Lateral thinking puzzles

[Soul Reaper]

Lateral thinking puzzles...they're so annyoing because the answer is so ridiculous and hard!!

So here's a thread based on them.

See if you can solve these!

The man in the Elevator

A man lives on the tenth floor of a building. Every day he takes the elevator to go down to the ground floor to go to work or to go shopping. When he returns he takes the elevator to the seventh floor and walks up the stairs to reach his apartment on the tenth floor. He hates walking so why does he do it?

[Soul Reaper]

The Man in the Bar

A man walks into a bar and asks the barman for a glass of water. The barman pulls out a gun and points it at the man. The man says 'Thank you' and walks out. Why?

[Soul Reaper]

The Man who Hanged Himself

Not far from Madrid, there is a large wooden barn. The barn is completely empty except for a dead man hanging from the middle of the central rafter. The rope around his neck is ten feet long and his feet are three feet off the ground. The nearest wall is 20 feet away from the man. It is not possible to climb up the walls or along the rafters. The man hanged himself. How did he do it?

[Soul Reaper]

Death in a Field

A man is lying dead in a field. Next to him there is an unopened package. There is no other creature in the field. How did he die?

[Soul Reaper]

Anthony and Cleopatra

Anthony and Cleopatra are lying dead on the floor of a villa in Egypt. Nearby is a broken bowl. There is no mark on either of their bodies and they were not poisoned. How did they die?

[Soul Reaper]

The Coal, Carrot and Scarf

Five pieces of coal, a carrot and a scarf are lying on the lawn. Nobody put them on the lawn but there is a perfectly logical reason why they should be there. What is it?

[Soul Reaper]

Trouble with Sons

A woman had two sons who were born on the same hour of the same day of the same year. But they were not twins, and they were not adopted. How could this be so?

[Soul Reaper]

Push that Car

A man pushed his car. He stopped when he reached a hotel at which point he knew he was bankrupt. Why?

[Soul Reaper]

The Arm of the Postal Service

One day a man received a parcel in the post. Carefully packed inside was a human arm. He examined it, repacked it and then sent it on to another man. The second man also carefully examined the arm before taking it to the woods and burying it. Why did they do this?

[Soul Reaper]

Heaven

A man died and went to Heaven. There were thousands of other people there. They were all naked and all looked as they did at the age of 21. He looked around to see if there was anyone he recognised. He saw a couple and he knew immediately that they were Adam and Eve. How did he know?

[Anonymous]

Originally posted by Soul Reaper
The Man in the Bar

A man walks into a bar and asks the barman for a glass of water. The barman pulls out a gun and points it at the man. The man says 'Thank you' and walks out. Why?

This one's pretty easy, as I'm a barman meself... I HATE when someone asks only for a glass of water. They're wasting my time for nothing. If I had a gun, I WOULD point it at them.

Cheers! :bottle:

[Soul Reaper]

Originally posted by Imapus Sylicker
This one's pretty easy, as I'm a barman meself... I HATE when someone asks only for a glass of water. They're wasting my time for nothing. If I had a gun, I WOULD point it at them.

Cheers! :bottle:

I didn't know you were a barman...well you learn something new everyday.

Your answer: Close, but not enough. It's much much less obvious than that!

[Carmine]

Originally posted by Soul Reaper


The man in the Elevator

A man lives on the tenth floor of a building. Every day he takes the elevator to go down to the ground floor to go to work or to go shopping. When he returns he takes the elevator to the seventh floor and walks up the stairs to reach his apartment on the tenth floor. He hates walking so why does he do it?

He has a girlfiriend on the 7th floor that he stops to give a pickle tickle before going home?

[Soul Reaper]

Originally posted by Carmine Raguzza.
He has a girlfiriend on the 7th floor that he stops to give a pickle tickle before going home?

Possibly but.....no!

[Ally_Kat]

Originally posted by Soul Reaper
Anthony and Cleopatra

Anthony and Cleopatra are lying dead on the floor of a villa in Egypt. Nearby is a broken bowl. There is no mark on either of their bodies and they were not poisoned. How did they die?

they're both fish and the broken bowl was their fishbowl that got knocked over

[Ally_Kat]

Originally posted by Soul Reaper
The Coal, Carrot and Scarf

Five pieces of coal, a carrot and a scarf are lying on the lawn. Nobody put them on the lawn but there is a perfectly logical reason why they should be there. What is it?

snowman melted

[Ally_Kat]

Originally posted by Soul Reaper
Trouble with Sons

A woman had two sons who were born on the same hour of the same day of the same year. But they were not twins, and they were not adopted. How could this be so?

the kid has multiple personality disorder? :confused:

[Ally_Kat]

Originally posted by Soul Reaper
Heaven

A man died and went to Heaven. There were thousands of other people there. They were all naked and all looked as they did at the age of 21. He looked around to see if there was anyone he recognised. He saw a couple and he knew immediately that they were Adam and Eve. How did he know?

they didn't have belly buttons!

