# 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:** 175
**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 22, 2025, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3481 "2025-06-22T21:43:21Z")
> [@Sigene](#): > > Where you in an airport, subway station, bus stop, etc. where the recorded message was an announcement? YES. (I think there is about a 99% chance that @Chronos has got it.) > [@Biotop](#): > > Music? No. > [@dirtball](#): > > Did this take place at a museum, zoo, or some other place where visitors might use their phones to play recordings that explain whatever items are on exhibit as they walk through the place? No. ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3482 "2025-06-23T13:19:06Z")
I’m waiting for @Chronos as I’m not experienced enough to know what transportation announcement would mention “David”…Bus to camp David? Taxi to Accademia Gallery of Florence or Piazza della Signoria? ---
**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 23, 2025, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3483 "2025-06-23T14:16:56Z")
I got it too early. I think it’ll be more fun to let others keep working on it. ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3484 "2025-06-23T15:00:12Z")
Does the solution require the solver to have a particular experience. Or can someone from the sticks with no worldly knowledge or travel experience figure it out? ---
**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 23, 2025, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3485 "2025-06-23T16:47:48Z")
> [@Sigene](#): > > I’m waiting for @Chronos as I’m not experienced enough to know what transportation announcement would mention “David”…Bus to camp David? > > Taxi to Accademia Gallery of Florence or Piazza della Signoria? **Neither.** > [@](#): > > Does the solution require the solver to have a particular experience. Or can someone from the sticks with no worldly knowledge or travel experience figure it out? **_Some_ travel / transit-related knowledge is involved. However, I would expect the relevant fact(s) to be common knowledge, at least for most people living in the US, regardless of their level of personal experience.** ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3486 "2025-06-23T20:55:18Z")
Is this transportation station a: bus terminal? Subway station? Airport? Taxi Stand? Rental car facility? Some other public transportation station? ---
**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 23, 2025, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3487 "2025-06-23T22:59:10Z")
> [@Fretful\_Porpentine](#): > > There are several other names that I would have been mildly surprised by, and a much larger number of names that I would have been _very_ surprised by. Would some larger group of names be more surprising because Of gender? Of language? Of appropriateness? Of not being in the recognizable group of smaller less surprising names? Because only certain names are said over a speaker at the location? ---
**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 24, 2025, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3488 "2025-06-24T01:27:26Z")
> [@Sigene](#): > > Is this transportation station a: > > bus terminal? > > Subway station? > > Airport? > > Taxi Stand? > > Rental car facility? > > Some other public transportation station? **Airport.** > [@Biotop](#): > > Would some larger group of names be more surprising because > > Of gender? > Of language? > Of appropriateness? > Of not being in the recognizable group of smaller less surprising names? > Because only certain names are said over a speaker at the location? **“Appropriateness” is the closest.** ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3489 "2025-06-24T02:51:59Z")
Ok…maybe I cheated, but I might have enough information to figure it out. I’m torn between making a solid guess that I think is correct and letting others play the game. If I’m given the ok by @Fretful_Porpentine, I’ll reveal 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:** [June 24, 2025, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3490 "2025-06-24T12:51:27Z")
@Chronos, @Sigene, and everyone else – I am fine with people posting solutions! ---
**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 24, 2025, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3491 "2025-06-24T14:21:58Z")
Rather than just solving it, I’ll give a clue-question: Was there something else that you expected to hear? ---
**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 24, 2025, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3492 "2025-06-24T16:51:33Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Was there something else that you expected to hear? **Yes!** ---
**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 24, 2025, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3493 "2025-06-24T18:04:29Z")
Did you think the voice was talking to you? ---
**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 24, 2025, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3494 "2025-06-24T19:25:43Z")
> [@](#): > > Did you think the voice was talking to you? **No.** ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3495 "2025-06-25T00:59:10Z")
Ok, I’m doing it. The NATO phonetic alphabet uses “Able, Bravo, Charlie” etc. for A B C, etc. This phonetic alphabet also includes “Delta” for the letter D. However in airports “Delta” often refers to Delta Airlines. So to avoid such confusion, instead of using “Delta” when referring to “D”, certain airports will use “David” in their announcements. ---
**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:** [June 25, 2025, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3496 "2025-06-25T01:03:52Z")
Oh, that has to be it. Wow. Today I learned, for sure. ---
**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 25, 2025, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3497 "2025-06-25T01:22:44Z")
> [@Sigene](#): > > The NATO phonetic alphabet uses “Able, Bravo, Charlie” etc. for A B C, etc. This phonetic alphabet also includes “Delta” for the letter D. However in airports “Delta” often refers to Delta Airlines. So to avoid such confusion, instead of using “Delta” when referring to “D”, certain airports will use “David” in their announcements. YES! (Specifically, I noticed this on the train that takes you between terminals in the Atlanta airport – which is a major hub for Delta, so it makes sense that they would want to avoid a mass exodus of confused passengers at the D gates.) Congrats to you and @Chronos, both. ---
**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 25, 2025, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3498 "2025-06-25T01:35:54Z")
Yup, I knew about it because I had experienced the same thing, and had the same moment of “Wait, what? Oh, that makes sense.”. > [@Alternate NATO alphabet](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-nato-alphabet/975636): > > I was at the airport the other day, and there was a tram to take passengers from one terminal to the next. At each spot, a recorded voice would say “Next stop A gates, A as in Alpha”. And so on, with “B as in Bravo”, “C as in Charlie”, “D as in David”, “E as in Echo”, and “F as in Foxtrot” (and there the train ended). Wait… David? But when I thought about it, it made sense: If they had used the standard “Delta”, it would have caused confusion with Delta Airlines. But then it occurred to m… ---
**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 25, 2025, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3499 "2025-06-25T11:18:16Z")
That was a fine puzzle indeed! I was at a loss. ---
**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:** [June 25, 2025, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3500 "2025-06-25T13:07:51Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > That was a fine puzzle indeed! I was at a loss There is such a charm to a simple one like this. I don’t use simple in any insulting way; it was just right there! Love it. One thing these threads have shown me is I have ZERO idea what will be solved quickly and what will take a long time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214.md?page=174) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214.md?page=176)