# 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:** 19
**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 8, 2023, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/361 "2023-08-08T17:03:07Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Did the two people know each other beforehand? > > **YES** > > If so, how long were they acquainted? all their lives? decades? years? months? days? > > **I don’t know. Awhile.** > [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Were they closely related? Siblings? Cousins? > > **NO** > > Was this a family occasion? > > **NO** > > Did the meeting occur specifically _because_ they looked similar? > > **That was not the only reason people were there, but that is why they were both there at the same time.** I’m sure this will be solved. ---
**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 8, 2023, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/362 "2023-08-08T18:18:09Z")
Was one of them employed by the other in any capacity? If so, was it because of the resemblance? ---
**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 8, 2023, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/363 "2023-08-08T18:56:43Z")
> [@dirtball](#): > > Was one of them employed by the other in any capacity? > If so, was it because of the resemblance?. **Yes to both of these.** Come on, this has to get you there! Put together the situation and see if you can figure out what happened. ---
**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 8, 2023, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/364 "2023-08-08T20:11:18Z")
Was one person hired to impersonate the other? Was it for a police lineup? Was it for a gag of some kind? ---
**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 8, 2023, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/365 "2023-08-08T20:28:57Z")
Was the employment a steady, full-time arrangement? Sporadic, on an as-needed basis? A one-time deal, for the one event? Like you sometimes see in the movies, was the employer hiring a look-alike as a decoy, hoping to thwart possible assassination attempts? ---
**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 8, 2023, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/366 "2023-08-08T20:36:13Z")
Does it matter which one hired the other? Were they intending to use their similar appearance to deceive people? Were they intending to use their similar appearance to defraud people? Were they intending to use their similar appearance to entertain people? Were they intending to play a prank on people? Was the nature of the event related to the fact that a fire broke out there? ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2023, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/367 "2023-08-08T20:40:26Z")
Was it a magic trick that went wrong ? ---
**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 8, 2023, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/368 "2023-08-08T21:35:17Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Was one person hired to impersonate the other? > > **YES** > > Was it for a police lineup? > > **NO** > > Was it for a gag of some kind? > > **NO** > [@dirtball](#): > > Was the employment a steady, full-time arrangement? > > **Permanent, part-time job.** > > Sporadic, on an as-needed basis? > > NO > > A one-time deal, for the one event? > > NO > > Like you sometimes see in the movies, was the employer hiring a look-alike as a decoy, hoping to thwart possible assassination attempts? > > NO > [@Chronos](#): > > Does it matter which one hired the other? > > **The man who bought the grave for him and his dog was the employer.** > > Were they intending to use their similar appearance to deceive people? > > **YES** > > Were they intending to use their similar appearance to defraud people? > > **NO** > > Were they intending to use their similar appearance to entertain people? > > **YES** > > Were they intending to play a prank on people? > > **NO, not a prank.** > > Was the nature of the event related to the fact that a fire broke out there? > > **I don’t know what caused the fire to be honest.** > [@pjd](#): > > Was it a magic trick that went wrong ? I’ll break your question into two: Was it a magic trick? **YES** Did the trick go wrong? **NO - the fire was not related to the trick** Does anyone want to try and summarize what most likely happened and we can call this solved? ---
**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:** [August 8, 2023, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/369 "2023-08-08T22:12:02Z")
Was it Lafayette? (I don’t know a lot about him, just that he was a stage magician who died in a theatre fire in the early 20th Century) ---
**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 8, 2023, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/370 "2023-08-08T22:21:49Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Was it Lafayette? I believe so and I want to mention something. I did not realize this was in any way true when I first told the puzzle. I had heard it and only after I did a bit of looking around after posting it here did I realize there was a real-life situation the puzzle was pulled from. My solution: **The guy was a magician. He bought the grave for his dog and eventually him. There was a theater fire and the guy died, along with a few others in the theater. The morgue people initially thought they had his body, but became confused when they realized he utilized a double for one of his disappearing tricks. When they looked at other bodies, they realized another body was almost identical and they could not be certain whose body was whose. The cemetery was never able to be sure who to buy in the dog’s grave, so they never did.** Again: I believe in the real life puzzle, they did eventually figure out his body and bury it with his dog. Also, I believe tragically, some folks died because they had locked the doors of the theater being very dramatic. ---
**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 8, 2023, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/371 "2023-08-08T22:42:18Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Also, I believe tragically, some folks died because they had locked the doors of the theater being very dramatic. I just looked it up, and it looks like this happened only a month and a half after the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, which was what drove home (in the US, at least) that it was a really bad idea to lock people into a building. ---
**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 9, 2023, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/372 "2023-08-09T22:00:15Z")
**Tony did something five times that should only be possible to do once. What did he do?