# 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:** 54
**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:** [September 13, 2023, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1061 "2023-09-13T00:08:47Z")
So, they’re at a business, and it matters where they are… Is it good enough just to say they’re at a business of some kind? Or is the type of business relevant? If so, is it retail? Manufacturing? ---
**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 13, 2023, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1062 "2023-09-13T00:17:52Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > we do not see the name of the business until the last panel. Does the name of the business explain the puzzle? ---
**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:** [September 13, 2023, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1063 "2023-09-13T01:22:22Z")
[quote=“dirtball, post:1061, topic:987214, full:true”] So, they’re at a business, and it matters where they are… Is it good enough just to say they’re at a business of some kind? The business will probably give it away. Or is the type of business relevant? Yes If so, is it retail? No Manufacturing? 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:** [September 13, 2023, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1064 "2023-09-13T01:23:32Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Does the name of the business explain the puzzle? Likely. ---
**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:** [September 13, 2023, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1065 "2023-09-13T01:28:45Z")
Is the place they needed to climb the ladders to a tree? Is it a rooftop? Is it to the top of an animal? Is it to the top of a vehicle? Is the business a service industry? Is the business financial? Would an ordinary ladder, not attached to the rake, have worked as well? ---
**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:** [September 13, 2023, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1066 "2023-09-13T01:36:04Z")
reply to Chronos: Is the place they needed to climb the ladders to a tree? Yes Is it a rooftop? No Is it to the top of an animal? No Is it to the top of a vehicle? No Is the business a service industry? No Is the business financial? No Would an ordinary ladder, not attached to the rake, have worked as well? Yes, but you don’t want to carry an extra ladder around all the time while you are raking, now do you? ---
**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:** [September 13, 2023, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1067 "2023-09-13T01:39:20Z")
Is there something in the tree that people want to access? A treehouse, perhaps? Are they doing something with the stuff they’ve raked up? Edit: Is the business agricultural? ---
**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:** [September 13, 2023, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1068 "2023-09-13T01:43:55Z")
Do they have to climb into a tree to escape something? ---
**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:** [September 13, 2023, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1069 "2023-09-13T01:45:41Z")
reply to Ana\_Byrd: Is there something in the tree that people want to access? A treehouse, perhaps? No Are they doing something with the stuff they’ve raked up? No Edit: Is the business agricultural? Yes ---
**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:** [September 13, 2023, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1070 "2023-09-13T01:46:10Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Do they have to climb into a tree to escape something? Yes ---
**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:** [September 13, 2023, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1071 "2023-09-13T01:47:51Z")
A greedy cow? ---
**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:** [September 13, 2023, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1072 "2023-09-13T01:48:20Z")
Are they escaping from an animal that’s loose in the place that they’re raking? A bull, perhaps? ---
**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:** [September 13, 2023, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1073 "2023-09-13T01:58:18Z")
> [@Ana\_Byrd](#): > > A greedy cow? 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:** [September 13, 2023, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1074 "2023-09-13T01:59:14Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Are they escaping from an animal that’s loose in the place that they’re raking? A bull, perhaps? Getting warm, animal yes but not a bull. ---
**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 13, 2023, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1075 "2023-09-13T02:15:08Z")
Are they going to be raking the leaves on the ground in ordinary fashion, but they need to have the ladders immediately at hand because they may have to climb a tree at any moment to get out of reach of the animal? Is the business selling the animals, or otherwise making its money from having the animals? (Not to do with the puzzle, but: does this comic predate any child labor laws?) ---
**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:** [September 13, 2023, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1076 "2023-09-13T02:57:03Z")
reply to thorny\_locust: Are they going to be raking the leaves on the ground in ordinary fashion, but they need to have the ladders immediately at hand because they may have to climb a tree at any moment to get out of reach of the animal? Yes. Is the business selling the animals, or otherwise making its money from having the animals? Yes Really this is pretty much solved, except… what is the kind of angry animal that is constantly causing this kind of trouble in pretty much any comic strip in a rural setting at the time? 1940’s or 1950’s? And I think this kind of child labor is pretty much like mowing the grass or doing other such chores. Not really much of a concern to Ernie Bushmiller in the pursuit of a gag. ---
**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:** [September 13, 2023, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1077 "2023-09-13T03:10:31Z")
If not a bull, surely a dog? ---
**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:** [September 13, 2023, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1078 "2023-09-13T03:18:31Z")
No. Dogs and bulls are too real-life scary for kids. What animal has the same kind of menace only, a kind of cartoony menace instead of a real one…? ---
**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:** [September 13, 2023, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1079 "2023-09-13T04:31:34Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > Really this is pretty much solved, except… what is the kind of angry animal that is constantly causing this kind of trouble in pretty much any comic strip in a rural setting at the time? 1940’s or 1950’s? Communists? ---
**Author:** ![SailorHG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@SailorHG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SailorHG)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2023, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1080 "2023-09-13T09:04:35Z")
Is it a skunk farm? (Though I can’t see how climbing a tree would save you from being sprayed!) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214.md?page=53) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214.md?page=55)