# 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:** 63
**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 22, 2019, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1241 "2019-12-22T17:01:37Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > Were the trees used to monitor the movement of the ground in some way? > > Monitor the angle of the tree relative to magnetic north to see if the tree crosses the fault line? No. Good guesses though. ---
**Author:** ![SurrenderDorothy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/surrenderdorothy/32/1221_2.png) [@SurrenderDorothy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SurrenderDorothy)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2019, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1242 "2019-12-22T17:27:18Z")
Were they intended to bridge cracks in the Earth? ---
**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 22, 2019, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1243 "2019-12-22T17:31:10Z")
Did they need to be perpendicular to the river? To the fault line? Were they some sort of early warning system? ---
**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 22, 2019, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1244 "2019-12-22T17:44:01Z")
> [@SurrenderDorothy](#): > > Were they intended to bridge cracks in the Earth? **Yes!!!** I think this is solved. During the New Madrid earthquakes in 1811-1812 the ground in SE Missouri (Moe:)) and surrounding area was in constant flux. Fissures were opening up all the time and people noticed they opened up running North/South. So the idea was to cut down a lot of large trees to fall east/west so if a fissure did open there would be something to hold on to and/or bridge gaps. See [here](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.new-madrid.mo.us/132/Strange-Happenings-during-the-Earthquake&ved=2ahUKEwiK4_2l5snmAhUkU98KHRzECAkQFjAfegQIAhAB&usg=AOvVaw3Wx-fzcaNWc9PLDQi8YidA) and [here](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vc9EoTUvUrw&t=808s) ---
**Author:** ![SurrenderDorothy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/surrenderdorothy/32/1221_2.png) [@SurrenderDorothy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SurrenderDorothy)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2019, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1245 "2019-12-22T18:18:55Z")
Cool! Does this mean I have to do the next one? I did not come prepared. ---
**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 22, 2019, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1246 "2019-12-22T19:09:42Z")
I can try one. This one should be relatively quick: **Ida had some soup and then she died. Why?** ---
**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 22, 2019, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1247 "2019-12-22T19:49:35Z")
> [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser](#): > > **Ida had some soup and then she died. Why?** Is the name Ida relevant? What decade and century is this(to save time)? Is the soup connected to her death? Is there any wordplay in this puzzle at all? Is she human? Did she drown in the soup? ---
**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 22, 2019, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1248 "2019-12-22T19:51:52Z")
_ **Ida had some soup and then she died. Why?** _ > [@Mahaloth](#): > > Is the name Ida relevant? **YES** > > What decade and century is this(to save time)? **IRRELEVANT (Modern times)** > > Is the soup connected to her death? **YES** > > Is there any wordplay in this puzzle at all? **NO** > > Is she human? **YES** > > Did she drown in the soup? **NO** ---
**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 22, 2019, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1249 "2019-12-22T19:54:47Z")
Is Ida short for anything? Is this situation famous? Is Ida famous? Ida is not an Ore-Ida potato? (she’s human you said) ---
**Author:** ![SurrenderDorothy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/surrenderdorothy/32/1221_2.png) [@SurrenderDorothy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SurrenderDorothy)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2019, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1250 "2019-12-22T20:35:30Z")
This seems to obvious, but was the soup poisoned? Did she eat the soup or does “had some soup” mean it was just in her possession? Did she die as a direct result of eating the soup or were there other steps involved? Was she murdered? Did she commit suicide? Did she die as the result of a medical condition? Was her death accidental? ---
**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 22, 2019, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1251 "2019-12-22T21:02:23Z")
_ **Ida had some soup and then she died. Why?** _ > [@Mahaloth](#): > > Is Ida short for anything? **NO** > > Is this situation famous? **DEFINE FAMOUS** > > Is Ida famous? **NO** > > Ida is not an Ore-Ida potato? (she’s human you said) **NO** > [@SurrenderDorothy](#): > > This seems to obvious, but was the soup poisoned? **NO (But good on you for checking.)** > > Did she eat the soup **DEFINE EAT** > > or does “had some soup” mean it was just in her possession? **NO** > > Did she die as a direct result of eating the soup \*\*YES \*\* > > or were there other steps involved? **NO** > > Was she murdered? **NO** > > Did she commit suicide? **NO** > > Did she die as the result of a medical condition? **DEFINE MEDIAL CONDITION** > > Was her death accidental? **YES** ---
**Author:** ![Unreconstructed\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/76d3ee/32.png) [@Unreconstructed\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unreconstructed_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2019, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1252 "2019-12-22T21:08:11Z")
Are ‘Ida’ and the ‘she’ the same person? ---
