Great Lateral Thinking Puzzles

4ms 11111·,
Acknowledgm nrs

We would like to thank AMES magazine for allowing us to reproduce puzzl es whi h fir t appeared in their "How Come" Competition in 1992. "1 h 51:.' puzzles are: The Elder Twin by Judy Dean, h 5 ven-Y ar Itch by Dee Brud r, The B ok b D n rawford, h Plane rash by Lori. Lavalle, Mountains Ah ad b Bob Lop 1',. High Office by Dave O'Bri n, and .Dod Night's 51 p by Krist n Stowe. Pat Squir c nlrlbuh'd thl' it!·., in Suitcase for Hire.

Edited by I~ire B~,inet

Sloane. Puul.

Great I'mernl thlnkmr 11111110 I' "I ,I. "II M cI·I~lc

p. em Includes indt!~

ISBN O-S069.().Sn 0

I.Pull_le~. 11.\ UI,I, ,I I, 'II I' ,II.

GVI49J.S59) 1,1)<)>1

793. 73-dc20 'J1 ISl9's

'Ill

Published by Sterling PllbU.1unl'( '''''I' ,n I" JR7 P~fk Avenue 501l1h. cw 1wll N" II_II,

1994 b)' Paul Sloane ,lit Dc, M,lllI.ll.

Distributed III Canada by 5'11'I1In' I'"hll 111111

r/r C<lnadi3n Mand~ Group. I' O. nn '11n~, 'l'UIl I Toronro, 0n13riO, Cana(Jto MHZ 51"9

Di tributed in Grem Britarnand £:uruf!e by (_.I ,II 1'( ~ VUlicn. House, 41/47 Strand. LUlnltm W l' ~H !I II I u~1 Disrributed in Au~"rJI in II)' apncorn Lmk I AU'lIllhll ,I~) I hl~

P .0_ Box 6651. Baulkh.am Hilh. Bu~nte"~IIII. ...,\ 1\. \1' Ir~11 111mrlrfm'/llud ill 111(' Unilr!'ll Sf(ljrj fll Alllfril ,/

All riglrls reserved

CONTENTS

Introduction

II

The Puzzles 5

1 Tempting Puzzles 5

•• ,. ~ 4 •• ~ I ~ ~ ,. ~ ~. I ~ ~ ~ •• ,I, ~ •••• 4'·' ••• ~;; ~ •• ~. ~.,.". * 4 ~ •••• i •• ~ •••••• ;; •••••••••

WALLY Test I 12

~. ~ ... , •••• ~~;. r~'." .~ ..... i.4 •••••.•••••••• ~., •• , ••••• 4. ~.".; ••••• ~ .~ •••••• 4.

2 Intriguing Puzzles 13

3 Grisly Puzzl s 21

•••••• , ~ • ~, ••• I ••• , •• , •• I •• 4 ' •••• , .' ... 4 ••• ' •. , ... ,! •• 4 •• ~ ,i ••••••• 4 4 •••••••••• I I ~ •••

WALLY Test U 27

~, '. ;,~ .. ; ••••• , r •••• 4 ••• , ••• , ~ •••••••• "' ••••• 4~·' ~., •••• I ••.•• ~. ,., ••• ~ .•

4 Diabolical Puzzles 28

The Clues

1 Tempting Puzzles 2 Intriguing Puzzles 3 Grisly Puzzles

4 Diabolical Puzzles

36 36 43 53 63

The Answers

1 Tempting Puzzles 2 Intriguing Puzzles 3 Grisly Puzzles


73 73 78 82 86

About the Authors Index

94 95

INTRODUCTION

r i is rood for the brain. These puzzles form a sort of mental fitness CUllI'S· to tretch and develop your powers

of lateral thinking. You ma v n get additional e er is

when au h ar the an w r -If yOll kick. our If!

The puzz) C nsist of strs ng ~. ( unding situation', of-

t n dr wn from real lif . Ea .h has a p rfe tl good planation. You have t figure out what it is. Th Jut' section provides hints when you are turnped. You will probably enjoy th se puzzles mor if 'au dis uss th rn in e group rather than as a olitary r ader. It i b st if on person,

knowing th oluti n, answers que lion pos d b th

other in the group. Qu stions should be formed 0 that the an b answered either 'lye '," "no," or "irr levant."

As you approach the puzzles, it i b st to te t all your assumption . Ask broad que tions to est blish what is r < II happening in the situation. You will ne d to be logical and ima inati at rh se me tim . Wh n on line of qu stioning I ad nowh re, au need to < pproa h the probl rn from a fresh dir lion-that is what lateral thinking is all about.

he puzzles are arranged into four main groups with two WALLY Test inter per.ed fr r light reli ·f. The e< ier problem are in the mpting Puzzle ecti n < nd th I11ll I difficult ne am und r Diab lical Puzzl s. There i a

etlan of Gri I Puzzl ,all of which f atur death, accid nt, or mutilation; thes puzzle are among the most popu Jar but they a re not for the squearn ish .. The W ALLY t are just for fun: the consist of trick questi n delib. r telv de igned to catch 'au out.

Th " rl n d lat ral thinkers, p oplc who can bring

" h ~ proa h t tift" nt problem' in all walk of life.

\\! I 11 ' 'd ,I who cs n d velop imaginative new solu- 111111 111'0.; • plllli . ar mu ing div rsion I but th r may ,!I'll hl'!p 1t'.11i' , IWW I gi n (Ial '(( 1 LI in rs.

THE PUZZLES

1 Tempting Puzzles

1.1 A Fishy Tale

• .. • ~ .. .. • ... • • • .. • • • .. .. • .. • • .. .. .. • • .. .. • .. .. • • • • .. III' • .. • • .. • • ~ ... .. •

A woman h. d a pet goldfish whi h .h loved 'ry d < rl .

n day h noticed that it wa swimming feebl in it b wI and it look d very unwell. he rushed to the 't with her prized pet and he told her to COIll 1 back in an hour. When rh r turned 'he found the goldfi h wimming strongl and looking healthy again. Ho had the et managed thi ?

1.2 The Lost Passenger

~ "" • • '" '. .' ' •• "," • '. '. " , '. ,I' .' ,~. '. '.' '. • .. • "-111 '. ,t, , • ... '. • ,~ '.' ~ '.' .' .' '.' • •. " .' '.' '.' .' iii

Little Billy was four years old and both his parents were dead ... His guardian put him on a train to send him to a new horneIn the country, Billy could neither read nor write nor remember thaddress, so a. large label on a string was secur d around his n ck clearly indicating Billy's name and destination. However, despite the best efforts and kindness of the railway staff, Billy neverarrived at his new home. Why?

1.3 The Book

A woman walked up to a man behind .a counter and handed him a book. He looked at it and said, "That will be four dollars .. " She paid the man and then walked out without the book. He saw her leave without it but did not call her back. How come?

1.4 A Hairy Problem

.. iii' ~ .• ' .' .' .' '.' .. '. oil' '.' II.' ill W' ' ..... I ·Iio oil! 'II' II • '.. • • '.' I Ii- • o!II '. • I ~ • I "', • .. • ;;. • • , ;;. .. .;;,

Why is it that, in general, the hair on a man's head goes grey before the hair in his moustache does?

1.5 The Birds

Two naturalists were walking in the country. They were both keen to protect the environment and to conserve nature and wHdlife. One said to the other,"I was impressed by the way that you hit that bird .. " he econd r pH d, "Yes, it was good, but not as good as that large bird thai you hit arli r." What were thy talking about?

6

1.6 Blinded at Teatime

• '!!I 'I' I .. - -III! • '!!I II" Iii! • ~ '" '.' ,iii • '. .' " .. • • 'III '.' ,', '" '!!I ~ • ,', '" " '. .. .' '" .;;" '.' ,t ~ • ~ I' '. .' • '. 'I'

A man was drinking a cup of tea when he was suddenly blinded. How?

1.7 Countdown

iii " .;;, • 'iii " • .' • '!!I' 'i!' '.' III! • ... '.' t '" • ~ '. ,', ~ • • ~ .. ' .. .. • ,., io • '" ~ • ,', • ~ 'il 'I, ... iI , 'il '. ,~ ii

A man was slowly counting but unfortunately he miscounted. A little later he suffered a sharp pain in his back. Why?