[Anonymous]

Originally posted by Soul Reaper
I didn't know you were a barman...well you learn something new everyday.

Your answer: Close, but not enough. It's much much less obvious than that!

Ha! The man asks for a glass of water, the barman points a gun at him, the guy wets himself, and finds that's enough. Who wouldn't, with a gun aimed at one's head? So he thanks the barman and leaves!

Cheers! :bottle:

[Carmine]

K- Ally is pretty good at this, I say.

[Carmine]

Originally posted by Soul Reaper
Possibly but.....no!

Damn!

[Ally_Kat]

Originally posted by Soul Reaper
Push that Car

A man pushed his car. He stopped when he reached a hotel at which point he knew he was bankrupt. Why?

The only thing I can think of is monopoly, but that is sooo in left field. lol

[Rikk]

Originally posted by Ally_Kat
snowman melted

I can't believe I didn't catch that.

[Ally_Kat]

Originally posted by Carmine Raguzza.
Damn!

Don't worry, that one's stumping me, too. I thought that maybe the elevator is old and breaks down each night, but i don't think it's that

[Carmine]

Does the elevator only go to the 7th floor? meaning he walks down 3 floors every morning too. It does not specifically say that he takes the elevator down FROM the 10th floor.

[Soul Reaper]

Originally posted by Ally_Kat
The only thing I can think of is monopoly, but that is sooo in left field. lol

yes, you are correct!

[Soul Reaper]

ally kat got the snowman one and the cleopatra one right (i don't know how)

[Soul Reaper]

Originally posted by Carmine Raguzza.
Does the elevator only go to the 7th floor? meaning he walks down 3 floors every morning too. It does not specifically say that he takes the elevator down FROM the 10th floor.

no. you'll moan when you find out the answer!

[Soul Reaper]

Originally posted by Imapus Sylicker
Ha! The man asks for a glass of water, the barman points a gun at him, the guy wets himself, and finds that's enough. Who wouldn't, with a gun aimed at one's head? So he thanks the barman and leaves!

Cheers! :bottle:

close, but wrong.

i'll give you a clue. it has something to do with shock!

[Soul Reaper]

Originally posted by Ally_Kat
they didn't have belly buttons!

correct!

[Carmine]

Originally posted by Soul Reaper
no. you'll moan when you find out the answer!

Ally- I hope you figure it out soon...my brain stings.

[Soul Reaper]

i think you'll find the answer is satisfying (but not in a sexual way)

[Ally_Kat]

Originally posted by Soul Reaper
close, but wrong.

i'll give you a clue. it has something to do with shock!

hiccups?

[Soul Reaper]

Originally posted by Ally_Kat
hiccups?

yes it is!!!

[Ally_Kat]

Originally posted by Carmine Raguzza.
Does the elevator only go to the 7th floor? meaning he walks down 3 floors every morning too. It does not specifically say that he takes the elevator down FROM the 10th floor.

he can't reach the button for the 10th floor cuz he's a mini-me. lol

[Ally_Kat]

Originally posted by Soul Reaper
ally kat got the snowman one and the cleopatra one right (i don't know how)

some of these are obvious, like the snowman and the adam and eve one. The fish one I remembered from elementary school. The others take some thinking, and since i need ot get my mind off of some things, this is a welcomed relief.

[Soul Reaper]

Originally posted by Ally_Kat
he can't reach the button for the 10th floor cuz he's a mini-me. lol

you are correct!!

he was a dwarf!

[Carmine]

Originally posted by Ally_Kat
he can't reach the button for the 10th floor cuz he's a mini-me. lol

hahaha!

[Carmine]

Originally posted by Soul Reaper
you are correct!!

he was a dwarf!
MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAN!

[Ally_Kat]

Originally posted by Soul Reaper
The Man who Hanged Himself

Not far from Madrid, there is a large wooden barn. The barn is completely empty except for a dead man hanging from the middle of the central rafter. The rope around his neck is ten feet long and his feet are three feet off the ground. The nearest wall is 20 feet away from the man. It is not possible to climb up the walls or along the rafters. The man hanged himself. How did he do it?

this one is getting me.

I'm thinking he either lasso-ed the rope to the rafter or since it's in a barn, he had a thing of hay to stand on, but random animals ate it over time

[Soul Reaper]

Originally posted by Carmine Raguzza.
MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAN!

