# 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:** 172
**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:** [June 20, 2025, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3421 "2025-06-20T00:17:51Z")
**Was there any sort of wordplay used in the text?** **Or other type of joke or cleverness?** **Did the text make a direct reference to music that might be played in church?** **An indirect reference?** **Did the text make a direct reference to the act of playing music in church?** No to all An indirect reference? Sort of? ---
**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:** [June 20, 2025, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3422 "2025-06-20T00:21:05Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > An indirect reference? > Sort of? Is this just in the context of the text saying the sender wouldn’t be at church, and there’s no further relevance to the question/answer? ---
**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:** [June 20, 2025, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3423 "2025-06-20T00:59:23Z")
If I’m reading that question correctly: That is not correct. ---
**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:** [June 20, 2025, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3424 "2025-06-20T02:29:50Z")
Is the reason _why_ the sender wouldn’t be at church relevant? Was it mentioned in the text? Did the sender have any (relevant) medical conditions? ---
**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:** [June 20, 2025, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3425 "2025-06-20T04:59:08Z")
Was there a reference to your mother’s age? Is your mother’s age important? Does your mother have a new responsibility because this person will not be at church? Does it matter whether the sender physically typed the text or instead voiced it? Does the specific date of the birthday matter? ---
**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:** [June 20, 2025, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3426 "2025-06-20T12:22:14Z")
> [@Fretful\_Porpentine](#): > > Is the reason _why_ the sender wouldn’t be at church relevant? Was it mentioned in the text? Did the sender have any (relevant) medical conditions? Yes to all three. > [@Biotop](#): > > Was there a reference to your mother’s age? Is your mother’s age important? > > Does your mother have a new responsibility because this person will not be at church? > > Does it matter whether the sender physically typed the text or instead voiced it? > > Does the specific date of the birthday matter? 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:** [June 20, 2025, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3427 "2025-06-20T12:46:06Z")
Was there any additional earlier information (ex: a different text about a change at the church, say a guest pianist coming) that you used to guess the identity of the texter? Does it matter at all the reason the texter would not be at church? ---
**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:** [June 20, 2025, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3428 "2025-06-20T13:28:27Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > Was there any additional earlier information (ex: a different text about a change at the church, say a guest pianist coming) that you used to guess the identity of the texter? No. > [@Biotop](#): > > Does it matter at all the reason the texter would not be at church? @Fretful_Porpentine just asked that, and yes. We’re almost there. ---
**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:** [June 20, 2025, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3429 "2025-06-20T13:43:48Z")
Was it something similar to this: The text said, “I can’t be at church because my lumbago is acting up something fierce, but happy birthday…” And you happened to remember before your mom did that Mrs. Whoever, the church pianist, sometimes complained about bouts of lumbago. ---
**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:** [June 20, 2025, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3430 "2025-06-20T13:59:20Z")
Not quite. ---
**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:** [June 20, 2025, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3431 "2025-06-20T16:45:10Z")
Is her medical condition vision-related? Did it affect her ability to text? To play the piano? ---
**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:** [June 20, 2025, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3432 "2025-06-20T16:50:29Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Not quite. Was it based on a fact about the sender that you knew but your mother did not? ---
**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:** [June 20, 2025, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3433 "2025-06-20T16:50:45Z")
Is the medical condition hand related? ---
**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:** [June 20, 2025, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3434 "2025-06-20T19:47:32Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Was it based on a fact about the sender that you knew but your mother did not? No. > [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Is the medical condition hand related? Yes. Care to solve it? ---
**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:** [June 20, 2025, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3435 "2025-06-20T20:05:48Z")
Is it Carpal Tunnel? ---
**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:** [June 20, 2025, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3436 "2025-06-20T20:15:11Z")
No, but not really relevant. Remember, the ultimate question was “How did I know who it was?”. ---
**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:** [June 20, 2025, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3437 "2025-06-20T20:20:05Z")
Did she say that her hand injury was going to prevent her from attending church? ---
**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:** [June 20, 2025, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3438 "2025-06-20T21:39:05Z")
Yes, that’s it. She said in the text that she wouldn’t be at church because her tendonitis was acting up. But tendonitis isn’t ordinarily the sort of thing that would keep someone away from church… unless one’s reason for being at church was playing the piano. Ergo, the sender was the pianist. ---
**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:** [June 21, 2025, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3439 "2025-06-21T00:44:50Z")
I was on the totally wrong track on that one, I thought that the key would be how this random person knew it was your mother’s birthday. ---
**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:** [June 21, 2025, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3440 "2025-06-21T03:17:22Z")
**Later this summer, my neighbors might catch me using my vibrator in the backyard. What am I up to?** True story, and I swear it’s innocent. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214.md?page=171) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214.md?page=173)