1.8 Weather Forecast

,- : ~ • '. III! '" ,'" I' '.' ~ ... '.' ~ '" ~ .. " ,,.. • '. '110 " ., ~ I' ' • .;;" ' ... '!!', '. !!' '., '. I ,~ ... ' ••• ' •• ' -t, • '~

John was watching television. Just after the midnight ne~s there was a weather forecast: "It is raining now and wdl rain for the next two days. However, in 72 hours itwiU be bright and sunny." "Wrong again," snorted John. He was correct but how did he know?

Let us agree that at the North Pole it is impossible to look north andat the South Pole it is impossible to look south. Then. wh re in the world would you b if you could look north and south but could not 1001< east or west?

1.10 The Blind Beggar

.. ~ ~, '.' ,.' • ~ <IIi' •• ' •• ii, • to , !II '. ,. ,t ,', " Ii-'.' • oj '. o!i' '. ,~, .' .... '. oil .' III! ~ '.' • ,', ~ .' '.' , .. '" ,

A blind beggar ha d a brother. who died ', Wha t . rela tion w~s the blind beggar to the brother who died? ("Brother" IS

not the answer.)

7

1.11 The Truck Driver

1 .... III II. II,. II,. •• II" II II II II II II II II. til" II II II II .. II II. II. II II" II II II II II I!''' II

A polic effie r aw a truck driv r cI arly going th \I\lT ng wa d wn a on -way tre t, but did not tr t top him. Wh not?

1.12 Mountains Ahead

II " ... II .. '" II II II ..... II II .. II II II ., II ... ,. .... II .. II II II II II ......... '" • II II .. II II II II it ••

Y u are eat d next to th pi! t of a mall pi n at an altitud f n mil . Hug mountain 10 m dir tl ah ad. Th pilot doe not change peed, direction, or el vation,

t you survive. w com?

1.13 A Strange Christening

II.,. II II II .. '" ill ... II .. II .. II ... II .... 11 ........ ' II .. II II .. II"" II II II. iII ......... " .. II

During a christening ceremony, the godm th r of th child uddenly tackJed the priest wh was conducting th cerernon I knocked him d wn, and roll d him v r n the ground. Why did she do this?

1.14 Pond Problem

• II .. '" • '" '" iii .. II II '" II .. II II ,. .. II II II II II II .. II II '" II .. II

A man wish t r ach the i land in the middle f an

mam ntallake without getting w t. The i land i 20 fe t from each dge of th pond ( e diagram) and he has tw

planks each 19 feet long. H w d he g t across?

~ .. ~.~ .~.~~l_<:i~~. ~~~ .~~~1:'.i~~ .

Th re w r tw ke n p rt m ~ n. n ev ning at 6 P. M. on started w lking at 4 mil P t h ur nd the oth r

tarred c ling at 12 mil s per hour. After an hour ach of them stopp d. They then each ran f r fif] n minut sat mile p r h ur. he Y b th s tart d fr m rh am pl , A. They both k pt hading in t11 arne dir ti n thr ugh ut and n ver chang d course or re ted duringthentire 45

minut s. Th y b th arrived at pint B at th m tim

H would thi be and h w far w it fr rn A to .B?

1.16 Church Bells I

.......................... "" oj""" •• " "" ..... """",,""" •• ;0 .. ""." ..

A detective was lying in b d 11 unday rn rning li tening t th 1 aJ hur h b U ringing. udd nly h r ahz d that he was list ning to a ree rding. How did he know?

1.17 Church Bells II

n night th vi ar noticed that th jd I ck in th hur h tow r struck 13 times at midnight. It did the am thing the foU wing night so he had the m chanisrn lnve tic ted. It wa found to b in P rf ct ord r, yet the clock truck 13 ag in that night. Why?

~:~.~ .~ .~~1;'.~~~~. ~?~~ .

When thi book irst cam out it wa read only by a handful of very rieh peopl . N walmo t v ryone has a c py and read it frequ ntly. But you annot buy it in a bo k-

tore or borrow it fr rn a library. What is it?

9

1.19 River Problem I

..... '" " ........ '" '" .... '" .. '" ..... '" " ... '" ..... '" ..... '" '" '" ... '" '" ..... '" ... '"

A man cam to a river carrying a fox, a duck, and a bag of corn. Ther wa a boat,ln which he could ferry one of the three Items across the river at anyone time. He could not leav the fox alone with th duck, n r th duck alone with th corn, s how did he g t all three aero ?

f~RRY LOAD L'''_'T:

1 MAN/1Dvc~

aft.

l1MM/1 ~)l

oj:l

11Wi /SA.('(.. r.....

o L'I!

1.20 River Problem II

.. • '" '" '" .. '" '" '" '" ill '" '" '" •• '"

Thi time the man reached the riv r with a fox, a duck, and a bag of corn, but this fox ate corn as well a ducks! There was the same boat as b fore in which he could take only one of th thre with him. He could not I ave th fox with ith r the corn or th duck, and, f c ur , th du k would gladly eat th orn if th y w r left tog ther. How did h g t all thr aero ?

10

,

1.21 River Problem III

A man wi he to cr a wid , dee p ri er, a h wn in th

diagram, Ther is no bridge, no boat, and he cannot swim. ow does he get across?

1.22 Bill and Ben

Bill and Ben ar id ntical twins. The are ph j all very alik I fit and h althy. hey ar both 0 d runn rand always run at the 'am P d. ca h rung in t th J k on the m track und r the same conditi Y t B n tak s ten times longer to finish than Bill. Why?

1.23 The Missing Brick

........ II • " ill " ...

t : Thi puzzle and th one that f U w it ar product of th arne ruel and d .i us mind .

A young couple were in p cting a hou the w re considering buying. Ln th middle of th kitchen floor they found a ingle brick. The real estate ag nt did not know why it was there, nor did til builder, so they ent for the ar hitect. e took th brick outside and thr w it up int th air, whereupon th brick anished rom ight. What was happening?

1

1.24 A Strange Flight

.. .. • • ... • .. .. • • • ,. • .. • ... • ... • .. .. • ~ .. , * .. ... • ;0 • • ~ .. ~ .. .. ... ... .. • .. .. to I Ii • ..

A maJl plan wa fI ing from Alban to w York sam

ears ago" 5 ated be id each other w r a grumpy old m~n m .king a f lit pip and a rumpy Id lad with a nOIsy P, t,du k on h r lap, ach pent most of the journey

ornplaining ab ut th ther. ina [I a c mpromi was

r'~ ch d,:h ld man agr ed to throw hi pip out f th window if the old lady would throw h r duck out. Thi wa d n . [u t th pic n wa ab lit t land, th lad wa pi ,as d to s e the duck flying along ide th plane. What did th duck have in its m uth?

WALLY Test I

.. • • I • ... • Ii ... • .. • .. ~ • .. .. • -II .. .. Ii • .. .. • .. ... • • f .. ... • .. • .. • • '"' • .. .. • • • • ..

B~ck b popular demand, h r i th latest World As a iahon. for Laughter, Learning, and Youth (WALLY) test. It

can 1 t of que ti n de igned t at u ut. B

w. m d! v ry low, na ty trick w can devise ha be n u ed. Get P neil and pap r. Write d wn th an wer to

ach qu ti n as on as p ible aft r r ading it. You

have two minut to complete th test, starting now:

12

,

1. What i twice the half of H7?

2. If two pea ock lay two gg in two day, how man gg can one pea ock lay in four day ?

3. ow many ubic f et of es rth are th re in a him a-

uring 3 f 1 wid b 4 feet long b / 5 fe t d ep?

4. Do you know how long cow should be milked?

5. Wh r was Qu n leopatra' tempi?

6. Ln what month do Americans t?

7. ow many marbl 5 can you put in an mpty bag?

Th greengro r tan 6 feet tall, ha a 4 -inch h st. and wars siz 12 ho s. What do you think h w igh ?