** (Note: If you’ve heard of this story, the name probably tipped you off instantly. Don’t spoil it in that case.) ---
**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:** [August 9, 2023, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/373 "2023-08-09T22:24:18Z")
Is the thing that Tony did normally only possible to do once because: - It’s usually fatal? - It’s not fatal, but does result in some other consequence that makes it impossible to do again? - Doing it more than once is prohibited? - Doing it _at all_ is prohibited and people don’t usually get away with it more than once? - It’s just really difficult? ---
**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 9, 2023, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/374 "2023-08-09T22:27:06Z")
> [@Fretful\_Porpentine](#): > > Is the thing that Tony did normally only possible to do once because: > > - It’s usually fatal? **No** > - It’s not fatal, but does result in some other consequence that makes it impossible to do again? **In a way, I guess. “Consequence” is not how I’d put it.** > - Doing it more than once is prohibited? **No** > - Doing it _at all_ is prohibited and people don’t usually get away with it more than once? **No** > - It’s just really difficult? **No** None of these are exactly the reason. ---
**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:** [August 9, 2023, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/375 "2023-08-09T22:37:37Z")
Would most people be able to do this thing once? Or is it something that only a minority of people can do at all? Is doing the thing generally regarded as positive? Negative? Neutral? Is the thing some sort of life milestone? Is doing the thing dangerous? Did Tony break any rules or laws by doing it more than once? Is religion involved in any way? If yes: did Tony convert? ---
**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 9, 2023, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/376 "2023-08-09T22:43:07Z")
> [@Fretful\_Porpentine](#): > > Would most people be able to do this thing once? Or is it something that only a minority of people can do at all? **Most people never do this at all** > > Is doing the thing generally regarded as positive? Negative? Neutral? **Positive… ish. There’s a bit of backhanded compliment about it.** > > Is the thing some sort of life milestone? **Can be** > > Is doing the thing dangerous? **No** > > Did Tony break any rules or laws by doing it more than once? **No** > > Is religion involved in any way? If yes: did Tony convert? **No and no** Words words words. ---
**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, 2023, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/377 "2023-08-09T22:44:30Z")
Was Tony trying to do this thing, any of the five times? Was he trying to do it all five times? Did Tony realize as he was doing it that he was accomplishing something that’s normally impossible? Has anyone else ever done this thing more than once? Would it have been possible for someone else to do this thing five times, significantly before Tony did? Would it have been possible for someone else to do it even twice, significantly before Tony? ---
**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, 2023, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/378 "2023-08-09T22:49:42Z")
> [@](#): > > Would most people be able to do this thing once? Or is it something that only a minority of people can do at all? **Most people never do this at all** But if someone decided they wanted to do it, and put in a reasonable effort, could the typical American be expected to be able to accomplish it once? If a witness were present and observing Tony, would they be able to tell just from watching him that he was doing this thing? (just to get it out of the way) Is Tony human? ---
**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 9, 2023, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/379 "2023-08-09T22:51:31Z")
Was Tony trying to do this thing, any of the five times? **Yes.** Was he trying to do it all five times? **Probably yes** Did Tony realize as he was doing it that he was accomplishing something that’s normally impossible? **I’m sure he knew what he was doing as it happened.** Has anyone else ever done this thing more than once? **Probably, though I’d have to hunt for examples.** Would it have been possible for someone else to do this thing five times, significantly before Tony did? **Yes, though very improbable** Would it have been possible for someone else to do it even twice, significantly before Tony? **Yes, though still improbable** But if someone decided they wanted to do it, and put in a reasonable effort, could the typical American be expected to be able to accomplish it once? **Not necessarily** If a witness were present and observing Tony, would they be able to tell just from watching him that he was doing this thing? **No, it would only be apparent later.** (just to get it out of the way) Is Tony human? **Yes** ---
**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, 2023, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/380 "2023-08-09T23:02:45Z")
Would a sufficiently-capable (but still bound by the laws of physics) nonhuman being (such as an animal, a robot, or an alien) be capable of consistently doing this thing once? Would such a being be capable of doing it multiple times? Does this thing depend on a conventional but arbitrary standard (such as the length of a meter, the International Date Line, or the arrangement of the calendar)? Specifically, does it involve any convention concerning the measurement and/or recording of time? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214.md?page=18) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214.md?page=20)