**Author:** ![SurrenderDorothy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/surrenderdorothy/32/1221_2.png) [@SurrenderDorothy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SurrenderDorothy)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2019, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1253 "2019-12-22T21:25:26Z")
Did she intentionally consume it by putting it in her mouth and swallowing it? Did she ingest it another way, such as through a feeding tube? Did she introduce it to her body in some non-traditional and dangerous way such as inhaling it, injecting it, or giving herself a soup enema (ew)? Did she have a physical issue that made eating soup (in the traditional way) dangerous, such as inability to swallow thin liquids? Did she have an allergy or intolerance to some ingredient in the soup? Did she have a mental illness that is relevant to the story? Is the soup itself relevant to the story? The ingredients in the soup? The temperature of the soup? The consistency of the soup? Or could soup be replaced with a different food altogether and the story would still make sense? So “Ida” is relevant- is “Ida” a specific real person or is it a pun (First name Ida, last name Worstateatingsoup)? Is the puzzle solvable without figuring out the relevance of “Ida” (like “Moe” in the previous one was a clever detail, but the answer would have been the same if he had been named Kevin)? ---
**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 22, 2019, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1254 "2019-12-22T21:35:11Z")
_ **Ida had some soup and then she died. Why?** _ > [@Unreconstructed\_Man](#): > > Are ‘Ida’ and the ‘she’ the same person? _YES_ > [@SurrenderDorothy](#): > > Did she intentionally consume it by putting it in her mouth and swallowing it? **NO** > > Did she ingest it another way, such as through a feeding tube? **YES** > > Did she introduce it to her body in some non-traditional and dangerous way such as inhaling it, injecting it, or giving herself a soup enema (ew)? **YES** > > Did she have a physical issue that made eating soup (in the traditional way) dangerous, such as inability to swallow thin liquids? **NO** > > Did she have an allergy or intolerance to some ingredient in the soup? \*\*NO \*\* > > Did she have a mental illness that is relevant to the story? **NO** > > Is the soup itself relevant to the story? \*\*NO \*\* > > The ingredients in the soup? **NO** > > The temperature of the soup? \*\*NO \*\* > > The consistency of the soup? \*\*NO \*\* > > Or could soup be replaced with a different food altogether and the story would still make sense?\*\*NO \*\* > > So “Ida” is relevant- is “Ida” a specific real person **YES** > > or is it a pun (First name Ida, last name Worstateatingsoup)? **NO (Heh)** > > Is the puzzle solvable without figuring out the relevance of “Ida” (like “Moe” in the previous one was a clever detail, but the answer would have been the same if he had been named Kevin)? **YES** The riddle’s almost solved by now, maybe there’s the specific circumstances left… ---
**Author:** ![Calavera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calavera/32/70_2.png) [@Calavera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calavera)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2019, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1255 "2019-12-22T23:48:54Z")
> [@SurrenderDorothy](#): > > (like “Moe” in the previous one was a clever detail I don’t get it. ---
**Author:** ![Calavera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calavera/32/70_2.png) [@Calavera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calavera)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2019, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1256 "2019-12-22T23:57:40Z")
> [@Calavera](#): > > I don’t get it. Never mind, figured it out, (counter-intuitive US state postal abbreviation) ---
**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 23, 2019, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1257 "2019-12-23T14:23:31Z")
Since there’s no more interest, here’s the full story: [Ilda Vitor Maciel, 88, Dies After Allegedly Being Injected With Soup](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ilda-vitor-maciel-dies-soup-injection_n_1967495) I got the name wrong. Sorry about that. ---
**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 23, 2019, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1258 "2019-12-23T14:44:24Z")
> [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser](#): > > Since there’s no more interest, here’s the full story: > > [Ilda Vitor Maciel, 88, Dies After Allegedly Being Injected With Soup](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ilda-vitor-maciel-dies-soup-injection_n_1967495) > > I got the name wrong. Sorry about that. Wrong bisque type? ---
**Author:** ![SurrenderDorothy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/surrenderdorothy/32/1221_2.png) [@SurrenderDorothy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SurrenderDorothy)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1259 "2019-12-23T16:18:37Z")
> [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser](#): > > The riddle’s almost solved by now, maybe there’s the specific circumstances left… Well injecting soup would certainly do someone some serious harm. Some kind of bizarre medical error? Edit: whoops, didn’t see the last few posts. Easy to guess at the answer after the answer has been posted ---
**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 23, 2019, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1260 "2019-12-23T16:54:18Z")
\*\*Jay got together with his Dad the other day, but it was a rather strange meeting in a few ways. What was so strange about it? \*\* [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=62) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=64)