# 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:** 117
**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:** [August 7, 2024, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2321 "2024-08-07T19:32:06Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Is leap year involved? > Is the lack of a leap year in 1800/ 1900 involved? Maybe he missed two consecutive birthdays that way. I believe we have a winner here. Gerald was born in 1876. By the time he went to sea in 1896, he had experienced 5 birthdays. There was no leap year in 1900, so he expected to have to wait 8 years for an actual birthday. But alas, in 1904 he was on a ship and on February 28, 1904, they crossed the dateline. He was the unluckiest man in history in this respect because not only did he wait 8 years because of 1900, he had to wait 12 years because he skipped February 29 in 1904! The little square piece of paper was the February 29 on their calendar, which they ripped off. The note simply explained how incredibly unlucky he was for missing his birth-date again. Note: All fictional, no such person has ever been shown to go through this. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2024, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2322 "2024-08-09T14:58:07Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > But alas, in 1904 he was on a ship and on February 28, 1904, they crossed the dateline. Why wouldn’t it be February 29th as soon as he crossed the line? Unless his body crossed the IDL exactly at midnight. ---
**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:** [August 9, 2024, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2323 "2024-08-09T16:35:23Z")
OK, I have one, ripped from the headlines (except, since it happened to me, it didn’t actually make headlines). When I woke up this morning, I saw that my freezer door was wide open. But I wasn’t at all concerned about that fact. Why not, and what happened? ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2024, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2324 "2024-08-09T16:47:52Z")
Did you come home drunk and slept in the freezer because it was the middle of summer and your AC didn’t work? ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2024, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2325 "2024-08-09T17:10:55Z")
Was the freezer full of food? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2024, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2326 "2024-08-09T17:11:46Z")
Was the freezer in the house? Was the freezer plugged in? ---
**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:** [August 9, 2024, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2327 "2024-08-09T17:19:43Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > When I woke up this morning, I saw that my freezer door was wide open. But I wasn’t at all concerned about that fact. Why not, and what happened? Were you defrosting it? ---
**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:** [August 9, 2024, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2328 "2024-08-09T17:27:23Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Did you come home drunk and slept in the freezer because it was the middle of summer and your AC didn’t work? No. Amusing though that might be. > [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > Was the freezer full of food? Yes. > [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](#): > > Was the freezer in the house? > Was the freezer plugged in? Yes to both. Well, apartment, not house, but same difference. > [@Mahaloth](#): > > Were you defrosting it? No. ---
**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:** [August 9, 2024, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2329 "2024-08-09T17:36:48Z")
The food that was in the freezer: Was it food that should, in fact, have been kept frozen? ---
**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:** [August 9, 2024, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2330 "2024-08-09T17:37:12Z")
Yes, it should have been kept frozen. ---
**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:** [August 9, 2024, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2331 "2024-08-09T17:51:39Z")
Had it already thawed due to a long loss of power, and you intended to throw it all out anyway? Were you intending to cook it all that day and wanted to thaw it anyway? Was the house, or the freezer’s location in the house, well below freezing temperature? Was there something keeping the freezer temperature cold despite the open door? ETA: were you for some reason in a state in which you didn’t care what happened to the food in the freezer? ETA twice: was the freezer door open because somebody else in the house was in the process of getting something into or out of it? ---
**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:** [August 9, 2024, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2332 "2024-08-09T17:54:10Z")
Was it opening indicative of something positive that had occured? - power was turned back on? ---
**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:** [August 9, 2024, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2333 "2024-08-09T18:01:18Z")
Was the penny on top of the ice? ---
**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:** [August 9, 2024, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2334 "2024-08-09T19:08:29Z")
Yes, it had already thawed due to loss of power. That’s part of the solution. No, I was not intending to cook it. Neither the house nor the kitchen was below freezing, nor was there anything keeping the freezer cold. My own state was normal, and nobody else was putting anything in or out of the freezer. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2024, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2335 "2024-08-09T19:11:32Z")
Was the freezer door open when you went to bed? ---
**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:** [August 9, 2024, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2336 "2024-08-09T19:14:16Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Yes, it had already thawed due to loss of power. That’s part of the solution. Could you see the light coming out of it and you knew the power was back? Edit: Or heard it running, felt its cold, etc. ---
**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:** [August 9, 2024, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2337 "2024-08-09T20:52:26Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Yes, it had already thawed due to loss of power. That’s part of the solution. Had you previously moved the contents, because of the loss of power, to somewhere else where they would stay frozen? ---
**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:** [August 9, 2024, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2338 "2024-08-09T21:18:27Z")
It’s still off. ---
**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:** [August 9, 2024, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2339 "2024-08-09T21:20:40Z")
I did not move the food. BTW, for reasons related to this puzzle, I’m currently posting mostly via my phone, which isn’t as easy for me. So please either reply to one of my posts, or @ me, with your questions. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2024, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2340 "2024-08-10T01:42:09Z")
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