# Three Minute Mysteries Part III **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 29, 2000, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-part-iii/15379 "2000-03-29T19:00:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![MtnMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85e7bf/32.png) [@MtnMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MtnMan)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-part-iii/15379/81 "2000-03-29T20:00:00Z")
Did the man call poison control? Did the man catch the fish? Is the man an idiot (_i.e._ did the man do something stupid that caused his death)? ---
**Author:** ![SwimmingRiddles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SwimmingRiddles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwimmingRiddles)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-part-iii/15379/82 "2000-03-29T20:01:00Z")
The man DID drop the fish before he died. That’s been asked three times. ---
**Author:** ![MtnMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85e7bf/32.png) [@MtnMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MtnMan)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-part-iii/15379/83 "2000-03-29T20:02:00Z")
I heard the man stuck his finger in the coin return slot and got pricked by an AIDS infected needle . . . Oh, wait. Sorry. Wrong thread. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-part-iii/15379/84 "2000-03-29T20:05:00Z")
_Fer example, the man is carrying the package and drops it after spending his last dime (showing my age here) on the phone call. Hopelessly wedged in, he starves to death after first attempting to smash his way out of the phone booth._ No. _Or…he’s carrying fresh fish home in a newspaper when a pack of starving sabertoothed tigers observe him. He flees into the phonebooth for protection but it’s too late. He drops the fish in horror as huge talons of death rip through the glass and metal like they were tissue paper._ No. _Or…a fisherman catches a prize fish and is calling home to gloat when a poorly operated forklift skewers the phone booth, knocking it off the dock into full fathoms five of water._ No. _Or the guy with the fish is the 1-800-Call-ATT guy and he’s just finished another damn commercial when trained military SEALS finally locate him and pierce him with spear guns, leaving him thrashing in a final agony._ No. _Did the man get the fish he was supposed to?_ Irrelevant. _Would he have died had he gotten a different fish?_ Maybe. _Does the size of the fish matter?_ **Yes.** _Did the man break the glass by accident?_ Yes. _OK, man is a diver. He leaned his speargun against the outside of the phonebooth while making his call. When slamming down the receiver, he accidentally jars the gun, setting it off and skewering himself._ No. _Did the man ever end the conversation? ie: did he die mid-coversation?_ Yes. _Did the conversation cause him to become aggitated?_ No. ---
**Author:** ![MtnMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85e7bf/32.png) [@MtnMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MtnMan)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-part-iii/15379/85 "2000-03-29T20:06:00Z")
Is it a **big** fish? ---
**Author:** ![SwimmingRiddles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SwimmingRiddles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwimmingRiddles)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-part-iii/15379/86 "2000-03-29T20:07:00Z")
Was this a large fish? Was it a small fish? Did the person on the other end cause the flip out that caused the man to die? ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-part-iii/15379/87 "2000-03-29T20:07:00Z")
Is the identity of the person he called relevant? ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-part-iii/15379/88 "2000-03-29T20:08:00Z")
_Did he call the person who sold him the fish?_ No. _Did the man call poison control?_ No. _Did the man catch the fish?_ Yes. _Is the man an idiot (i.e. did the man do something stupid that caused his death)?_ Yes. _I heard the man stuck his finger in the coin return slot and got pricked by an AIDS infected needle . . ._ No. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-part-iii/15379/89 "2000-03-29T20:09:00Z")
Man this a good one… O.K., was the fish great big? Was the fish very small? Does the type of fish matter? (I apologize if that’s already been asked) * * * New and Improved Enright3 ---
**Author:** ![SwimmingRiddles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SwimmingRiddles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwimmingRiddles)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-part-iii/15379/90 "2000-03-29T20:09:00Z")
Did the man fumble the fish because it was heavy and lose his balence trying to catch it and flale about until dead? ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-part-iii/15379/91 "2000-03-29T20:10:00Z")
People, I have a meeting in twenty minutes, so if no one has guessed by then I will reveal the answer. _Is it a big fish?_ Yes. _Did the person on the other end cause the flip out that caused the man to die?_ Yes. _Is the identity of the person he called relevant?_ Somewhat, but I would tend to say no. ---
**Author:** ![MtnMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85e7bf/32.png) [@MtnMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MtnMan)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-part-iii/15379/92 "2000-03-29T20:10:00Z")
Was the fish frozen? Did the man knock himself out with a frozen fish and then fall into the glass, cutting himself, causing him to bleed to death? ---
**Author:** ![SwimmingRiddles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SwimmingRiddles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwimmingRiddles)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-part-iii/15379/93 "2000-03-29T20:11:00Z")
Did the man attempt to beat the phone with the fish, only to break the glass? ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-part-iii/15379/94 "2000-03-29T20:13:00Z")
_O.K., was the fish great big?_ **Yes.** _Does the type of fish matter?_ No. _Did the man fumble the fish because it was heavy and lose his balence trying to catch it and flale about until dead?_ No. _Was the fish frozen?_ No. _Did the man knock himself out with a frozen fish and then fall into the glass, cutting himself, causing him to bleed to death?_ No. ---
**Author:** ![Trout\_Mask\_Replica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a88e57/32.png) [@Trout\_Mask\_Replica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trout_Mask_Replica)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-part-iii/15379/95 "2000-03-29T20:13:00Z")
I think I’ve got it. Man catches a big fish. He stops by a phone booth to call someone. In the course of the conversation he brags about the fish he caught. He sticks his arms out to show just how big the fish is. His arms go through the glass and he bleeds to death. ---
**Author:** ![Stevie\_Rave\_On](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c68b51/32.png) [@Stevie\_Rave\_On](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stevie_Rave_On)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-part-iii/15379/96 "2000-03-29T20:14:00Z")
Did the guy try to brag about how big the fish was, and cut his wrists when he broke the glass? * * * Trying is the first step to failure ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-part-iii/15379/97 "2000-03-29T20:14:00Z")
_Did the man attempt to beat the phone with the fish, only to break the glass?_ No. ---
**Author:** ![MtnMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85e7bf/32.png) [@MtnMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MtnMan)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-part-iii/15379/98 "2000-03-29T20:14:00Z")
Did the man call the other person to tell him or her about the fish he had caught? ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-part-iii/15379/99 "2000-03-29T20:16:00Z")
Oh, dear God. I’m going with TMR’s theory here. And TMR, how big is that virtual cigar you’re getting? ---
**Author:** ![Stevie\_Rave\_On](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c68b51/32.png) [@Stevie\_Rave\_On](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stevie_Rave_On)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-part-iii/15379/100 "2000-03-29T20:16:00Z")
Did the guy try to brag about how big the fish was, and cut his wrists when he broke the glass? * * * Trying is the first step to failure [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-part-iii/15379.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-part-iii/15379.md?page=6)