# 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:** 192
**Author:** ![kk\_fusion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kk_fusion/32/15276_2.png) [@kk\_fusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kk_fusion)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2025, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3821 "2025-10-20T05:34:56Z")
Engaged to be married? Are Dorothy and Nancy H/A/F? Is same-sex marriage relevant? ---
**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:** [October 20, 2025, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3822 "2025-10-20T05:54:15Z")
Are Dorothy and Nancy humans? Are they machines? Is this a case where the operators engage one of them on a task, and the other one stands idle? ---
**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:** [October 20, 2025, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3823 "2025-10-20T07:25:13Z")
> [@iamatractorboy](#): > > Were they related? 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:** [October 20, 2025, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3824 "2025-10-20T07:32:15Z")
reply to kk\_fusion: Engaged to be married? Yes Are Dorothy and Nancy H/A/F? Not sure what this means. Is same-sex marriage relevant? 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:** [October 20, 2025, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3825 "2025-10-20T07:34:07Z")
reply to Peter\_Morris: Are Dorothy and Nancy humans? Yes Are they machines? No Is this a case where the operators engage one of them on a task, and the other one stands idle? No. ---
**Author:** ![kk\_fusion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kk_fusion/32/15276_2.png) [@kk\_fusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kk_fusion)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2025, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3826 "2025-10-20T07:36:44Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > Are Dorothy and Nancy H/A/F? Not sure what this means. Human adult female. A standard abbreviation for this game. So are they adult women? Was Nancy legally prevented from getting engaged? Was she mentally or physically unable to perform whatever ritual is necessary to get engaged? Did she break off her relationship? ---
**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:** [October 20, 2025, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3827 "2025-10-20T09:28:33Z")
Are they living in circumstances that result in only one man being available? If so… Do they live in an isolated, micro-tiny village? Are they characters in a science fiction story about the last three humans left on earth? ---
**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:** [October 20, 2025, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3828 "2025-10-20T11:48:37Z")
reply to kk\_fusion: Human adult female. A standard abbreviation for this game. So are they adult women? Yes. Or at least of legal marrying age. Was Nancy legally prevented from getting engaged? No. Was she mentally or physically unable to perform whatever ritual is necessary to get engaged? No. Did she break off her relationship? 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:** [October 20, 2025, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3829 "2025-10-20T11:49:27Z")
> [@dirtball](#): > > Are they living in circumstances that result in only one man being available? > If so… > Do they live in an isolated, micro-tiny village? > Are they characters in a science fiction story about the last three humans left on earth? No to all. ---
**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:** [October 20, 2025, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3830 "2025-10-20T12:06:09Z")
Did they both want to marry the same person, but live in a monogamous society? ---
**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:** [October 20, 2025, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3831 "2025-10-20T12:10:37Z")
No. ---
**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:** [October 20, 2025, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3832 "2025-10-20T13:59:56Z")
Have they only got 1 engagement ring ? ---
**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:** [October 20, 2025, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3833 "2025-10-20T14:06:55Z")
reply to pjd: Have they only got 1 engagement ring ? No ---
**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:** [October 20, 2025, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3834 "2025-10-20T14:14:16Z")
Is the historical time period when this happened relevant? Is religion a factor? Did Nancy want to get engaged? To a specific person? Is Nancy’s would-be fiance related to Dorothy? To Dorothy’s fiance? Is Nancy a fictional character (i.e., does the solution involve her being a character in a book / movie / TV show, etc., not just a character in this puzzle)? Is Dorothy? ---
**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:** [October 20, 2025, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3835 "2025-10-20T14:33:56Z")
reply to Fretful\_Porpentine: Is the historical time period when this happened relevant? Somewhat I guess. Is religion a factor? No. Did Nancy want to get engaged? Not sure. To a specific person? Not sure. Maybe. Is Nancy’s would-be fiance related to Dorothy? To Dorothy’s fiance? No relations in fiancés or potential fiancés. Is Nancy a fictional character (i.e., does the solution involve her being a character in a book / movie / TV show, etc., not just a character in this puzzle)? Is Dorothy? Both are. ---
**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:** [October 20, 2025, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3836 "2025-10-20T15:15:03Z")
Are Nancy and Dorothy both characters in the same fictional work? Was there an in-universe impediment to Nancy getting engaged? Or was she unable to get engaged only for out-of-universe reasons (e.g., only one character could get engaged because the writers didn’t want the story to get repetitive)? ---
**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:** [October 20, 2025, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3837 "2025-10-20T15:34:32Z")
reply to Fretful\_Porpentine: Are Nancy and Dorothy both characters in the same fictional work? No. Was there an in-universe impediment to Nancy getting engaged? No. Or was she unable to get engaged only for out-of-universe reasons Yes. (e.g., only one character could get engaged because the writers didn’t want the story to get repetitive)? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2025, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3838 "2025-10-20T15:38:05Z")
Are Nancy and Dorothy both characters in _related_ fictional works? ---
**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:** [October 20, 2025, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3839 "2025-10-20T15:38:18Z")
Does the answer have anything to do with actor availability? ---
**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:** [October 20, 2025, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3840 "2025-10-20T15:43:50Z")
> [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](#): > > Are Nancy and Dorothy both characters in _related_ fictional works? No. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214.md?page=191) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214.md?page=193)