# 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:** 85
**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:** [January 19, 2020, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1681 "2020-01-19T17:16:03Z")
Did they get anything else besides the paper at the newsstand? Did they meet somebody on the detour? Did they go anywhere else besides the newsstand in their detour? ---
**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:** [January 19, 2020, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1682 "2020-01-19T17:32:14Z")
Did they have to take a ferry so if they were running late, they’d have to wait for the next one? **No.** Did they get anything else besides the paper at the newsstand? **They got a receipt for the paper. They did not make any other purchases.** Did they meet somebody on the detour? **No.** Did they go anywhere else besides the newsstand in their detour? **They did not make any other stops.** ---
**Author:** ![kk\_fusion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kk_fusion/32/15276_2.png) [@kk\_fusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kk_fusion)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2020, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1683 "2020-01-19T18:45:05Z")
Were they pretending to pick up their friend from a different location than they actually did? If so, did that make for a better excuse for being late? ---
**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:** [January 19, 2020, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1684 "2020-01-19T19:22:49Z")
Were they pretending to pick up their friend from a different location than they actually did? **No.** If so, did that make for a better excuse for being late? **No. And this is probably a good time for a hint: They were able to _avoid_ being late.** ---
**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:** [January 19, 2020, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1685 "2020-01-19T19:36:32Z")
Did they show the receipt to somebody later? Did your bro’s friend have a reason for driving in a circle, aside from killing time? ---
**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:** [January 19, 2020, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1686 "2020-01-19T19:50:07Z")
Did they show the receipt to somebody later? **I’m not sure whether they ever actually did show it to anyone, but they wanted it so they _could_ show it to someone.** Did your bro’s friend have a reason for driving in a circle, aside from killing time? **Yes.** ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2020, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1687 "2020-01-19T21:05:09Z")
Did they wind up at a different campus of the same school which had a later starting time? Doesn’t explain the purchase though… ---
**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:** [January 19, 2020, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1688 "2020-01-19T23:03:04Z")
Did they wind up at a different campus of the same school which had a later starting time? **No. The school had only one campus.** ---
**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:** [January 19, 2020, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1689 "2020-01-19T23:46:56Z")
Was the purpose of the purchase so that they would be able to deceive someone with the receipt? Was the detour timed so that they’d arrive at school at the second class period of the day? Was there anything at all significant that they would pass or see on their detour? Is their school year level relevant? ---
**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:** [January 20, 2020, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1690 "2020-01-20T00:40:30Z")
Does getting to school on time involve breaking the speed limit? Would the receipt somehow help prevent them from getting a speeding ticket? ---
**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:** [January 20, 2020, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1691 "2020-01-20T00:46:52Z")
Was the purpose of the purchase so that they would be able to deceive someone with the receipt? **Yes.** Was the detour timed so that they’d arrive at school at the second class period of the day? **No.** Was there anything at all significant that they would pass or see on their detour? **Yes.** Is their school year level relevant? **No (except insofar as they were old enough to drive).** Does getting to school on time involve breaking the speed limit? **No.** Would the receipt somehow help prevent them from getting a speeding ticket? **No, but this line of questioning is getting very warm.** ---
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1692 "2020-01-20T00:52:48Z")
Did the paper contain information that helped them get to school on time? ---
**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:** [January 20, 2020, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1693 "2020-01-20T00:57:56Z")
Did the paper contain information that helped them get to school on time? **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:** [January 20, 2020, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1694 "2020-01-20T01:09:21Z")
Was the significant thing on their detour something that would detect their car as it passed? Was the place shown on the receipt a place name that could be mistaken for somewhere different than the actual place they bought the paper? If so, was deceiving someone about what place they were in at that time, the purpose of the receipt? ---
**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:** [January 20, 2020, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1695 "2020-01-20T03:02:16Z")
Was the significant thing on their detour something that would detect their car as it passed? **No.** Was the place shown on the receipt a place name that could be mistaken for somewhere different than the actual place they bought the paper? **No.** If so, was deceiving someone about what place they were in at that time, the purpose of the receipt? **No.** ---
**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:** [January 20, 2020, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1696 "2020-01-20T03:35:53Z")
Was the driving around in circles in order to put miles on the odometer, intending to make someone think they’d driven further? ---
**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:** [January 20, 2020, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1697 "2020-01-20T03:37:36Z")
By the time they got to school was there anything at all different about them or the car (other than the fact that it now had a receipt and a Washington Post in it) than before the detour? Was the purpose of the receipt to be shown (if necessary) to someone at school? Another official of some kind? Did taking the detour mean that they actually got to school quicker than if they hadn’t detoured? ---
**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:** [January 20, 2020, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1698 "2020-01-20T05:25:29Z")
Was the method of payment important? ---
**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:** [January 20, 2020, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1699 "2020-01-20T14:45:23Z")
Was the driving around in circles in order to put miles on the odometer, intending to make someone think they’d driven further? **No.** By the time they got to school was there anything at all different about them or the car (other than the fact that it now had a receipt and a Washington Post in it) than before the detour? **No.** Was the purpose of the receipt to be shown (if necessary) to someone at school? **No.** Another official of some kind? **Yes.** Did taking the detour mean that they actually got to school quicker than if they hadn’t detoured? **YES!!!** Was the method of payment important? **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:** [January 20, 2020, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1700 "2020-01-20T15:38:32Z")
Did they have to buy something to use the method of detour? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=84) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=86)