# 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:** 50
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2023, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/981 "2023-09-06T18:21:35Z")
OK now I got it. I think the hint that would have been helpful without giving it away if you stated at the start that the goal was to figure out what the “?” was, as opposed to it being a correct phrase including the ?. Even after you gave your explanation I was trying to figure out why “a” was to “alpha” as “z” was to “question mark”. ---
**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:** [September 7, 2023, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/982 "2023-09-07T02:50:33Z")
Always in second place it seemed but it was only 6 years. Starting in 1991, I was finally the champion. However I was only the best for two years before being relegated back to runner-up for another three years. Late in the 1990s I dropped out of the top-5 rankings completely for a year before coming back to be ranked fourth for two more years. Early in the 2000s, alas, I dropped out of the top 5 in my field completely never to return. You have everything you need to solve this puzzle – even if you don’t see it. ---
**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:** [September 7, 2023, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/983 "2023-09-07T11:02:35Z")
Is this about … - Sport ? - Astronomy ? ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/984 "2023-09-07T11:36:17Z")
Is it about a human? A living thing or inanimate? ---
**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:** [September 7, 2023, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/985 "2023-09-07T11:46:12Z")
> [@pjd](#): > > - Sport ? > - Astronomy ? No and no > [@Rebo](#): > > Is it about a human? A living thing or inanimate? No No Inanimate but physical? No ---
**Author:** ![Rhodes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhodes/32/273_2.png) [@Rhodes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhodes)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/986 "2023-09-07T13:52:56Z")
When you say “I was finally the champion,” Does “I” signify the first person singular pronoun? Does “I” signify the ninth letter of the alphabet? ---
**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:** [September 7, 2023, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/987 "2023-09-07T13:58:51Z")
Is it a work of fiction? Is it something/somebody in a fictional work? ---
**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:** [September 7, 2023, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/988 "2023-09-07T14:28:58Z")
> [@Rhodes](#): > > When you say “I was finally the champion,” > Does “I” signify the first person singular pronoun? > Does “I” signify the ninth letter of the alphabet? Yes to first person singular. No to being the 9th letter. > [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Is it a work of fiction? > > Is it something/somebody in a fictional work? No to both ---
**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:** [September 7, 2023, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/989 "2023-09-07T14:35:48Z")
It’s not living, it’s not even physical, it’s not fictional. What’s left? Metaphysical? ---
**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:** [September 7, 2023, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/990 "2023-09-07T14:37:24Z")
Search engine? ---
**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:** [September 7, 2023, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/991 "2023-09-07T15:51:35Z")
No and no. It is something intangible. > [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Search engine? Now you are thinking laterally. Not really close as an answer but starting down the right track of thinking outside the box. ---
**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:** [September 7, 2023, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/992 "2023-09-07T16:20:18Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Always in second place it seemed but it was only 6 years. Starting in 1991, I was finally the champion. So.. “you” started “competing” in 1985 ? Is this some species of technology ? This seems to cover a period in which several formats were competing for supremacy.. ---
**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:** [September 7, 2023, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/993 "2023-09-07T16:28:36Z")
> [@pjd](#): > > So… “you” started “competing” in 1985 ? No. I started sometime in the 1940s (in the US that is) but seriously started going up the ranks in the 1980s. However, notice I never said I was competing. > [@pjd](#): > > Is this some species of technology ? This seems to cover a period in which > several formats were competing for supremacy… Nope. We know it is not a tangible person, place or thing and the comment about search engines starting down the right track was not about tech per se but rather to not think about an event. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/994 "2023-09-07T18:12:02Z")
Something to do with letters? Words? How often they occur? ---
**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:** [September 7, 2023, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/995 "2023-09-07T18:22:31Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > Something to do with letters? > Words? > How often they occur? No Best guess so far but words used how? Big Yes! ---
**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:** [September 7, 2023, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/996 "2023-09-07T18:33:38Z")
Most popular words in some way? Like when you say “I” was champion, you mean the word “I”? ---
**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:** [September 7, 2023, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/997 "2023-09-07T18:35:41Z")
Yes! Nope. I does not stand for the letter “i” or the word “I”. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/998 "2023-09-07T18:44:58Z")
Numbers spelled as words vs Numbers as digits? ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/999 "2023-09-07T18:45:31Z")
I’m thinking a team’s ranking - is it The Chicago Bulls? I’m not an expert in basketball stats, but that’s about the time of the ascent of Michael Jordan. He took a break for two years, allowing the Houston Rockets (my hometown!) to get the championship. The Bulls haven’t done much in recent years as far as I know. I don’t know. I’m just spit-balling here. ---
**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:** [September 7, 2023, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1000 "2023-09-07T18:48:33Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > Numbers spelled as words vs Numbers as digits? Nope > [@Rebo](#): > > I’m thinking a team’s ranking Leave out the word “team’s” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214.md?page=49) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214.md?page=51)