9. If a duck rune paddling d wn th it hav c me fr m?

10. H w long will a v n-day grandf. ther I k run without windin ?

ee WALLY Te t ollllion on pa e 20.

2 Intriguing Puzzles

~:~ .. ~~~~I:'. ~~~~~~~~~~ , ..

A k n tamp collect r wh p cialized ill U. . tam 5

aw an adverti ment offering a c mplet et of early U.S.

·tamp for a fracti n of what it wa w rth. quickl

bought it. Although it wa a genuin , splendid call ction and a r al bargain, he wa angr, n t pi a d. What wa

. 7

gomg on.

1

2.2 Sheepish Behavior

~ ,~", ."." .. i .. ii". '!I .• 'III, .. ;iiI ,,.. ,t '~"~ 'IJ!I." '.',. '. ii" 111'1' ,.,'.' ~.,,"., t .. ""~~,,, ~ I'~ •• " t.

On a cold winter's day, drivers found that sh ep from. the fields nearby kept coming onto the road. There was no snow and the road was not warmer than the fields but w~enever the sheep were usherd back to the fields they quickly returned to the road. Why?

2.3 The Tennis Match

Pete challenged Jim to a tennis match fora large bet. Jim won the first set easily (6-1) .. Pete then offered to raise rh

takes to ten times the amount. Jim readily agreed but lost the next twosets to Pete 6-1, 6-1. Pete tried hard throughout the match and never threw away a point How did he manage to suddenly beat Jim easily?

14

2.4 Surrounded

A man was on the run from th police. He was relaxing, watching a play in a crowded theatre. Suddenly he nodeed that detectives were dosing in on him from all directions and were covering all exits. How did he escape?

2.5 The Banker

Bernard was th president of a major WaH Street bank. One morning when he got on a crowded train he was extremely worried. When the train stopped and he alighted, he felt very sick but h was not worri d any· more. Why not?

2.6 A Curious Place.

If you liked this place you would rather stay for a day than a year, but if you hat d it you would rather stay for a year than a day. Why?

2 .. 7 Grandmother's Letter

A boy at boarding school. ran short of money so he wrote to his grandmother asking for CI. small contribution. The respons was a Jetter containing a lecture on the evils of extravaganc but no money of any kind. Neverthele s, the boy was very pleased. Why?

During a wedding r. ception the father of the bride found that his wallet was missing. How did he find out who had taken it?

15

2.9 The Free Extension

, III ,. 'IIi , '" •• I , •

A man went to a builder with plan for an t nsion to hi hau~. The had n v r m t b for but th builder agre d t build the e tension at n charge to th man. Why?

2.10 Bridge Crossing

.. ~ . " . , '" , " , , , .

In wartime, an army had t cro a wid ri er. Th r wer n b~at and :n'Y n bridge, which wa ery narrow.

TO smg the bndg would have mad them itting duck for nemy gunfire. How did the ntire army era s the river in r 1 tiv afety?

2.11 The Seven-Year Itch

... '" " ••• , , , •• , '" , It , It , , , , , , •

Whil~ diggi~g a gard n, a woman unearthed a larg metal box filled with money and j welry. For yen year h 16

spent n ne of th money and told no on what h had found. Thensh udd nly b ught a It w h u r a n w car, and a fur coat. H w c me?

2.12 Hit Out

A pan nt on th operating tabl is c ming round aft r n perati n, Sudd nly h jump up and trik th surg on

a hard a h can. Why d he d this?

2.13 A Green Wedding

..... "' ' 110 , I ..

A c1 rgyman wa e a p rat d at ha ing to w P up vast amount of conf tti from the front of his hur haft r very wedding. H decreed that in th future, if p sopl insi t d on throwing s mething at th marri d c upl th y thr w

mething els . What did h ugg t?

2.14 Sell the Truth

A manufacrur r tate that if middle-aged P pi t Id th truth more oft n h would 1I a great deal mar f hi

product . What d h manuf tur?

2.15 The Dried Peas

In a ports hop th re i a occer ball ontaining a quantity of dried peas. Why are they ther ?

2.16 The Dog That Did Not Die

.. 'II '" , iii II .

A m thee t ld her ix- ear-old daughter that her p t dog had be n hit by a car and killed. The IHUe girl burst into

7

tear . HaH an hour lat t, the moth r said that th dog wa quite well and that it was all a O1i take. Why did she do this?

2.17 High Office

~ I- <10 " '" • " .. Ii I- " .: " ..

T m cannot r ad or writ or tie hi h es. H ha never w rked a dain hi lif . Despit th short ornings, m is given n trem ly important, pre tigi u , and wellpaid job. How orne?

2.18 The Follower

A w man wh wa dri in on h r own pull d into a filling station and bou ht orne ga aline. As h dr V ff h n tic d a strang r in a r foil wing h T. Sh tri d to shak him off by turning, accelerating, lowing down, tc, Finally she turned into a police stati 11, but h wa sh ked to see him follow h r in. He wa not a poli eman and there w re no mechanical fault with her car. Why did h f now her?

2.19 Money to Burn

.................... '" II ..

A bank messenger, carrying a bag containing one thouand $100 bills, was robb d at gunpoint by a masked man.

Th man took the bag home and, without looking inside, h burnt it. Wh ?

2.20 Not a Kidnapper

... ., ., ., .

A b nk r was kidnapp d and h Jd tied upand blindfold d by a ingl kidnapp r for s veral days. Durin thi time h

1

remain d eat d in a it nt r am and h n v r aw or hard hi kidnapp r. A ran om was paid and h wa. r· lea d. The police arr sted a uspect who. had a prev.lou criminal r c rd and had no alibi Ear the p nod of th cnme. H wev r, during questioning, the polie i~ p ctor?3 k d the susp t ne thing nd then rei as d him. Why.

2.21. Ruination

.. .. .. iii .. .. .. .. • .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ~ .. 'II • .. III .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. • .. •

In a factory in Bu kinghamshlr , tenth ntury, a bunglin empl batch f th factory utput. I w v ry pi a ed. Wh ?

nglan , in th nin ruin d an . ntir rnpl er wa

2.22 The Bet .

~ .. • .. .. .. .. .. .. .. I ,.. to .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ;0 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ., .. ..

In th eight enth entu , long be~or th inv J1oon,f th train r th m t rear, p ple d li ered urgent rnes ag 5 19

uSi~g rider n hors s. An nglish duke, a notoriou am-

bler, n e bet that h could hay a lett. r d I' d g£

n J I re r0111

. . pac to another 40 kilorn t r (ab ut 2- '1 )

n 45 ' rru s awa

I .rmnutes or le.~. 'his wa much fa t r than a hor

could travel. H w did he win th b t?

~ " ~,' ~ ~,','.' ,~~iLy'T~~t'i'A~'~~~~~"""""

.. . .. .. .. .. . . .. ~ , . .. ~ .. . . .. . .. .. " .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. . . .. "

Her ar th an wers-get r ady to kick y ur If!

'If ~e <Jw!-} au .IOJ uru fI!M H ~UTPU!M rn l.{HM 'or '2~;;) UV' '6 ':)1 's onnod J 11? d 's IddV ·S

'A)dwa ~ou ! l! lel[1 J He ~ lla 'f.

. A.ep Ji;lM I ell l! ~A.renJqa3 '9 -p 'el4 JOI l LJ JO ap~ <l4l uO 'S

. P '!Hw Je MO Jl 45 lelH A MUle all

, I II e u! Lf~Je au S! a1 41 '£ '22 Al?r lOU op 'I.)OJ2 d 'z

'.lhl 'r

Rat your

or on the foil wing cal umber Correct

RaHng

8 to 10 6 to 7 3 t 5

2 or I s

We II Whiz mart Ale Wall Ultra Wally

..........................................

... """ t ..

20

2.23 Days Off

....................... " Ii " ..

A man hired s yen employe to work for him. After a few w ek h noticed that onl ix w r ev r a t work n n da and that on a h day a different on fail d to show up f r w rk, Wh ?

2.24 An Irish Puzzle

3 Grisly Puzzles

3.1 A Shocking Discovery

• iIi,. ,. •• I" t,. .,. '."

