# Lateral Thinking Puzzles - third time is best! **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [July 18, 2023, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214 "2023-07-18T13:39:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 111
**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:** [July 4, 2024, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2201 "2024-07-04T19:07:55Z")
reply to Peter\_Morris: Can your brother win real money playing the game? No Is it a virtual slot machine? Five green teas in a row = jackpot? No Does your brother only play the game in the morning? Almost always Can the game be played any time, or only in the morning? Any time. ---
**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:** [July 4, 2024, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2202 "2024-07-04T19:10:04Z")
reply to Mijin: Is the color an indicator of how well he did in the past e.g. his performance in the past day? No. And just to confirm: the three colors are red, yellow and green, with red being the worst color and green being the best? No red. ---
**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:** [July 4, 2024, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2203 "2024-07-04T19:20:41Z")
[quote=“Chronos, post:2199, topic:987214”] He already said that it’s green, yellow, and some other color(s) (not red, black, white, etc.), and said that the other colors have a hierarchy, but not what that hierarchy is. More questions: Are there always the same number of teas each morning, for your brother? Not sure how to answer this. Would any given player of this game always have tea indicators every morning? No Would any given player of this game always have the same number of tea indicators as your brother? Yes Would any given player of this game have the same hierarchy of color preferences as your brother? Yes Would your brother be actually likely to know what color(s) his tea would be in the morning, before he checked? No Could your brother, if he meticulously kept track of his play, did any necessary calculations, etc., know what color(s) his tea would be in the morning, before he checked? No > [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Can the game be played any time, or only in the morning? To expand on this: Can the game be played only once per day? Yes Is it a game where everyone is presented with the same puzzle, and everyone tries to solve it? Yes Is the relevance of his work that he’s likely to interact with other people who play the game, and he wants to solve it before any of them spoil it? Partly Is “green tea” widely-used terminology by players of this game for what he wants? No And finally, to go for the (potential) kill: Is it Wordle, and “green tea” is the term your brother uses for the green “correct letter in this location” indicator? It is Wordle!!! And as a tutor, you might thus guess what his first try word always is… ---
**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:** [July 4, 2024, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2204 "2024-07-04T19:56:11Z")
Ah, so “green tea” is actually “green T”. He hopes that the Ts in his initial guess will be in the word and in the right place, and hence show as green. Though I think that was a bit dirty, in that the “green tea” wasn’t actually tea, which a few of us asked about. ---
**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:** [July 4, 2024, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2205 "2024-07-04T20:34:18Z")
His first Wordle guess word is always “TEAch”. He hopes for green TEA- (and green -CH for that matter.) This all started when I told him I had a green dream first thing one morning, thus I am now always armed. (Because DREAM, my former starting word, was actually the game’s word a year or so ago, so I now use ARMED because I like those letters and Wordle will not likely use DREAM again.) He responded that he usually likes black tea, but hopes for green TEA in the morning. Sort of how our conversations go… ---
**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:** [July 5, 2024, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2206 "2024-07-05T14:36:00Z")
Time for a new one? **The US government once employed an engineer to do nothing but smoke, fish, and lounge around in a deck chair. Why?** (As always, if you already know about this, please hold off – I think it is guessable through Q&A alone.) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2024, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2207 "2024-07-05T14:42:28Z")
Was he effectively on call to do something if the need arose? ---
**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:** [July 5, 2024, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2208 "2024-07-05T14:44:42Z")
**No. (Or, to the extent that he was, it was separate from these activities.)** ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2024, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2209 "2024-07-05T14:48:31Z")
Were they trying to find out whether smoking discouraged the fish from biting or encouraged them to do so? ---
**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:** [July 5, 2024, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2210 "2024-07-05T14:51:13Z")
**No.** ---
**Author:** ![colinfred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colinfred/32/21338_2.png) [@colinfred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colinfred)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2024, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2211 "2024-07-05T14:55:47Z")
Just to be clear smoking: the ingesting of smoke created by burning tobacco? fishing: attempts to catch creatures that live in water with a rod or similar device? ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2024, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2212 "2024-07-05T14:56:10Z")
Did his job description specify those activities? Or was he hired to produce results in whatever way he saw fit, and those activities were his way of doing 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:** [July 5, 2024, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2213 "2024-07-05T14:56:41Z")
> [@colinfred](#): > > smoking: the ingesting of smoke created by burning tobacco? > fishing: attempts to catch creatures that live in water with a rod or similar device? **Yes: smoking = ingestion of smoke created by burning tobacco, and fishing = attempts to catch creatures that live in water with a rod or similar device.** ---
**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:** [July 5, 2024, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2214 "2024-07-05T14:59:22Z")
> [@dirtball](#): > > Did his job description specify those activities? > Or was he hired to produce results in whatever way he saw fit, and those activities were his way of doing it? **He was specifically directed to engage in those activities, but (as far as I know) they were not part of his official job description.** ---
**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:** [July 5, 2024, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2215 "2024-07-05T15:09:36Z")
Was he in costume or in some kind of performance? Was his activity meant to be seen by the public? ---
**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:** [July 5, 2024, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2216 "2024-07-05T15:15:33Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > Was he in costume or in some kind of performance? **Not exactly.** > [@Biotop](#): > > Was his activity meant to be seen by the public? **Yes.** ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2024, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2217 "2024-07-05T15:22:04Z")
Was it apparent to the onlookers that he was doing a job? Was he demonstrating something? Or did he just appear to them as some rando sitting there, fishing and smoking? If someone different had been hired for that job opening, would that person have done the very same activities? ---
**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:** [July 5, 2024, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2218 "2024-07-05T15:34:29Z")
Excellent questions! > [@dirtball](#): > > Was it apparent to the onlookers that he was doing a job? **No.** > [@dirtball](#): > > Was he demonstrating something? **No (at least not in the usual sense of “demonstrating”).** > [@dirtball](#): > > Or did he just appear to them as some rando sitting there, fishing and smoking? **Also no.** > [@dirtball](#): > > If someone different had been hired for that job opening, would that person have done the very same activities? **This is a very difficult one to answer. I guess my best answer is that _someone_ else would likely have been found to do the same activities, but that person probably would not have been the same person holding the job the engineer was hired for.** ---
**Author:** ![Ana\_Byrd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Ana\_Byrd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ana_Byrd)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2024, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2219 "2024-07-05T15:35:12Z")
Was it to demonstrate that their system was so sound that their engineer doesn’t need to do any real work? ---
**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:** [July 5, 2024, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2220 "2024-07-05T15:42:56Z")
**No, it was not to demonstrate that their system was so sound the engineer doesn’t need to do any real work.** [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214.md?page=110) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214.md?page=112)