LOL!!!!

[Soul Reaper]

Originally posted by Ally_Kat
this one is getting me.

I'm thinking he either lasso-ed the rope to the rafter or since it's in a barn, he had a thing of hay to stand on, but random animals ate it over time

you are very close with him standing on something but it's not a pile of hay

[Ally_Kat]

Originally posted by Soul Reaper
you are very close with him standing on something but it's not a pile of hay

well, the only other thing i can think of that would disappear is ice (melting and all that) but where the hell is he going to find a block of ice that big in a barn?

[Carmine]

Originally posted by Ally_Kat
well, the only other thing i can think of that would disappear is ice (melting and all that) but where the hell is he going to find a block of ice that big in a barn?


Thats IT!! He was standing on a block of ice and it melted.

[Soul Reaper]

Originally posted by Ally_Kat
well, the only other thing i can think of that would disappear is ice (melting and all that) but where the hell is he going to find a block of ice that big in a barn?

are you getting these answers from a website?!

yes, it is ice! he stood on it and melted!

[Soul Reaper]

Originally posted by Carmine Raguzza.
Thats IT!! He was standing on a block of ice and it melted.

well done, Carmine!

[Ally_Kat]

Originally posted by Soul Reaper
are you getting these answers from a website?!

yes, it is ice! he stood on it and melted!

Dude, if there's a website direct me to it because i can't figure out that dead package guy one or the arm one.

the only other window i have openned is http://www.wholesalersusainc.com/ looking for cheap stuff for weddings.

[Carmine]

Originally posted by Soul Reaper
well done, Carmine!

No...Well done, ALLY! She got it first.

[Soul Reaper]

here are the solutions to the arm postal service one:

The three men had been stranded on a desert island. Desperate for food, they had agreed to amputate their left arms in order to eat them. They swore an oath that each would have his left arm cut off. One of them was a doctor and he cut the arms off his two companions. They were then rescued. But his oath was still binding so he later had to have his arm amputated and sent to his colleagues.

[Soul Reaper]

this is the dead field one

The man had jumped from a plane but his parachute had failed to open. It is the unopened package.

[Soul Reaper]

you forgot the two children one

[Soul Reaper]

Originally posted by Carmine Raguzza.
No...Well done, ALLY! She got it first.

oh yes, sorry..correction!

[Carmine]

Originally posted by Soul Reaper
you forgot the two children one

On a plane...different time zones....hmmm....:confused:

[UGS]

Originally posted by Soul Reaper
Trouble with Sons

A woman had two sons who were born on the same hour of the same day of the same year. But they were not twins, and they were not adopted. How could this be so?

Were there more than two sons?

[Soul Reaper]

Originally posted by UGS
Were there more than two sons?

They were two of a set of triplets (or quadruplets etc.)

[Carmine]

Originally posted by Soul Reaper
They were two of a set of triplets (or quadruplets etc.)

My brain hurts again...

[Soul Reaper]

Ten more puzzles...

-Friday

A man rode into town on Friday. He stayed for three nights and then left on Friday. How come?

[Carmine]

Originally posted by Soul Reaper
Ten more puzzles...

-Friday

A man rode into town on Friday. He stayed for three nights and then left on Friday. How come?

The horses name was Friday?

[Soul Reaper]

-Manhole Covers

Why is it better to have round manhole covers than square ones?

[Soul Reaper]

-The Deadly Party

A man went to a party and drank some of the punch. He then left early. Everyone else at the party who drank the punch subsequently died of poisoning. Why did the man not die?

--------------------------

You got it right, Carmine! The horse was called Friday!

[Soul Reaper]

-The Deadly Dish

Two men went into a restaurant. They both ordered the same dish from the menu. After they tasted it, one of the men went outside the restaurant and shot himself. Why?

[Soul Reaper]

-The Realization

A man was walking downstairs in a building when he suddenly realized that his wife had just died. How?

[Carmine]

Originally posted by Soul Reaper


You got it right, Carmine! The horse was called Friday!

I rock....and my brain hurts.

[Soul Reaper]

-The Blind Beggar

A blind beggar had a brother who died. What relation was the blind beggar to the brother who died? (Brother is not the answer).

[Soul Reaper]

-The Broken Match

A man is found dead in a field. He is clutching a broken match. What happened?

[Soul Reaper]

-The Music Stopped

The music stopped. She died. Explain.

[Soul Reaper]

-Swimmer in the Forest

Deep in the forest was found the body of a man who was wearing only swimming trunks, snorkel and facemask. The nearest lake was 8 miles away and the sea was 100 miles away. How had he died?