A m n rn tab autiful WOman in a bs r. After a few drink th y agr d to g back to h r apartm nt, In the morning

21

h awok in an aUeyway having ben drugg d. H checked hi wall> t, wat hand cr dit card and fund that none wer missing. A f w minutes later h discover d

omething which gav him a terribl shock. What wa it?

3.2 Clean Sweep

.... 1 6 " ..

A tr ng \I am n is about to tart h r leaning job wh n sh collapses in a f into Why?

3.3 Death on the Boat

.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. " ..

An e pert sailor was killed whil ailing hi boat. He had uffer d a h avy blow t the head. H w had it happened?

3.4 A Rum Find

... -II! ill " II ..

Two workrn n wer doing a major r novation j b on an

Id ngH h hall . They uld n t believe th ir luck wh n th y came upon a ca k f xcellent Jam .ican rum. Th y indulged in a gJa or two of thi rum e ry day until finally it ran out. They then got a na ty urpri . What wa it?

3.5 Broken Match

... .. .. .. .. • .. .. .. .. .. " " .. <10 " ..

A man i found dead in a f Id. H i dutching a broken match. What happ n d?

22

3.6 The Cut Finger .

• .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ill .. .. t .. .. .. .. ~ .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. • .. .. ..

man is pe ling p tat . wh n h cut hi fjn~ r. I imm diately puts his hand into wat r nd I av It ther for 30 s conds, H wev r, wh n he pulls hi .hand out th cut has entirely disappear d. How can thi have happ ned?

3.7 The Music Stopp'~~ :

.............. " ..

Th musi stopped. Sh died. E pic in.

3.8 The Dog Choker ..

.. "' ..

A woman came home t find her d g choking in th ha.ll. Sh .. hed the dog tan arby vet and went home whil h<e e ~~mined th dog. Wh nhe arrived horne th phone was ringing. It wa th vet warning h r to g t ut of the house at once. Why?

3.9 The Movie .

.................................................. ii I

Tom and] went to a m vi. h re er many oth r

a 1 th reo During qui t cen , Tom drew a gun. Joe PP d "Don't hoot!" but Tom h t him. Tom then

SCT arne , . . d 1 .

left. Many people saw Torn leave and they r stram? mTI.

Th police arrive and qui kly rel ased m. Why.

3.10 Da~~~.~~. ~~ .

.. ........ " ......

A man wa th proud wn r of a b autiful and xpen i e 23

Mer d 5 P rts car. One day he drove it to an i 01 t d parking ar a and th n m sh d th window, scratch d th do T51 and ripp d out th radio. Wh ?

3.11 The Motorcyclist

............ III III I' ill

A I~an i lying ver Iy injur d in th road. He had quite d lib rately t pped out from th id walk in fr nt of a motorcycHst who had hit him. Why had th man don thi ?

3.12 Swimmer in the Forest

........ ,., III ,. , ••• ,., •

e p in the 6 r t, a f rest ranger found the b dy of man dr sed nJy in wimming trunks, sn rk 1, and facema k. The nearest lake was B mil s away and the a wa 100 miles awa . H w did he di ?

24

3.13 The Dark Room

• "' ,. ,., ,., "' ••• ,., • ,., ••••• " I .

A m n walk d into a mall, dark r om in a large building. fter c few minut s h em rged fr m th d rk £0 m and I ft the building. A man then walked up to him and hot him dad. Why?

3.14 The Two Vans

...... ,., '"',., 111 · ' ••• ' III •• '" , , •• ,., * ..

In a bizarr accident, two identical vans imultaneously plung d over a docksid and into thirt f. et of water. They b th landed upright. ach va~ had a driv r wh was fit, uninjur d by th fall. and COnsCI us. On dr wn d but th other easily e caped. Why?

3.15 Suicide

• ill .. • II • .. • II • ,. • • .. II II • II • • • • II • II II .. • .. • t ,. • • II • II ... • • .. • • • II ~ II •

A man wake up in a dark room. H switch on the light. A few minut lat r he shoots him elf. Why?

25

3.16 The Plane Crash

................... ., It ~ ..

Su an watched a her hu band board d the 8:15 P.M. Air Canada flight from Tor nto to hi ago. h th n dr v hom from the airport and proce ded to wat h a movi . About ne hour into the rnovi there wa a new flash' the

:15 P.M. ~ir Canada .fUght from Tor nto to Chic go' had

era ~ d with n UTVI or . Su an did n t react, Sh ju t

continued to watch the movie. ow om ?

~:~? .~~~ .~.~~~~~~~. ~?~~~~g

.... III ..

A man ~ok up on a beautiful surnm r m mingo He went to the WIndow, looked out in horror, and then shot himelf. Why?

3.18 The Blanket Mystery

.............. I '"' 1 '"' "" I

A man walked up a hill carrying a blank t. B cau f thi I

one hundred people died. How?

3.19 The Deadly Bite

!I I ..

A. woman gave a man something to eat. It cau ed him to di . It was not poison d or poisonou . Why did he die?

3.20 Bad Boy

............................................................... 1 •••••••••••

A man sittin at hom was killed by a Iittl b Y who wa out ide. How?

26

w ALLY Test II

Just wh n you thought y u wer safe-another WALLY t st! As b fore, get a p neil and paper. Writ down the answer t aeh qu ti n a' on a po ibl after r ading it. You have two minut to c mplet th test, tarting now:

LIla ton of coal co ts $30 and a ton f cok costs $25, what will a ton of firew od c m to?

2 . Removing an appendi is called an app nd ctorny, r mo ing t nsils i called a ton ill etom . What is it all d wh n th y r move a growth fr my ur had?

3. Why ar U.S. Idler forbidden to any rifl s any

longer?

4, What thre thing that you can at can you n ver hav for breakfast?

5. If a farmer raises what in dry weather, what doe h raise in wet w ath r?

6. What would you call a pers n wh did not h ve all hi fing r on n hand?

27

7. Which i gr, t r, six dozen doz n or half a doz n

dozen?

8. What is the b t wa t g t do" n from a arnel?

9. How could a m n b . v r I injurd by bing hit y erne tomato ?

10. Why do Chin se men at more rice than Japanese m n?

ee WALLY Te t elution (It page 35.


4.1 The Nursery Rhyme

" t .. ~, • .. .. • t .. • • .. .. " • .. .. .. .. I .. .. .. '. .' .' .' '. .. ,.. " '.' .. .. .. .. • .' .. .' • • " • .. • •

A man i visiting young couple who have a one-year-old

daughter. tak s th bab n hi kn and, with til

par nts pr ' nt, b gin to re ite a nur ery rh m with the

hild. Within a f w moment, howev r, h is cringing with mbarra m nt. Wh ?

4.2 The Elder Twin

n day, Kerry c lebrat d h r birthday. Two days later, her older twin br th r, Terry, c l br t d hi birthda . How come?

4.3 Fair Shares

T ivide a ak equ 11 betwe n two p opl ou I t on cut and the other chco . H w could Y u di ide a cak

28

am ng three or more p ople fairly? No protractors, rul r,

r III aurin d i ar in Iv ,ju t a knif .

~:~. !~~. ~~~~~.~. ~~~~~~.l?~ .

ne morning a jealou wife found in the mail a I Her addr ssed to h r hu band. H w did sh r m ve the l tt r fr III the alednv op without br aking th al r t aring th nv t p and then put it ba k in the nvelop so that he r hu band did not know that til' I tt r had b n read?

4.5 Tattoo

Why did a significant number of p ople have a Cru ifixion

n tatt 0 d on their b di ? h pe pi did n t har

any parti ular r ligious b li fs,

29

4.6 Suitcase for Hire

Pat went into a luggage h p to bu a uitcase. Th a istant id, "It is m t unu ual t buy a suit a . Why don't Iik all our oth r cu tom sst" Why should ?

4.7 The Tennis Tournament

A t tal of 213 p pte nt r a kn ck ut t nni tournam nt. What ~s the 1 t numb r of match s that mu t b play d

to d ld n ov rall winner? .

