# 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:** 160
**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:** [April 23, 2025, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3181 "2025-04-23T23:52:48Z")
No but murder plays a part in the LTP Not conspiring as in planning together but it was a crime for the same event. ---
**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:** [April 24, 2025, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3182 "2025-04-24T02:29:25Z")
Did they all coincidentally plan to commit the same crime? ---
**Author:** ![MonkeysBrother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ab097/32.png) [@MonkeysBrother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeysBrother)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3183 "2025-04-24T04:30:57Z")
A cover up? ---
**Author:** ![Mish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47774/32.png) [@Mish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mish)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3184 "2025-04-24T08:47:50Z")
did they all work where the crime happened? are they all related? ( family, friends, etc) ---
**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:** [April 24, 2025, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3185 "2025-04-24T12:05:39Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > > [@Cheesesteak](#): > > > > Was the victim of the crime (they were accused of) human? > > Technically no. This will make sense when you find out the whole story. Was the victim an organization? The state? The public? ---
**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:** [April 24, 2025, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3186 "2025-04-24T13:22:17Z")
> [@Ana\_Byrd](#): > > Did they all coincidentally plan to commit the same crime? No > [@MonkeysBrother](#): > > A cover up? No > [@Mish](#): > > did they all work where the crime happened? > > are they all related? ( family, friends, etc) Two did and no > [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Was the victim an organization? The state? The public? Technically the court was the victim ---
**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:** [April 27, 2025, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3187 "2025-04-27T02:45:21Z")
Since the guessing game seems to be stalling out, I’m going to try find the puzzling part. Was it a very unusual crime? A routine sort of crime, but committed under very unusual circumstances? Was it strange that these specific people would be brought together by this incident? If all these people you named were replaced by random made-up names, would the situation be as noteworthy? ---
**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:** [April 27, 2025, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3188 "2025-04-27T03:03:52Z")
> [@Ana\_Byrd](#): > > Was it a very unusual crime? > > A routine sort of crime, but committed under very unusual circumstances? > > Was it strange that these specific people would be brought together by this incident? > > If all these people you named were replaced by random made-up names, would the situation be as noteworthy? Not at all. Remember the Court was the victim so I think that could only be one crime. That would also answer > [@Ana\_Byrd](#): > > Was it a very unusual crime? > > A routine sort of crime, but committed under very unusual circumstances? > [@Ana\_Byrd](#): > > Was it strange that these specific people would be brought together by this incident? Not strange at all > [@Ana\_Byrd](#): > > If all these people you named were replaced by random made-up names, would the situation be as noteworthy? The names are immaterial. ---
**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:** [April 27, 2025, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3189 "2025-04-27T03:04:16Z")
Huge hint tomorrow if we don’t progress. ---
**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:** [April 27, 2025, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3190 "2025-04-27T03:24:45Z")
Since the court was the victim, is the crime contempt of court? ---
**Author:** ![Mish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47774/32.png) [@Mish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mish)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2025, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3191 "2025-04-27T05:53:35Z")
I believe they’re summoned jurors who skipped jury duty. in terms of contempt of court, 6 were convicted and 3 were acquitted. ---
**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:** [April 27, 2025, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3192 "2025-04-27T06:05:43Z")
> [@dirtball](#): > > Since the court was the victim, is the crime contempt of court? Yes! > [@Mish](#): > > I believe they’re summoned jurors who skipped jury duty. > in terms of contempt of court, 6 were convicted and 3 were acquitted. No! ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2025, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3193 "2025-04-27T08:23:08Z")
Did they perjure themselves? Did they hide hide evidence? Disrepsect the court/judge? Fail to follow a court order? Were the two whose employment matters lawyers? If so were they working for the defense? Prosecution? Both? ---
**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:** [April 27, 2025, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3194 "2025-04-27T09:53:54Z")
Were they jurors? witnesses? lawyers? judges? defendants? court staff? police? the press? members of the public? ---
**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:** [April 27, 2025, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3195 "2025-04-27T14:29:38Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > Fail to follow a court order? Yes. > [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > Were the two whose employment matters lawyers? Nope > [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > police? Two were > [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > members of the public? The others were ---
**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:** [April 27, 2025, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3196 "2025-04-27T14:34:14Z")
So to summarize, it was contempt of court by not following a court order. 2 were police officers, the other 7 were general public. But what makes it lateral? That’s the next thing to pursue. ---
**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:** [April 27, 2025, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3197 "2025-04-27T14:43:58Z")
Does this have to do with immigration law? ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2025, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3198 "2025-04-27T15:10:02Z")
Was the court order particularly unusual? Was the way in which they failed to comply unusual? Was it a single order that they all failed to comply or were separate orders given to different defendants? Were they in the court when they failed to comply? Were some of them defendants in another court case? Were some of them members of the Jury? Was there anything unusual about the judge? ---
**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:** [April 27, 2025, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3199 "2025-04-27T16:15:45Z")
Was the court order something they could not reasonably be expected to do? Did they not know about it? Did they fail to comply because they were all dead? ---
**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:** [April 28, 2025, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3200 "2025-04-28T16:23:09Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > Was the court order particularly unusual? > > Was the way in which they failed to comply unusual? > > Was it a single order that they all failed to comply or were separate orders given to different defendants? > > Were they in the court when they failed to comply? > > Were some of them defendants in another court case? > > Were some of them members of the Jury? > > Was there anything unusual about the judge? No it wasn’t an unusual order The way they violated it was unusual (but that’s not the lateralness) It was a single order It was outside of the court They were not defendants in any other court at the time nor jurors. “the judge”? That makes this unanswerable. > [@Ana\_Byrd](#): > > Was the court order something they could not reasonably be expected to do? Did they not know about it? > > Did they fail to comply because they were all dead? No to all three. > [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Does this have to do with immigration law? No, although now I’m curious as to what case you’re thinking of. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214.md?page=159) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214.md?page=161)