[Soul Reaper]

-The Elder Twin

One day Kerry celebrated her birthday. Two days later her older twin brother, Terry, celebrated his birthday. How come?

[Big Fat Sammy]

Originally posted by Soul Reaper
-Swimmer in the Forest

Deep in the forest was found the body of a man who was wearing only swimming trunks, snorkel and facemask. The nearest lake was 8 miles away and the sea was 100 miles away. How had he died?


From the helicopter that picked up the water in the lake...to put out the fire.

He was swimming and got scooped up.


Thats an urban legend as well.

[Big Fat Sammy]

Originally posted by Soul Reaper
-The Deadly Party

A man went to a party and drank some of the punch. He then left early. Everyone else at the party who drank the punch subsequently died of poisoning. Why did the man not die?



He left before the poison was dropped in?

[Soul Reaper]

Originally posted by Big Fat Sammy
From the helicopter that picked up the water in the lake...to put out the fire.

He was swimming and got scooped up.


Thats an urban legend as well.

correct on both

[Soul Reaper]

Originally posted by Big Fat Sammy
He left before the poison was dropped in?

and on that one!

[Big Fat Sammy]

Originally posted by Soul Reaper
-The Music Stopped

The music stopped. She died. Explain.

She's a spinning ballerina in one of those music box things.

[Big Fat Sammy]

The poison one was obvious to me.

The others I have no idea...

[Big Fat Sammy]

Originally posted by Soul Reaper
-The Blind Beggar

A blind beggar had a brother who died. What relation was the blind beggar to the brother who died? (Brother is not the answer).

I'm guessing here...but...was the blind beggar the brother's former limo driver who wrecked, killing the brother, and losing his sight...therefore his job...and now he has to beg for money?


Thats a wild guess....LMAO

[Ally_Kat]

Originally posted by Soul Reaper
-Manhole Covers

Why is it better to have round manhole covers than square ones?

this is a puzzle? This one os so obvious. If they were square, the covers could fall down into the sewer.

[Ally_Kat]

Originally posted by Soul Reaper
-The Realization

A man was walking downstairs in a building when he suddenly realized that his wife had just died. How?

He's in a hospital and the generators stopped working?

[Ally_Kat]

Originally posted by Soul Reaper
-The Blind Beggar

A blind beggar had a brother who died. What relation was the blind beggar to the brother who died? (Brother is not the answer).

duh. If it's not brother, it has to be sister

[Ally_Kat]

Originally posted by Soul Reaper
-The Elder Twin

One day Kerry celebrated her birthday. Two days later her older twin brother, Terry, celebrated his birthday. How come?

hahah Leap year babies! (i actually want one, how sick is that?) Well, maybe they weren't born in a leap year, but the year this questions takes place in is a leap year.

Terry was born and then somehow the mother went into another time zone or crossed the international date line and Kerry was born. In order for this to work, it would have to be Feb 28th and March 1st

[Big Fat Sammy]

Originally posted by Ally_Kat
duh. If it's not brother, it has to be sister

Wow :D

I was losing my mind over this one....so obvious now.

Read my answer above...."Limo Driver" :rofl:

[Soul Reaper]

Originally posted by Ally_Kat
duh. If it's not brother, it has to be sister

yes!

[Soul Reaper]

Originally posted by Ally_Kat
hahah Leap year babies! (i actually want one, how sick is that?) Well, maybe they weren't born in a leap year, but the year this questions takes place in is a leap year.

Terry was born and then somehow the mother went into another time zone or crossed the international date line and Kerry was born. In order for this to work, it would have to be Feb 28th and March 1st

correct!

[Soul Reaper]

Originally posted by Ally_Kat
He's in a hospital and the generators stopped working?

right!

[Soul Reaper]

Originally posted by Ally_Kat
this is a puzzle? This one os so obvious. If they were square, the covers could fall down into the sewer.

yes, it is obvious!

[Soul Reaper]

Originally posted by Big Fat Sammy
She's a spinning ballerina in one of those music box things.

no, definitely not.

[Shaun Ponsonby]

Originally posted by Soul Reaper


The man in the Elevator

A man lives on the tenth floor of a building. Every day he takes the elevator to go down to the ground floor to go to work or to go shopping. When he returns he takes the elevator to the seventh floor and walks up the stairs to reach his apartment on the tenth floor. He hates walking so why does he do it?

Has this one been answered yet?

If not, he is REALLY small and he can't reach any of the higher buttons in the elevator.

[Shaun Ponsonby]

Originally posted by Ally_Kat
he can't reach the button for the 10th floor cuz he's a mini-me. lol

Oh, it HAS been answered.