4.8 The Key

.. .. .. .. .. .. ... .. • .. '" .. .. ,. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ~ III .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

Ev ry night b fore he went to b d, a man carefully lock d aJJ t)~e ~oor f hi h u . Then h pia d th fr nt-d r k:y insid a bucket of cold water. In the morning h retri ed the k from th buck t ill I'd r to pen th door. Why did he do thi ?

4.9 That's Fast!

W.hile H rry was working in his gara.g h made omthing trav I at v r 30 0 mil (4 00 kilom t rs) P r hour. Wh t on arth was it?

4.10 A Man in a Bar

m n walk d into a bar and ask d for a certain drink. he ba_rtender ap logiz d that h had run ut f that particular drink but he offer d th man nyoth r drink in the hous

fr he man refu ed and walked ut. Wh ?

30

4.11 The 88 Hours

," 11 11' t .. "" IIE •••••• ·"

A man at p rfectly still for 88 hours. Why?

4.12 Sand Trap

.... II< " " " " ~ .

Why did a ron go t great tr uble t bur in th d ert fift en brand-n w M rc de -Benz cars, U grea d and

wrapp d in plastic?

4.13 Building Demolition

11< .. " '." 11< " 1 • 11<" ..

In Au tralia a p rfectl good bu.ilding was d moli hed and n aim t id ntical n r ted on e actly th arne sit . h original building was in g d nditi n, it had n d fe t nd th re wa no i su of f t or planning p r-

rnissi n, Why was it d mali h d?

4.14 The Torn Cheque

1 " 1 • .. • t·· ..

A man writes a ch que,ign it, and til n tears it into

a tly 217 pi . H th n put it in th mail. Can au

give a rational explanation for hi b havior?

4.15 The Weather Report

••••••••••• ,. ,11< "' ••

At r w ath r r p rt on stat d that the t mp rature in at midnight n Jun 1 twa .. r rtain nurn. Wh re was th place?

31

4.16 Odd Animals

.... ,. II ,. ,. ,. .. ,. ,. ,

What d the animal have in mmon. koala bar, prairie dog, fir fly, ilkworm, jackrabbit, gujn • pi ?

4.17 The Shorter Program

..... I: • I II II ..

A music pr gram on a w LJ-r p t d radio tao n finished xacrl eight minutes earlier than it wa chedul d to. An embarraed offi ial gave the planation for thi rni tak . What wa it? How long wa th program up-

p d to la t? (It i P sible to w rk thi out.)

4.18 Traffic Trouble

........ I II ,. •• " ii ..

H w did a change in state traffi re ulations lead r an in rae in trad for 1 al e shop? (Th an wer i not obscene!)

32

,

4.19 Blackmail .

.. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . . .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .

A rath r nasty criminal developed a mingly ~ .olproof way of extracting man y from b r av d f milies. e would can th obituar olumn in ord r t? chaos th nam of a w althy man wh had rec fitly died. Then h

nt an in j for porn graphic bo k addr. ed to the man and claiming paym nt for good prevlo.u ly.d spatch d. 0 avoid any andal the family;, uld invariably pay. How was h ventuaHy caught out.

4.20 A Good Night's S~~~.l? .

• • I ,. •••••• I " ..

A man in a hotel wa unable t leep. H g t up, p n d the window drapes, w nt back to b d and fell a le pea - ily. ow orne?

33

4.21 Grateful for Poor Service

A man saw ornething advertised at a ertain price and w nt to buy it. An official refu ed to s 11 it to him even th ugh th man couJd pay and other men and women were sold it. Later the man was v ry glad that his purchase had ben r fused. Why was h r fu ed and why was he glad?

4.22 Free T-shirts

A man was watching televisi n wh n h saw an advertisement offering fre T- hirts t th first 100 j W IS wh phoned in. H called th number given, tated his size, and r ceived hi fre T- hirt in a few days, Lat r he v ry much regrett d doing this. Why?

~:~.~ .~.~~.~. ~~.'-?~.~ry. ~. " " .

A g.ang robbed a bank. They tied up the staff and then hurriedly left the bank. On of the bank staff truggled free and did something which quickly I d t the apprehension of the gang. What wa it?

~:~.~ . ~.~~.~" ~~"~~.~ry. ~.I .. " . " , , .

A gang stol a bank ecurity van containing over $700,000. Their plan wa ex cuted perfectly and they got clean aw y, The police had no trace of them and th gang were fr t divide and spend the loot. However, th y wer e IT m I frustrated. Why?

34

4.25 A puzzling At~~~~ .. " ... " .... " .. " .....

••••••••••• <I •• ,. ..

Four rational and reasonable people were seate~ a~ ~mdt tabl . Suddenly three of them jUffifed up an VICIOUS Y beat the fourth one s n ele s. Why,

... , , .... "'"ALLY 'T~~t 'ii 'A~~~~~~ '. ~ '. ~ ", ~ ~ '. ~

............... iii .

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groans!

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-raddn pue 'Jauu!p 'q:lun1 'v 'Apealll? qSnou<iI SUOI ale sagp <:It{l '£ 'lml!'~t{ y 'z 'scntsV' . I

Rate your score on the following scale:

Number Correct Rating

8 to 10 6 to 7 3 to 5 2 or less

Wally Whiz. Smart Alec Wally Ultra Wally

.. " " ,., .. , ~~

THE CLUES

1 Tempting Puzzles

1.1 A fishy Tale

Q: Did the vet change the wat r? A: o.

Q: id h gi th fish any m dication, f d. r t ni ?

A: o.

Q:. I ad the woman had the goldfish for along time? A: Yes.


Q: Did sam one d lib rat ly harm or abduct Billy? A: No.

Q: Wa his label rernov d in 'orne way? A:Y .

Q: Was Billy a littJ boy? A: No.

Q: Did Billy d troy the nam tag? A: Yes. (e at itl)

1.3 TheBook

Q: Was h urpri d that sh I ft with ut th b k? A: No.

Q: Did he pay th mony to buy the book? A: o.

Q: When she ga e him th money, did h r iv s m -

thin in r turn?

A: a, not re Uy, but sh wa quite happy to pay it.

36

1.4 A Hairy Problem

Q: I this t d with the wa th hair i cut, bru h d, washed, or tr ated in any way?

A: o.

Q: Is it t do with eating, drinking, thinking, or talking? o.

Q: I it t d with timing? A:Y .

1.5 The Birds

Q: Had th ya h physi aUy hit s methin ? A: Y s.

Q: ad they hit living or d ad creatur ? A: N I n ith r.

Q: Had on f th m hit an agl?

A: Yes.

1.6 Blinded at Teatime

: Was th re a fla h f tight or some other ext mal ur-

renee?

A: No.

Q: Was th man phy i ally n rrnal? A: Ye.

Q:. Did something go into his eye? A: Yes.

Q: Did thi go int his e· beau he wa drinking the cup of tea?

A: Yes.

1.7 Countdown

Q: Was h c unting as part f a ta k h was p rforming? A: Yes.

37

Q: Was anyone els involved? A: No.

Q: Would thi happ n to a w man? A: Probably not.

Q: Wa the pain caused by a point d metal obj ct? A: Y .


Q: Was John some kind of weather exp rt? A: No.

Q: Did h have orne special knowl dge or insight into the

future?

A: No.

Q: Is rhi to do with timing? A: Ye .

1.9 No West

Q: Is there a place where it would be imp ssibl to look east or we t?

A: Yes.

Q: 15 this b ause east and west are meaningless terms at

this pLace?

A: Yes.

Q: Ha anyon ever been there? A: No.


Q: Were th blind b ggar and the brother b th human? A: Yes.

Q~ Did the brother and th beggar have the same parents? A: Yes.

Q: Were th y brothers? A: o.

38


Q: Did the p lice effie r and the truck driver both know that it was against the law to driv the wrong way down a on -way street?

A: Y s.

Q: Was ther some emergency which ju tified either of

their actions?

A: o.

Q: Should the policeman have taken action? A:

Q: Was th truck driver committing a violation? A: o.


Q: 0 es the pilot have c ntrol f th aircraft throughout? A:Ye.

Q: I th r a tunn 1 or h Ie or ther way through the

mountains?

