# 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:** 68
**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:** [November 1, 2023, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1341 "2023-11-01T17:48:36Z")
Was your relevance to the caller based on who you were? Was your relevance to the caller based on the seat you were sitting in? Was the relevance of the person next to you based on who they were? Was the relevance of the person next to you based on the seat they were sitting in? Did the caller know you, personally (e.g., as a friend, family member, or co-worker)? Did the caller know your name? ---
**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:** [November 1, 2023, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1342 "2023-11-01T19:03:04Z")
Had you talked to the other passenger before the phone call? Were you able to answer the question? Was the question something professional in nature? Is is possible that the other passenger might have been able to answer the question but thought you could provide a better answer? ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1343 "2023-11-01T19:29:29Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Was your relevance to the caller based on who you were? > > Was your relevance to the caller based on the seat you were sitting in? > > Was the relevance of the person next to you based on who they were? > > Was the relevance of the person next to you based on the seat they were sitting in? Yes to all. > [@Chronos](#): > > Did the caller know you, personally (e.g., as a friend, family member, or co-worker)? No > [@Chronos](#): > > Did the caller know your name? Maybe > [@dirtball](#): > > Had you talked to the other passenger before the phone call? Not important > [@dirtball](#): > > Were you able to answer the question? Yes > [@dirtball](#): > > Was the question something professional in nature? > Is is possible that the other passenger might have been able to answer the question but thought you could provide a better answer? No to both ---
**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 1, 2023, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1344 "2023-11-01T22:07:16Z")
Had the caller intended to buy a ticket for that flight? If so, did they have reason to think they’d be in either your seat or your neighbor’s? ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1345 "2023-11-01T22:16:42Z")
> [@Ana\_Byrd](#): > > Had the caller intended to buy a ticket for that flight? Picking my words carefully here: yes at some point we can reason that they certainly did have an intention to buy a ticket. > [@Ana\_Byrd](#): > > If so, did they have reason to think they’d be in either your seat or your neighbor’s? No but… ---
**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:** [November 1, 2023, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1346 "2023-11-01T22:21:41Z")
At the time the caller initiated the call (i.e., before the other passenger answered), did they expect that they’d be telling the other passenger to give the phone to you? Did they anticipate that as a reasonable possibility? Is the aisle, window, or middle seat relevant? > [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > Picking my words carefully here: yes at some point we can reason that they certainly did have an intention to buy a ticket. Had they actually bought a ticket? Was the caller on board the plane? ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1347 "2023-11-01T22:23:41Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > At the time the caller initiated the call (i.e., before the other passenger answered), did they expect that they’d be telling the other passenger to give the phone to you? Yes > [@Chronos](#): > > Did they anticipate that as a reasonable possibility? Not sure exactly what you mean but yes I think. They called in order to ask them to give the phone to me. > [@Chronos](#): > > Is the aisle, window, or middle seat relevant? No > [@Chronos](#): > > Had they actually bought a ticket? > > Was the caller on board the plane? Yes ---
**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:** [November 1, 2023, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1348 "2023-11-01T22:24:12Z")
Did the caller hope to acquire your seat? ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1349 "2023-11-01T22:25:02Z")
Yes. I can feel it’s getting close now. ---
**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:** [November 1, 2023, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1350 "2023-11-01T22:29:37Z")
Were the caller and the passenger next to you traveling together? Maybe they were unable to get seats next to each other and hoped to work out a trade at the last minute? ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1351 "2023-11-01T22:31:42Z")
Yes, this is pretty much it! But it’s not everything. There’s one more bit to this. It’s worth reviewing an answer I gave to a previous question. Someone asked if the caller knew my name. I answered maybe, but it might help to answer this as a yes. So how could they know my name? I’m holding out for the full answer because the scenario I’m describing happened to someone in real life and was mentioned on a podcast I heard recently. ---
**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1352 "2023-11-02T02:24:32Z")
Do you and the caller have the same name? ---
**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:** [November 2, 2023, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1353 "2023-11-02T03:08:13Z")
Did the caller know you by reputation but not know what you looked like? ---
**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 2, 2023, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1354 "2023-11-02T06:29:22Z")
> [@Hoopy\_Frood](#): > > Do you and the caller have the same name? Beat me to it! ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1355 "2023-11-02T09:20:31Z")
> [@Hoopy\_Frood](#): > > Do you and the caller have the same name? No > [@dirtball](#): > > Did the caller know you by reputation but not know what you looked like? No ---
**Author:** ![Teuton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teuton/32/3864_2.png) [@Teuton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teuton)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1356 "2023-11-02T09:22:58Z")
Was the person who handed you the phone a child? ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1357 "2023-11-02T11:14:03Z")
No I’ll reframe a bit because I think we’re getting a bit stuck: the passenger next to me took a phone call and spoke to the caller for a few moments and then handed his phone over to me saying “it’s for you”. I then spoke to someone on his phone. That person knew me and I was given some information that made me happy to move seats. What happened? ---
**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:** [November 2, 2023, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1358 "2023-11-02T17:20:39Z")
Is the person you spoke to the same person that your neighbor spoke to? Were you and your neighbor both separated from your travel groups, and by swapping seats with the caller both groups are reunited? ---
**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:** [November 2, 2023, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1359 "2023-11-02T17:21:53Z")
I’m going to assume the same production department that screws up and blames me is what’s running this airline. It may not be the correct solution, but I consider it true in my case. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1360 "2023-11-02T17:45:41Z")
> [@Rhodes](#): > > Is the person you spoke to the same person that your neighbor spoke to? Correct - it was a different person > [@Rhodes](#): > > Were you and your neighbor both separated from your travel groups, and by swapping seats with the caller both groups are reunited? Yes! I think this is close enough otherwise I’d just be holding out for annoying to guess specifics. I was travelling with my wife on a low cost airline which makes you pay to select specific seating. As we were too mean to pay extra her assigned seat was a few rows behind me. So I take my seat and a few moments later the guy sitting next to me takes the call. He talks for a short time before handing me his phone saying “it’s for you”. Puzzled I take the phone. It’s my wife! “Hello darling,” she says, “Guess what? I happen to be sitting next to the wife of the guy that _you’re_ sitting next to, so she’s gonna come and swap seats with you. See you in a minute!” The guy next to me spoke to _his_ wife first before she passed her phone to _my_ wife so both phones were passed over at the same time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214.md?page=67) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214.md?page=69)