I would have got that if I would have looked yesterday.

[Shaun Ponsonby]

How about this one...

There was a man who lived in Birmingham, and he had had rotten year. It had got to the point where he was suicidal. He didn't want his family to know he had killed himself, so he decided to kill himself in the middle of nowhere. So, one cold night in November he travelled into the countryside, and found a deserted building in the middle of nowhere. He went inside to look for something to kill himself with, but there was NOTHING inside. It was COMPLETELY deserted. He was about to leave, when he looked up and saw a rope hanging from the ceiling. He thought it was too perfect, so he tried to reah up and grab it (as Alan The Panther would!) and so as he could wrap it round his neck, but he couldn't reach the rope, and there was nothing around that he could use to climb up.

A month later he was discovered by drifters who had planned to spend that night in the old building. He had eventually found a way to reach up.

How did he do it?

[Big Fat Sammy]

Originally posted by Shaun Ponsonby
How about this one...

There was a man who lived in Birmingham, and he had had rotten year. It had got to the point where he was suicidal. He didn't want his family to know he had killed himself, so he decided to kill himself in the middle of nowhere. So, one cold night in November he travelled into the countryside, and found a deserted building in the middle of nowhere. He went inside to look for something to kill himself with, but there was NOTHING inside. It was COMPLETELY deserted. He was about to leave, when he looked up and saw a rope hanging from the ceiling. He thought it was too perfect, so he tried to reah up and grab it (as Alan The Panther would!) and so as he could wrap it round his neck, but he couldn't reach the rope, and there was nothing around that he could use to climb up.

A month later he was discovered by drifters who had planned to spend that night in the old building. He had eventually found a way to reach up.

How did he do it?

If this is a variation on a simalar one already posted...then the answer would be ice...or hay bales that a horse ate after he died! lol

[Big Fat Sammy]

Hey SR...give the answer to the deadly dish one! please! :D

[Shaun Ponsonby]

Ah, already posted. Yea, when there is a thread THIS long, I don't bother reading all the posts.

Is the answere to the dish one the guy was an animal rights twat, and didn't realise he was eating meat, and then he thought "Fuck. How can I live with myslf after this", so he decided to kill himself like the drama queen that ALL animal rights twats are?

Or was he just REALLY depressed, was he dying of a diesease and always wanted to try that dish, so thought he would before he shot himself?

Were they listening to Judas Priest in the resturant?

[ashstralia]

oooh i love these conundrums.

ally's a very clever ally.

(i already knew that!)

[Soul Reaper]

Originally posted by Big Fat Sammy
Hey SR...give the answer to the deadly dish one! please! :D

The dish that the two men ordered was albatross. They had been stranded many years earlier on a desert island. When the man tasted albatross he realized that he had never tasted it before. This meant that the meat he had been given on the island was not albatross as he had been told. He correctly deduced that he had eaten the flesh of his son who had died when they first reached the island.

[Soul Reaper]

another ten...

A man is lying dead in a room. There is a large pile of gold and jewels on the floor, a chandelier attached to the ceiling, and a large open window.

[Soul Reaper]

A man and his wife raced through the streets. They stopped, and the husband got out of the car. When he came back, his wife was dead, and there was a stranger in the car. Why?

[Soul Reaper]

A body is discovered in a park in Chicago in the middle of summer. It has a fractured skull and many other broken bones, but the cause of death was hypothermia. How did this happen?

[Soul Reaper]

A woman has incontrovertible proof in court that her husband was murdered by her sister. The judge declares, "This is the strangest case I've ever seen. Though it's a cut-and-dried case, this woman cannot be punished." Why?

[Soul Reaper]

A hunter aimed his gun carefully and fired. Seconds later, he realized his mistake. Minutes later, he was dead. Why did this happen?

[Soul Reaper]

A man is returning from Switzerland by train. If he had been in a non-smoking car he would have died. Why?

[Soul Reaper]

A man is dead in a puddle of blood and water on the floor of an otherwise empty locked room. How did it happen?

[Soul Reaper]

A man is driving his car. He turns on the radio, listens for five minutes, turns around, goes home, and shoots his wife. Why did he do this?

[Soul Reaper]

A man is dead in a room with a small pile of wood chips and sawdust in the corner. Why?

[Soul Reaper]

There's a flash of light, and a man dies. Why?

[Soul Reaper]

the answers to most of these are pretty morbid.

[ashstralia]

Originally posted by Soul Reaper
A woman has incontrovertible proof in court that her husband was murdered by her sister. The judge declares, "This is the strangest case I've ever seen. Though it's a cut-and-dried case, this woman cannot be punished." Why?


she's dead?