A: No.

Q: Were y u at ny tim in eri us dang r? A: o.

Q: Did you fly over, around, or past the mountain ? A:


Q: Was thi a normal priest c nductin - a n rmal christ ning?

A: Yes.

Q: Was there a good reason for her action? A: Yes.

Q: Did she act to protect or helpth baby? A: No.

39

Q: id hat to help r pr t ct th pri t? A: Ye .

1.14 Pond Problem

This is 0 asy that no clue should be need d. However. it can be said that h u d no oth r equipm nt and no c unt rbalan ing wei ht. H m rely arranged the plank .

1.15 WaUdng and Running

Q: id the sport men tray I in a circle?

A: . They tray II d in a traight line fr m A to B.

Q: Does this involve going backwards, sid way, up, or down?

A: o.

: Did th y both tray I A: Yes.

Q: Was it a norm I bic I? A: No.

sam di ten ?

1.16 Church Bells I

Q: Was it just the sound of the b Us which indicated to him that it wa a r cording?

A: Yes.

Q: Was it to d with the numb r of tim that th b II him d?

A: No.

Q: Did he he r some additional sound which should not have been th re?

A: No.

Q: Was the clue the absence of mething which hould have be n hard?

A: Ye .

40

,

1.17 Church Bells If

Q: id it trik 13 at midday? A: o. It truck 12.

Q: Was this fault du to the clock m chanism? A: No.

Q: Was a bird, bat, r in ct involv d? A: o.

: Wa th 13th strik cau db orne human acti n?

A: Y s.

1.18 A Popular Book

Q: Do peopl read it frequently? A: Yes.

Q: Do pe pi r ad it fr rn start to £ini h? A: o.

41

Q: Does it contain a 1 t of u efuJ information? A: Yes.


This is an old chestnut which can be solved by leaving things, taking thing, and coming back f r thing. If you play around with the pas ibilities you will a n arriv at the an wee When you d , do n t relax just yet; th next puzzle will test your m ttl .


Thi solution r quir s more lateral thinking than th last puzzle. He mad it safely across with all thre items. At no time was the fox left alone with the duck or the corn. Nor was the duck left alan with the corn. Yet th boat could contain only the man and one of his charge at any on time.

1.21 River Problem m

The man uses a piece of rap . But how?

1.2.2 Bill and Ben

Q: D es Bill run exactly as fast as Ben? A: Yes.

Q: 0 they both start in th same place and fini h in the

am place?

A: Yes.

Q: Does Ben run furth r than Bill? A: Yes.

Q: I the course somehow more difficult for Ben? A: Yes.

Q: Is it a normal racetrack? A:

42


Q: In solving thi problem, d es anything about th h use, the bri k, the coup! lor the other p opls in olved matter?

A: No.

Q: Does what went before thi matter? A: o.

Q: Does what f II ws thi matt r? A: Y s.


Q: Did th duck have the pipe in it mouth? A: No.

Q: Did the duck hay omething el in it mouth? A: Yes.

Q: Do anything about the ld man, the old lady, or th

plane matt r?

A:N.

Q: Does what hap? n d b fore matt r? A: Yes.


2.1 Stamp Collection

Q: Did he recogniz th collection? A: Yes.

Q: Was it a genuine stamp collection w rth alot of money? A: Yes.

Q: Had h previou ly 01 it r giv n it away? A: No.

43

Q: Did he previously own aU the stamps which wer in

this collection?

A: Yes.

Q: S he now had a set of dupLicat ? A: No ..


Q: Did the she p c me onto the road in ord r to b warmer or better protected than in the fields?

A: No.

Q: Did they come onto th road in rder to g t away from

am thing in the fields?

A: No.

Q: Wa there something which attracf d th m to th road? A: Ve .

Q: Does this happ n only in v ry cold weather? A: Yes.

44


Q: Did th y both u th arne court, net, ball I and rack-

ts f r the thr et?

A: Y . othing about th nvironm nt or equipm nt

chang d.

am

Q: an out id ob rv r, would P te have app ar d to

hav b en trying hi hardest during th fir t . t?

A: Y s.

Q: id P te hang am thing whi h au d hi play t dram ti ally irnpr ve?

A: Yes.

2.4 Surrounded

Q:ad the detectives e n him and wer they intent on

arre ting him?

A: Y s.

Q: Did he scap a r S th stag? A: No.

Q: Did he u the udi nc to h -lp him scape? A: Y s.

2.5 The Banker

Q: Wa B rnard worri d ab ut bu in ?

A: o,

Q: Was he worried about his sat ty? A: Y s.

Q: Wa any kidnapping, robbery, or rirninal acti ity in-

vol d or the cau f his w rr ?

A: o.

45

Q: Wa he n rrnally worried on train?

A: No. He travelled to work on one every day.

Q: Was anyone with him?

A: Yes. Hi nephew.

Q: Was the nephew worried?

A: . H wa happy.

2.6 A Curious Place

Q: is it a town or a building? A: No.

Q: Is this a real or an imaginary place? A: A real place.

Q: I it a pleasant place to be? A: No.

Q: Is it a dang fOUS plac ? A: Yes (but irrelevant).

Q: Has anyone ever been there for a day? A: No.

2.7 Grandmother's Letter

Q: Was the stamp or the envelope valuable? A: No.

Q: Was there something of value in the envelope? A: Yes.

Q: Was he pleased because he somehow got some money? A: Yes.

2.8 Theft at the Wedding

Q: Did he somehow manage to get everybody to empty their pockets?

A: No.

46

Q: Wa it anything to do with the c nt nts of the wallet? AND.

Q: Did he discover the culprit immediately or s rnetirn later?

A: S metime lat r.

2.9 The Free Extension

Q: id th builder gain som b n fit fr rn thi wh I proe 55?

A: Yes. D finit Iy.

Q: WeT the two men r lared or wa th r an xi ting

busin relationship b tw n th m?

A: No.

Q: Did the man ubsequ ntly pr vid

ward, r pa ment to th build r?

A: No.

Q: Wa the roan famous? A: Y s.

m

re-


Q: Did th y cr ss at night? A:

Q: Did th Y us th bridg? A: No.

Q: Did th Y swim across? A: o.

Q: Did the get wet? A: Yes.


Q: Did the woman wait in order to avoid obs rvati n by the police or criminals?

A: o.

47

Q: Wa the money and jewelry tolen? A: Ye (but in levant).

Q: Would she have liked to have pent the money earlier? A:Y !

Q: Was she somehow physically prevented from spending

the m ny?

A: Yes.

Q: Wa sh in pri on? A: No.

2.12 Hjt Out

Q: Did the patient have some gri vance again t th surgeon?

A: No.

Q: Was th urg on a genuin ulgeon wh had carri d

out a pr p r surgical p ration on the pati nt?

A: Ye.

Q: Does the nature of the operation matter? A: No.

Q: Doe the profe sion of the patient matter? A: Yes.


Q: Did th cleric sugg st something which would not need t b dared up?

A: Y s.

Q: Is it rn thing which i non-p lIuting and di appear

in a hart time?

A: Ye .

Q: Doe it involve war r in some form? A:

48

2.14 Sell the Truth

Q: Do he manufactur

ages?

A: Ye .

Q: Is his product in common u e? A: Ye.

m thing u d by P opl of all

Q: W uld he eU more if middle-agd people w re more h ne tab ut th ir app aran ,haith, ize, r wight?

A: No.

Q: Would h II m re if middl - g d P pIe w re rnt r

hone t ab ut th ir ag ?

A:Y

2.15 The Dried Peas

Q: Do C1.1 tom rs buy the ball containing the dried p as for

a p ifi purp ?

A: Y s ..

Q: Do th pur ha er play c r w:ith thi b 11? A: Yes.

Q: the k p the p a in id th ball, or tak th m ut?

A: Th peas stay inside the ball.

Q: th y pia a sp ci I gam with thi ball?

A: o. Th y play regular occer a w II as they can.


Q: Was the girl's dog unh rmed throughout? A: Yes.

Q: Had the mother been misinform d? o.

