# 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:** 6
**Author:** ![SurrenderDorothy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/surrenderdorothy/32/1221_2.png) [@SurrenderDorothy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SurrenderDorothy)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/101 "2023-07-22T21:54:45Z")
Was Mary dead at the time of the puzzle (as in, is her death relevant to the puzzle or does she just happen to be dead now?) I guess the associated question is, was Mary a real person? Was her phone a cell phone? A landline telephone? Did she die of something other than natural causes? ---
**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:** [July 22, 2023, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/102 "2023-07-22T22:21:11Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Did the victims of his trolling know that he was the seller of the item? > > **NO** - COMPANY HAD A NAME. WHO KNOWS THE OWNERS NAMES NORMALLY? I cry foul-- They DID know that he was the seller of the item. ---
**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:** [July 22, 2023, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/103 "2023-07-22T22:25:53Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I cry foul-- They DID know that he was the seller of the item. I guess. He was using a fake name when interacting with people, but I guess it is possible they knew he was the head of the company. ---
**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:** [July 23, 2023, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/104 "2023-07-23T05:29:23Z")
Is the question why would it be unusual to plug her phone in before she went to sleep? **Yes** [alternative why would it be unusual ot be untrue?] Is Mary dead because she didn’t plug her phone in? **No** Did Mary have a disability or illness? **She had an illness, but it’s not very important** Was Mary dead at the time of the puzzle (as in, is her death relevant to the puzzle or does she just happen to be dead now?) **Yes, quite relevant** I guess the associated question is, was Mary a real person? **Yes** Was her phone a cell phone? A landline telephone? **Landline** Did she die of something other than natural causes? **No** ---
**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:** [July 23, 2023, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/105 "2023-07-23T11:08:42Z")
Typically, one might assume the owner of a landline would simply leave the phone plugged in all the time, in which case it would be unusual to plug it in at any given time since there would rarely be any need to. Does that idea have anything to do with the answer you’re looking for? Was having it unplugged part of her regular routine? Or would this have been a one-off situation? Does the question of plugging her phone in arise from a situation in which she would have moved it from one room to another? With a situation in which she would have wanted it unplugged for a period of time so it wouldn’t ring? Was Mary herself the one who unplugged it? Did someone else unplug it before she went to sleep and/or died? After? ---
**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:** [July 23, 2023, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/106 "2023-07-23T12:13:07Z")
Was Mary murdered? Did the killer plug in the phone? ---
**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:** [July 23, 2023, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/107 "2023-07-23T12:36:24Z")
Is it a cell phone? ---
**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:** [July 23, 2023, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/108 "2023-07-23T12:51:56Z")
Typically, one might assume the owner of a landline would simply leave the phone plugged in all the time, in which case it would be unusual to plug it in at any given time since there would rarely be any need to. Does that idea have anything to do with the answer you’re looking for? **One would think, certainly. But there’s one situation where having it plugged in at all would be quite odd.** Was having it unplugged part of her regular routine? Or would this have been a one-off situation? **No** Does the question of plugging her phone in arise from a situation in which she would have moved it from one room to another? **Yes** With a situation in which she would have wanted it unplugged for a period of time so it wouldn’t ring? **No** Was Mary herself the one who unplugged it? **N/A** Did someone else unplug it before she went to sleep and/or died? After? **N/A** Was Mary murdered? **No** Did the killer plug in the phone? **No** Is it a cell phone? **No** ---
**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:** [July 23, 2023, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/109 "2023-07-23T12:54:25Z")
Was it a landline phone? Did the headset portion plug into the base? Did she unplug her phone so it wouldn’t ring at night? ---
**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:** [July 23, 2023, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/110 "2023-07-23T12:56:56Z")
Was it a landline phone? **Yes** Did the headset portion plug into the base? **Probably? I guess? Not important** Did she unplug her phone so it wouldn’t ring at night? **No** ---
**Author:** ![SurrenderDorothy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/surrenderdorothy/32/1221_2.png) [@SurrenderDorothy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SurrenderDorothy)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2023, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/111 "2023-07-23T16:20:57Z")
Does this take place during recent years, when most people also have cell phones? Did Mary also have a cell phone? Did she die in her sleep? Was the alleged phone-plugging-in a matter of moving the phone into her bedroom? Like, is the rumor that she moved it in order to be able to call for help because she thought she might die that night? Is there speculation that plugging in the phone could have in some way caused her death? ---
**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:** [July 23, 2023, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/112 "2023-07-23T16:24:48Z")
Does this take place during recent years, when most people also have cell phones? **No** Did Mary also have a cell phone? **No** Did she die in her sleep? **Don’t know** Was the alleged phone-plugging-in a matter of moving the phone into her bedroom? **No, but go on…** Like, is the rumor that she moved it in order to be able to call for help because she thought she might die that night? **No, but think further…** Is there speculation that plugging in the phone could have in some way caused her death? **No** Note: Most of these responses are making an assumption based on my own careless wording, but you’re now so close that I fear that correcting that assumption would give it all away. There is one word in my original post that I should not have used. ---
**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:** [July 23, 2023, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/113 "2023-07-23T16:34:28Z")
…was Mary deaf? Mute? ---
**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:** [July 23, 2023, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/114 "2023-07-23T16:35:04Z")
**No** ---
**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:** [July 23, 2023, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/115 "2023-07-23T16:47:47Z")
Did she commit suicide? ---
**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:** [July 23, 2023, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/116 "2023-07-23T16:49:05Z")
Did she want someone who’d call to get the not-a-busy-signal-and-not-even-a-dial-tone response? ---
**Author:** ![SurrenderDorothy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/surrenderdorothy/32/1221_2.png) [@SurrenderDorothy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SurrenderDorothy)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2023, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/117 "2023-07-23T16:54:02Z")
> [@Ana\_Byrd](#): > > Note: Most of these responses are making an assumption based on my own careless wording, but you’re now so close that I fear that correcting that assumption would give it all away. There is one word in my original post that I should not have used. That’s part of the fun of these puzzles! Was Mary already dead at the time of the alleged phone-plugging-in? Like, was she a ghost? You say the whole plugging-the-phone-in thing wasn’t true, but Was it, in fact, moved from one room to another? Did the rumor come from people who actually knew Mary? From public speculation at the time of her death? From nebulous “legend has it” historical mythology? Was Mary famous? Was Mary elderly? Does this story take place before 1960 or so? ---
**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:** [July 23, 2023, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/118 "2023-07-23T16:55:40Z")
Was this a wall-mounted phone? Was Mary’s death an accident? Did the phone and/or wall collapse? Was the phone always in Mary’s house, just not always in the same location? Was electricity involved? ---
**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:** [July 23, 2023, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/119 "2023-07-23T16:59:24Z")
Did she move the phone to the bathroom — maybe so she could get out of the tub and use it pretty quickly if needed — but _unplugged,_ maybe because she didn’t want to die from a phone-in-tub accident? But “they” say she plugged it in, because “they” say stuff like that when they hear a woman is found dead in a tub with a phone nearby? ---
**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:** [July 23, 2023, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/120 "2023-07-23T17:00:08Z")
Was anyone else in the house at the time of Mary’s death? Was the phone unplugged at someone else’s request? Had someone else requested she plug in the phone at a time when she would normally have had it unplugged? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214.md?page=7)