# 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:** 199
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2025, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3961 "2025-11-07T06:12:00Z")
Beat me to it…although I had no idea about the poem. Just had a rather twisted idea that it might be to do with that ‘method’, i.e. a platform giving way. ---
**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:** [November 7, 2025, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3962 "2025-11-07T13:54:35Z")
Dammit, I read that poem in high school. It is a summer day. The ewe is bleating to her lamb. The cow is lowing to her calf. The bull is starting. What is the goat doing? ---
**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:** [November 7, 2025, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3963 "2025-11-07T21:54:13Z")
Male goat or female goat? Some other kind of goat than the domestic animal? Is the bull bovine? ---
**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:** [November 7, 2025, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3964 "2025-11-07T22:43:18Z")
Male goat Typical farm goat Yep, cattle type of bull ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2025, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3965 "2025-11-08T00:10:03Z")
Im not sure what “The bull is starting” means. Can you elaborate without giving away a key part of the solution? ---
**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:** [November 8, 2025, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3966 "2025-11-08T01:34:37Z")
I think figuring that out is part of the puzzle. Ask Yes/No questions to determine the meaning. ---
**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:** [November 9, 2025, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3967 "2025-11-09T00:49:47Z")
Does it help to figure out what exactly the bull is starting? ---
**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:** [November 9, 2025, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3968 "2025-11-09T02:45:42Z")
Why do you assume “what” is correct in that statement? ---
**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:** [November 9, 2025, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3969 "2025-11-09T15:30:31Z")
Does “starting” mean acting startled? I’ve never heard it used to mean that, but y’know, dialects. ---
**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:** [November 9, 2025, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3970 "2025-11-09T15:46:28Z")
> [@Ana\_Byrd](#): > > Does “starting” mean acting startled? Yes. It does. ---
**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:** [November 9, 2025, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3971 "2025-11-09T17:44:39Z")
Is this a reference to a book? A cartoon? A song? Some other form of fiction? ---
**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:** [November 9, 2025, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3972 "2025-11-09T18:16:32Z")
Is the goat doing something that allows the lamb and calf to escape? ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2025, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3973 "2025-11-09T22:42:11Z")
Does this involve a play on the spelling of the words? Since ‘starting’ converts to ‘startled’ does it help to assume other words in the riddle involve different spellings for the clues? ---
**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:** [November 9, 2025, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3974 "2025-11-09T23:50:31Z")
> [@Ana\_Byrd](#): > > Is this a reference to a book? > > A cartoon? > > A song? > > Some other form of fiction? No No Yes No > [@Sigene](#): > > Does this involve a play on the spelling of the words? Since ‘starting’ converts to ‘startled’ does it help to assume other words in the riddle involve different spellings for the clues? It’s not wordplay based. ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2025, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3975 "2025-11-10T00:32:39Z")
is the song referenced from before 1950? Is it a song created in USA? Europe? Australia? Is it fair to assume the lyrics as you gave them in English is the original language they were written? Is it even fair to assume these are lyrics to a song? Does it have to do with the goat ‘kidding’? ---
**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:** [November 10, 2025, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3976 "2025-11-10T01:36:48Z")
> [@Sigene](#): > > is the song referenced from before 1950? Is it a song created in USA? Europe? Australia? Is it fair to assume the lyrics as you gave them in English is the original language they were written? Yes No Yes No No > [@Sigene](#): > > Is it even fair to assume these are lyrics to a song? They are. > [@Sigene](#): > > Does it have to do with the goat ‘kidding’? That is an awesome answer, But no. And for the record if it is still confusing. Started is the past participle of what you do when startled. Started is a verb, Startled is an adjective. Nothing more to it than that. ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2025, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3977 "2025-11-10T01:58:47Z")
Does it matter what language it was originally written in? Do we have to be familiar with the song in order to know the answer, or can we deduct the answer from asking questions? ---
**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:** [November 10, 2025, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3978 "2025-11-10T15:57:57Z")
Nope You can ask questions and get the answer. ---
**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:** [November 11, 2025, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3979 "2025-11-11T21:56:40Z")
Do we need a hint? One coming tomorrow if we don’t make progress. ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2025, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/3980 "2025-11-11T22:27:10Z")
Did it involve something a goat is well known for. Headbutting, eating rough vegetation? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214.md?page=198) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214.md?page=200)