Q: Did the mother d liberately lie to her daughter? A: Ye.

49

Q: Did she do thi out of pite r malice, or to puni h r thr aten her daughter?

A: No.

Q: Did she do this for a particular reas nand wa successful in her aim?

A: Yes.

2.17 High Office

Q: Was Tom ch n f r a spe ific reason?

A: Y .

Q: Do s Tom have om particular skill Or aptitude? A: No.

Q: Could anyone b given this job? A: o.

Q: Wa the previous hold r f the jc b abJ to r ad, writ, etc. ?

A: Ye ,h was very accomplishd.

2.18 The Follower

Q: Was he a dang r to her? A: No.

Q: Wa he trying to h lp h r? A: Yes.

Q: Had he seen m thin wrong with h r car? A: o.

2.19 Money to Burn

Q: Does this involve some kind of insurance claim? A No.

Q: Did the robber know what was in the bag? A: Yes.

Q: Wa the mes nger part of the plot? 50

A: o. He wa honest.

Q: Was th money genuine? A: No. It was counterfeit.

2.20 Not a Ktdnapper

Q: Was th banker able to give any du about th kidnap-

per?

A:

Q: Did the suspect have a physi al or mental di ability? A: No.

Q: Did he have some trait or characteristi which indicated that he had not committed this crime?

A: Yes.

Q: Was it something you would imm diately sear h ar \ or recognize if y u m t him?

A: o.

Q: Was it s mething which you would recognize if you wa tched him over a peri d of tim ?

A: Yes.

2.21 Ruination

Q: Did the employee save the company from some disas-

ter or maj r cost?

A: o.

Q: Was the empJoyee rewarded or punished? A: Rewarded.

Q: Was it an accident? A: Yes.

Q: Was the ruined output somehow more valuable? A: Yes.

Q: What sort of products did the factory produce? : Paper.

51

2.22 The Bet

Q: Did h actually ha e a letter tran port

in 45 minutes?

A: Yes.

Q: Did he use cannons, guns, gunpowder, are plosiv s7 A: o.

that distance

: Wa the starting point mew here unu u I. such a th t p of a mountain or cliff?

A: o. His method would w rk in an p n ountry.

Q: Did he u A:

r sam other running animal?

Q: Did his method involv consid rabl pr paration nd help?

A: Yes.

2.23 Days Off

Q: Did th employe delib rat Iy collaborat in or r f r ach to hay a day ff?

A: o.

Q: Was th re some connection or asso i tion b tween th

employees other than the ir work?

A: o.

Q: Did each on alway take the same day of th week off? A: Y s.

Q: 0 5 the type or pIa e of work matt r? A: N .

Q: We.r they similar in ulture or nationality? A: No. They wer quite differ nt.

2.24 An Irish Pezzle

Q: id the man at the garage know Milligan p r onaUy [ hav any connection with him?

A:

52

..

anyb dy anywh r ?

Q: Did Millj an r dri

A:N.

Q: Was th e gJe a g nuin A: Yes.

Q: Was it aliv ?

A: No.

Q: Is Milligan's prof S ion important? A: Y s.

agl ?

3 Grisly Puzzles


Q: Had he b en d eived and robb d? A: Ye .

53

Q: Was anything missing from his wallet or pocket. , or his

jewelry or cloth s?

A: o.

Q: Did he find omething new which av him the sh ck? A: Yes.

Q: Was it on hi body? A:Y .

3.2 Clean Sweep

Q: Wa her cleaning job in a h p, ffice, chool, r fa -

tory?

A: No.

Q: Was her fainting caus d by omething h saw? A:Y .

Q: Was it a b dy or part of a body? A: Yes.

Q: Was it a surpri for her to e a b dy? A: o.


Q: Was his death an accid nt? A: Ye .

Q: Was anyon else on the boat at the time of his death? A: No.

Q: Had he been hit by anything on or part of the boat? A:N.

Q: Was any bird, fish, or marine mamma! involved? A: No.

Q: Had he b en hit by something which fell out of the ky? A: Yes.

54

,

3.4 A Rum Find

Q: Was th rum poison d in some way? A: No.

Q: Wa it genuin rum? A: Yes.

Q: Did the ca k contain ornething ther than th rum? A: Yes.

3.5 Broken Match

Q: Was the match instrum ntal in th man' d th? A:Ye.

Q: Wa he trying to light omething with th match pri r

to his death?

A: No.

Q: Was h al ne in th fi Id? A: Yes.

55

Q: Did he know he was going to die before he entered the

field?

A Yes.

Q: Was he murdered? A: No ..

Q: Did he fal] into the field? A: Yes.

3.6 The Cut Finger Q: Was the cut healed? A: No.

Q: Did he put his hand into a sink ora bowl? A: No.

Q: Was he outdoors when this happen d? A: Yes.

Q: Was he pleased when he drew his hand au t of the water?

A: No ..

3.'7 The Music Stopped

Q: Did she die because the music stopp d? A: Yes ..

Q: Was the music some kind of signal? AYes ..

Q: Was she doing something dangerous? A: Yes.

Q: Was it some kind of entertainment? A: Yes.

3.8 The Dog Choker

Q: Was the dog a guard dog? A: Yes.

56

Q; Had the vet found evidence of poison or gas? A: No.

Q: Had the vet deduced that there was a danger in the house?

A: Yes.

Q: Had the vet discovered what it was the dog was choking on?

A: Yes.

3,.9 The Movie

Q: Were th y ina norma'! cinema? A: Yes.

Q: Did any of the oth r people there notice the murder? A: Yes. Everyone did ..

Q: Did the police release Tom because h was innocent of

anyc.rime?

A: Yes.

Q: Did Tom shoot Joe in self-defense? A: No ..

Q: Were the people who restrained Tom angry with him? A: No.

3.10 The Damaged Car

Q: Did he do this to claim on insurance? A: No ..

Q: Did he d liberately and voluntarily damage Ius own

car?

A: Yes.

Q: Was there a monetary reason for doing this? A: No.

Q: Did he set out that day intending to damage his car? A: No.

S7

Q: Did something happen which caused him to damage his car?

A: Ye .

Q: Did he do it b caus h wanted t avoid am w r consequ nee?

A: Y s.


Q: Was th man trying t injur or kill him. If? A: No.

Q: Did h kn w th m t r ycli t who hit him? A: o.

Q: Did he expect th motor yclist to stop? A: Y s.

Q: Was the motorc dist expecting the man t step out in front of him?

A: No.

Q: Did the man's pr fession have mething to do with motorcycling?

A: Yes.

3.13 The Dark Room

Q: Would the man have been shot if h had not entered the dark r m?

A:

Q: Did he do something in the dark room which directly

led to hi being shot?

A: Yes.

Q: Did this h ppen during a war?

A: It could have happened in peacetime or war but i mor likely during a war.

Q: WeT either of th m n in unif rm? A: o.

3.14 The Two Vans

Q: Can we consider the vans, their ituati ns, and th fitness and skills of the driver to be identical at the time of this accid nt?

A: Yes.

Q: Was n able to pen a door and .ape and th th r

not?

A: Yes.

Q: Did one of them do something diff r nt (and rnarter) than th oth r1

A: Yes.

Q: If they had been driving cars rath r than vans would the outcome have b en different?

A: Yes. Th y would probably both hav dr wn d.


Q: Did he die at the spot where he was found? A: Yes.

Q: Had he previously b en swimming? A: Yes.

Q: Was he taken to the forest against his will? A: Yes.

Q: Wa he taken d lib rat ly? A: 0, accidentally.

58

3.15 Suicide

Q: Did s me n ise or action wake him? A: No. He awoke naturally.

59

something happened rnething?

Q: Did he commit uicide b cau

which caus d him t r alize A: Yes.

Q: Did he se s mething which caus d th reaJization? A: No.

Q: Did he hear something which caus d th realization? A: Y .

Q: Wa there any ne I in the hou e? A:

Q: Wa it a sp cia) kind f hou ? A: Y s.


Q: Was the news fla h a nuin one or wa it part of th movie?

A: It wa a genuine news fla h.

Q: Was the news fla h accurate: had th pJane crash d with no surviv r ?

