# 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:** 124
**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:** [August 22, 2024, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2461 "2024-08-22T16:20:35Z")
> [@Rebo](#): > > Does Nancy go to the park and hang upside down from a tree or the monkey bars? Not sure what the gag would be, unless it has to do with shadows like @dirtball suggests. 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:** [August 22, 2024, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2462 "2024-08-22T16:23:19Z")
> [@dirtball](#): > > Oh, the gag might be that she hangs upside down from the monkey bars while she holds the newspaper right side up so as to read the comic strip correctly. I like this better than the real solution! Hint: only the last panel of the strip in the newspaper was accidentally printed upside down. ---
**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 22, 2024, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2463 "2024-08-22T16:25:33Z")
Is the answer to do with the thickness of the news paper page? The ink on the paper? ---
**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 22, 2024, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2464 "2024-08-22T16:27:25Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > I like this better than the real solution! I does seem like a rather Nancy thing to do, I think. ---
**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:** [August 22, 2024, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2465 "2024-08-22T16:29:01Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > Is the answer to do with the thickness of the news paper page? > > The ink on the paper? No to all. ---
**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 24, 2024, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2466 "2024-08-24T00:01:34Z")
Did Nancy go to the park to hang upside down in the playground, so she could read the last panel correctly? ---
**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:** [August 24, 2024, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2467 "2024-08-24T00:30:37Z")
reply to Cheesesteak: Did Nancy go to the park to hang upside down in the playground, so she could read the last panel correctly? No. ---
**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 24, 2024, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2468 "2024-08-24T00:36:14Z")
Did it involve sunlight shining through the page? Did she need to verify that the world was still right-side-up? ---
**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 24, 2024, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2469 "2024-08-24T01:16:44Z")
Does the gag involve Nancy hanging upside down at all, for any reason? Given that we don’t know what the comic strip in Nancy’s newspaper portrays, do we need to figure out how we can tell the one panel is upside down? ---
**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:** [August 24, 2024, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2470 "2024-08-24T01:21:20Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Did it involve sunlight shining through the page? > > Did she need to verify that the world was still right-side-up? No to all ---
**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:** [August 24, 2024, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2471 "2024-08-24T01:25:30Z")
reply to dirtball: Does the gag involve Nancy hanging upside down at all, for any reason? No. Given that we don’t know what the comic strip in Nancy’s newspaper portrays, do we need to figure out how we can tell the one panel is upside down? No. You need to figure out why, when Nancy saw a newspaper comic strip with the last panel printed upside-down, why she then went to the park. ---
**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 24, 2024, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2472 "2024-08-24T01:34:58Z")
My thought was that if we don’t know what the comic strip portrays, it’s not clear to me how we, Nancy readers, know the panel is upside down. So what I was trying to get at is, will figuring that out help lead us to the answer? Or would it just be going off on a wild goose chase? ---
**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:** [August 24, 2024, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2473 "2024-08-24T01:53:46Z")
It starts off in panel #1 with Nancy reading the newspaper. In panel #2 she notes in surprise that one comic strip has had its last panel accidentally printed upside down. She states her reason for going to the park in panel #3. In panel #4 she goes to the park. ---
**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:** [August 24, 2024, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2474 "2024-08-24T01:55:13Z")
> [@dirtball](#): > > My thought was that if we don’t know what the comic strip portrays, it’s not clear to me how we, Nancy readers, know the panel is upside down. So what I was trying to get at is, will figuring that out help lead us to the answer? > Or would it just be going off on a wild goose chase? See above. ---
**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:** [August 24, 2024, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2475 "2024-08-24T02:02:19Z")
There is a logical reason (ok comic strip logic, but what the hey!) for Nancy to go to the park as demonstrated in panel #4. ---
**Author:** ![Teuton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teuton/32/3864_2.png) [@Teuton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teuton)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2024, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2476 "2024-08-24T07:16:37Z")
Is there wording in the comic strip that reads differently upside down? ---
**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:** [August 24, 2024, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2477 "2024-08-24T11:25:07Z")
reply to Teuton: Is there wording in the comic strip that reads differently upside down? No. ---
**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 24, 2024, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2478 "2024-08-24T14:30:59Z")
Okay I’m confused. Is this story of Nancy depicted in the comic strip itself? Maybe I’ve missed this from above. ---
**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:** [August 24, 2024, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2479 "2024-08-24T14:46:45Z")
Biotop is recounting a joke from a comic strip called [Nancy](https://www.gocomics.com/nancy-classics), but that is apparently not important, it could happen in real life. ---
**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:** [August 24, 2024, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/2480 "2024-08-24T21:08:01Z")
Is playground equipment involved? Did she intend to use a slide (or some other shiny surface) as a mirror? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214.md?page=123) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214.md?page=125)