxrccm3xsOpFJb5qOyco) puzzle. There is no way to get to the solution without discovering the whole sordid story through a series of trial and error questioning. This current conundrum is not that type of riddle. It is only disguised as such. I am a big fan of the old Ernie Bushmiller _Nancy_ comics. (This paragraph BTW has nothing to do with solving the current puzzle.) Usually the well balanced strip consisted of three panels. The first two set up the joke, while the final panel was the gag. While some argue the strip was stupid, and sometimes I suppose it was, the real genius to me is how so many of the old _Nancy_ dailies are simple lateral thinking puzzles. If you cover up the final panel and only look at the first two, right there is a new LT puzzle. All you need is a friend who knows what is in the final panel to answer “yes” or “no” as you guess. There are clues in the first two panels to guide the solver, but frequently the gag panel is something unexpected yet hinted at by the first two. The excellent _[How to Read Nancy](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Nancy-Elements-Comics/dp/1606993615&ved=2ahUKEwiF8oru3bzmAhVYZc0KHX3LAqcQFjADegQIBBAB&usg=AOvVaw2kwhSQjMq8ML3fY0Pmy33K)_ does not directly mention the LT angle, but I think my idea is compatible with the theories in that excellent book. I don’t know any other comic strip that performed LT puzzles so well. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2019, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1080 "2019-12-17T13:16:40Z")
If the chuckler had chuckled somewhere else, would a crime have occurred? (I ask because I read of a case where somebody laughed in court. The judge was not amused and had him arrested on a misdemeanor. They found 3 oz of cocaine on him, so it became felony drug possession.) Did the chuckle give the culprit away after he had committed the crime? Was the chuckler hidden before he chuckled? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=53) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=55)