# 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:** 207
**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:** [December 3, 2025, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4121 "2025-12-03T18:29:58Z")
I think you can hold out a bit longer. I have what I think is the answer and think it’s a fun puzzle. I won’t spoil it for everyone because something tipped me off and I didn’t really figure it out. ---
**Author:** ![Nauplius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nauplius/32/51_2.png) [@Nauplius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nauplius)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2025, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4122 "2025-12-03T19:01:44Z")
On Wikipedia for the Star Wars movies: [List of Star Wars films - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Star_Wars_films) if you sort the film titles ascending the order you get is exactly as @The_Other_Waldo_Pepper described. I have no idea why that is though. Edit - I just figured it out. so i’m going to spoiler my post just in case. ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2025, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4123 "2025-12-05T02:06:30Z")
> I just figured it out. so i’m going to spoiler my post just in case. I cheated and looked at your link…The Rise of Skywalker does not have the correct placement according to your spoiler post…..but that did allow me to see what I believe to be the reason. So, I think I cheated enough to disqualify myself….but does that mean ‘everyone’ here knows the answer but doesn’t want to ruin it for anyone else? Who is going to break the impasse and give the answer? ---
**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:** [December 5, 2025, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4124 "2025-12-05T02:32:41Z")
They are in alphabetical order, given titles that start with “Star Wars I, Star Wars II, etc.” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2025, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4125 "2025-12-05T10:19:22Z")
That’s exactly 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:** [December 5, 2025, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4126 "2025-12-05T14:08:16Z")
Yep, I looked up the series to check what the original order of the movies was, I forgot which was which in the final trilogy, and it displayed them with the roman numerals, making the order fairly easy to notice. ---
**Author:** ![Nauplius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nauplius/32/51_2.png) [@Nauplius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nauplius)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2025, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4127 "2025-12-05T14:24:44Z")
I originally thought it had something to do with who directed each film. So I went to look up the directors names. When I saw that sorting the list gave the same order I had no clue why it was happening. After making my post the lightbulb came on and I thought oh crap I may have just ruined this puzzle. I hoped that blurring out the post would save it. I apologize for not just deleting the post. I’ll try to be more careful in the future. ---
**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:** [December 13, 2025, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4128 "2025-12-13T15:34:26Z")
In a final daily comic strip panel Nancy and Sluggo are saluting a typical disheveled tramp on a park bench and the tramp has “???” —- cartoon question marks above his head. Help the indigent fellow out. Why is he being saluted? ---
**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:** [December 13, 2025, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4129 "2025-12-13T16:01:51Z")
Had the tramp ever relevantly served in the military? Did Nancy and Sluggo mistakenly believe that he had served in the military? Did they believe that he was currently serving in the military? Did they believe that he had served or was currently serving in some other form of service that would call for a salute? Was the salute of the form of right hand to forehead, perpendicular to it, typical of the American armed forces? Was he wearing something that they believed was a uniform, or a portion thereof? Did they believe that he had been awarded a medal or similar commendation? Did they believe that he was giving them an order of some sort? Do the question marks above his head signify that he’s puzzled at being saluted? Do the question marks signify anything else? Was the tramp awake for the entire interaction? ---
**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:** [December 13, 2025, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4130 "2025-12-13T16:18:47Z")
reply to Chronos Had the tramp ever relevantly served in the military? No Did Nancy and Sluggo mistakenly believe that he had served in the military? No Did they believe that he was currently serving in the military? No Did they believe that he had served or was currently serving in some other form of service that would call for a salute? No Was the salute of the form of right hand to forehead, perpendicular to it, typical of the American armed forces? Yes Was he wearing something that they believed was a uniform, or a portion thereof? No Did they believe that he had been awarded a medal or similar commendation? No Did they believe that he was giving them an order of some sort? No Do the question marks above his head signify that he’s puzzled at being saluted? Yes Do the question marks signify anything else? No Was the tramp awake for the entire interaction? He appears to be napping in the previous panel, but not really relevant. ---
**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:** [December 13, 2025, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4131 "2025-12-13T16:20:36Z")
Was the salute prompted by some unrelated thing they saw in a previous panel? By something they had discussed previously? ---
**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:** [December 13, 2025, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4132 "2025-12-13T16:27:32Z")
reply to dirtball: Was the salute prompted by some unrelated thing they saw in a previous panel? Yes By something they had discussed previously? No ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2025, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4133 "2025-12-14T14:15:58Z")
Did the confusion come from a misunderstood idiom? (like our previous Nancy puzzle about the car “stopping on a dime”) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2025, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4134 "2025-12-14T14:20:39Z")
> [@Sigene](#): > > a misunderstood idiom? (like our previous Nancy puzzle about the car “stopping on a dune”) Knight of the road! ---
**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:** [December 14, 2025, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4135 "2025-12-14T14:50:15Z")
> [@Sigene](#): > > Did the confusion come from a misunderstood idiom? (like our previous Nancy puzzle about the car “stopping on a dime”) 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:** [December 14, 2025, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4136 "2025-12-14T14:50:46Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Knight of the road! No. ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2025, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4137 "2025-12-15T03:08:50Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > unrelated thing they saw in a previous panel just checking. If we knew this unrelated thing, we would solve the puzzle? Our goal, therefore, is to try to tease out the unrelated thing? Was this unrelated thing something that they misunderstood? Or is it something they understood correctly and the tramp is the one who is confused by their behavior? ---
**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:** [December 15, 2025, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4138 "2025-12-15T14:25:04Z")
reply to Sigene: just checking. If we knew this unrelated thing, we would solve the puzzle? Yes Our goal, therefore, is to try to tease out the unrelated thing? Yes Was this unrelated thing something that they misunderstood? No Or is it something they understood correctly and the tramp is the one who is confused by their behavior? Yes ---
**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:** [December 15, 2025, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4139 "2025-12-15T14:42:22Z")
Was the unrelated thing an advertisement? An overheard conversation? Did it involve the word salute? ETA, were they saluting the tramp, or something behind the tramp? ---
**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:** [December 15, 2025, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4140 "2025-12-15T15:05:42Z")
reply tomCheesesteak : Was the unrelated thing an advertisement? No An overheard conversation? No Did it involve the word salute? No ETA, were they saluting the tramp Yes, or something behind the tramp? No [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214.md?page=206) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214.md?page=208)