# 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:** 7
**Author:** ![Personal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Personal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Personal)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2019, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/121 "2019-11-01T00:51:56Z")
Was the angry man one member of a group of persons? ---
**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:** [November 1, 2019, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/122 "2019-11-01T00:53:45Z")
Did Mr. Angry get divorced recently? **No.** Is Mr. Angry wealthy? **Yes.** Did Mr. Angry misunderstand something? **No** Did somebody misunderstand something about Mr. Angry? **No.** ---
**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:** [November 1, 2019, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/123 "2019-11-01T00:56:37Z")
Was the angry man one member of a group of persons? **Could you clarify? I mean, _everyone_ is one member of a group of persons a lot of the time, but I assume you mean something more specific?** ---
**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:** [November 1, 2019, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/124 "2019-11-01T02:41:11Z")
Is/was the angry man president of the USA? I the angry man Trump? ---
**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:** [November 1, 2019, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/125 "2019-11-01T02:44:51Z")
Is/was the angry man president of the USA? **No.** I the angry man Trump? **No.** ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2019, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/126 "2019-11-01T03:53:21Z")
Is the $800 mil part of the cost of the US military? Part of the cost of Social Security? Part of the cost of some other govnment program? To do with health care? ---
**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:** [November 1, 2019, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/127 "2019-11-01T12:21:53Z")
Is the $800 mil part of the cost of the US military? Part of the cost of Social Security? Part of the cost of some other govnment program? To do with health care? **No to all.** ---
**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 1, 2019, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/128 "2019-11-01T12:50:22Z")
Was the money saved by one or more Americans? Is the angry man a non-American? Did he say something threatening to an American? Was he speaking to a high-profile American? Did he take off his shoe and pound it on a table? ---
**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:** [November 1, 2019, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/129 "2019-11-01T12:54:49Z")
Was the money saved by one or more Americans? **The money was _lost_ by one or more Americans, and would have been saved by them had the man said something else.** Is the angry man a non-American? **Yes.** Did he say something threatening … **Yes.** … to an American? **No.** Was he speaking to a high-profile American? **No.** Did he take off his shoe and pound it on a table? **No.** ---
**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 1, 2019, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/130 "2019-11-01T13:10:21Z")
Was the man the head or representative of his country? Did he say it to a high-profile American official? Would it help if we knew what country he was from? Would it help if we knew when or where he said it? ---
**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:** [November 1, 2019, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/131 "2019-11-01T13:14:03Z")
Was the man the head or representative of his country? **No.** Did he say it to a high-profile American official? **No.** Would it help if we knew what country he was from? **Yes.** Would it help if we knew when or where he said it? **Yes.** ---
**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:** [November 1, 2019, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/132 "2019-11-01T13:18:52Z")
Was the angry man from a European country? Was the angry man from a Soviet Block country? Was the angry man from an Asian Country? ---
**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 1, 2019, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/133 "2019-11-01T13:26:27Z")
Did he say it before 1950? Did he say it to an American industrialist? ---
**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:** [November 1, 2019, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/134 "2019-11-01T13:33:42Z")
Was the angry man from a European country? **Yes.** Was the angry man from a Soviet Block country? **No.** Was the angry man from an Asian Country? **No.** Did he say it before 1950? **Yes.** Did he say it to an American industrialist? **No.** ---
**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 1, 2019, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/135 "2019-11-01T13:36:55Z")
Is this to do with paying off instalments or interest on a debt? Is this an expense incurred as the result of war? ---
**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 1, 2019, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/136 "2019-11-01T13:38:07Z")
Was the angry man Hitler? ---
**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:** [November 1, 2019, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/137 "2019-11-01T13:45:35Z")
**Note:** I’m going to assume the “this” in the next couple of questions refers specifically to the $800 million, and answer accordingly. Without giving too much away, I can anticipate some additional situations where ambiguities are likely to arise. I’m going to make my answers as literally accurate as possible, according to how questions are actually phrased, but be aware that questions that are worded slightly differently may produce seemingly contradictory answers. Is this to do with paying off instalments or interest on a debt? **No.** Is this an expense incurred as the result of war? **No.** Was the angry man Hitler? **No.** ---
**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 1, 2019, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/138 "2019-11-01T13:55:44Z")
Was the angry man from either Germany or The Soviet Union (or Russia)? Did he say it before 1930? Did the angry man survive more than a year after he said it? ---
**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:** [November 1, 2019, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/139 "2019-11-01T15:57:32Z")
Was the angry man from either Germany or The Soviet Union (or Russia)? **No.** Did he say it before 1930? **Yes.** Did the angry man survive more than a year after he said it? **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:** [November 1, 2019, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/140 "2019-11-01T16:25:57Z")
Did this take place in the following decades: 1770’s-1930’s: (Please tell me which decade you would say “yes” to) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=8)