A: Yes.

Q: ad th woman' hu band got off the flight b f re it left?

A: o.

Q: Had she planned th plan era h or did he know it

w uld happ n?

A: o.

Q: Did she know that h r hu band had not ben killed? A:Y .

3.17 One Beautiful Morning

Q: Did the man s som thing unusual, terrible, or frightning from til window?

A: 60

Q: Did h commit ui id b c us it wa a b autiful m rning?

A:

Q: Had he done ornethin t rrible which h n w r gret-

ted?

A: Yes.

Q: Is hi profes ion important?

A: Yes. wa a pI ach T.


Q: id th man inadv rt ntly cau an a id nt? A: No.

Q: Did he om how deJib rately cause the deaths of the peopl ?

A: He d lib rately caus d th ir d ath .

Q: id he kill th m or did he hay ac omplic who kill d them?

A: His ace mplic kilJed th rn.

Q: Were the p pIe who died tray lling wh n thi hap-

p ned?

A: Yes ..

Q: Could this have happened r c ntJy?

A: No. It happened during til nin t nth ntury.


Q: Did she know it wa dangerous? A: Yes.

Q: Did the man know it was dang rous? A: Yes.

Q: Did the f d ontain orne m di al or phy ical dang r? A: o.

61

Q: Did he die .500n afterwards?

A: No. He died many years afterwards.

Q: What kind of food was it?

A: Fruit.

3 .. 20 Bad Boy

Q: Did the boy take some deliberate action which resulted in the man's death?

A: Yes ..

Q: Does this involve firearms, electricity, or water? A: No.

Q: Did the boy mean to kill the man? ANa ..

Q: Did the boy enter the house or put something. into the house?

A: No.

62



Q: Did the baby do something on him? A: No. The baby was as good as gold.

Q: Was the choice of nursery rhyme inappropriate? A: Yes, very.

Q: Did he discover something about the baby in the course of reciting the rhyme?

A: Yes.

4.2 The Elder Twin

Q: Were Kerry and Terry genuine human twins, born of

the same mother of the same pregnancy?

A: Yes,

Q: Was Terry, the older twin, born befor Kerry? A: Yes.

Q: Was her birthday always before his? A: Yes.

Q: Does where the births took place matter? A:. Yes.

4 .3 Fair Shares

Q: Does the solution involve weighing or measuring? A: No.

Q: Does the solution involve cutting. the cake and letting

people choose?

A: Yes.

Q: Is the cake cut one piece at a time? A: Yes.

63

Q: Is the system fajr~that is, no one can complain that someone else has received too large a piece or that they themselves have rec ived too small a piece?

A:Y s.

4.4 The Sealed Envelope

Q: Did the wife somehow op nand th n re-seal the en-

velope?

A: No.

Q: Did she replace the original envelope withanolher? A: No.

Q: Can this be done with an ordinaryenve!ope and letter? A Generally speaking, y s it can; but not always.

Q: Did she use some kind of tool?

A: Yes. A kind of needle.

4.5 Tattoo

Q: Were the y trying to identify themselves in some way? A: No.

Q: Did they share a common occupation? A: Yes.

Q: Does w here they were tattooed matter? A: Yes, it was on their backs.

Q: Did this happen recently?

A: No, about two centuries ago,


Q:. Was the shopa rental-only shop? A: No.

Q: Did most customers at this shop choose to rent their suitcases rather than buy them?

64

A: Yes.

Q: Didthis have anything to do with price. or insurance,

or choice of style?

A: No.

Q: Did peopl rnt because of convenience?

A: Yes. .

Q: Was Pat in the United States? A: No ..

4.'7 The Tennis Toumament

There isa simple, logical, and j, t ra] way of working out th number of matches in such a knockout tournament w~aIeverth number of entries. Try thinking in terms of wmners and los rs,

4.8 The Key

Q: Was this a regular man ina regular house with a regular key?

A: Yes.

Q: Did he put the key in th - bucket of water to pr vent some person or some creature g tting it?

A: No.

Q: Does this Involve criminal int nt or the prevention of criminal action?

A: No.

Q: Did he do this to protect thesafety of himself or his

wife?

A: Yes.

Q: Was it to protect against a likely accident? A: Yes.

65

4.9 That's Fast!

Q: Does this involve gases, atoms, or tiny particles? A: No.

Q: Did Harry have special equipment or skills? A:. No. Anyone can do this.

Q: Did be intend to do this?

A: No.

Q: Did whatever travells dat that high speed make a very

loud noise?

A: It made a noise, but not a very loud noise.

Q: Did it travel vry far?

A: No, only about two feet,

4 . .10 A Man in a Bar

Q: DId the two men know each other? A: No.

Q: Was the man thirsty? A: No.

Q: Did he really want the drink? A: Yes.

Q:. Was it some kind of signal or message? ANa.

Q: What kind of drink was it? A: Wine.

4 .. 11 The 88 Hours

0.: Did he sit still voluntarily?

A: No. He sat down voluntarily but thereafter he would

have preferred to get up.

Q: Was he physically restrained in the chair? A:. Yes.

66

Q: Does this involve any criminal intent? A: No.

Q: Was he rewarded for sitting still for so long? A: No.

Q: Was he in good health when he sat down? A: No. He had a bad toothache.

4.12 Sand Trap

Q: Were the cars stolen?

A: No. Ie had bought them legitimately.

Q: Did he bury them to mak some financial g.ain? A: Yes.

Q: Did he intend that they be dug up later when 5001-

thing had changed?

A: Yes.

Q: Was he taking advantage of unusual circumstances? A: Yes.


Q: Did the original building have some flaw Dr defect

which made it necessary for it to. be rep lacs d?

A.:. No..

Q: Was the new building significantly better in some way? A: No.

Q: Were both new and old buildings used for the same

purpose?

A: Yes.

Q: 15 that purpose relevant to the solution of this puzzle? A: Yes.

Q: Did the building contain something of value? A: Yes ..

67

4.14 The Torn Cheque

Q: I the numb r 217 r J ant? A: Ye .

Q: Is he sending the chequ to his ex-wif or to anyone he knows p rsonally?

A: o.

Q: Is th A: o.

qu for the t rna n or moth r ffi ial?

Q: Is h angr with th per on to whom he i nding the cheque?

A: Yes.


Q: Is it p ssibl t d du wh r thi tion giv n?

A:Y .

: Did th weath r report giv any ther d tail?

A:

fr m th inf rrna-

Q: Did th w ath r report state whether the temperature was in d grees Fahrenh it or Celsius?

A: o.

4.16 Odd Animals

Th 5 animals all hay m thing quit pe ific in common. owev r, it ha nothing to do with habitat, fo d'tuffs, appearance, activity, pr cr anon, zoos, or physical attributes. What can it be?


Q: Wa this a live c n ert which fin' h d earl ? A: o. It wa r orded.

68

Q: Did the pr gram produc r or pre nt r mak , mi -

tak ?

A: Y s.

Q: Did they play all of the rnusi they int nd d to play? A: Yes.

Q: Was the mu ic on tape or compact di c? o.


Q: Did th change in traffic regul

car pa d th ar whr rh 5

A: No.

Q: Did th hang in regulation cause a. h nge in p 0- pi ' 5 xual b havior?

A: o.

Q: id th hang in r guJation ha to d with p dinz or parking?

A: N .

Q: Did P opl buy omething from th help d them to comply with nons?

A: Yes.

hop which new r gul-

4.19 Blackmai1

Q: Did th criminal nd an inv i e to s m one wh had not died?

A:

Q: Did h s nd an invoi e to m n who wa abov

suspicion of ordering pornographi books?

A: Yes.

Q: Was thi b cause of the dead man's character or prof 5 ion?

A: No.

69

4.20 A Good Night's Sleep Q: Was it a normal hotel? A:Y .

Q: W re the drap s normal curtains, used to exclude light t the wind w?

A:Y .

Q: Was s und r light t pping him fr m getting t A: No.

Q: Was there m thing abnormal about th man? A: Ye .

Q: Was it nighttime? A: Yes.

Q: Was anyon el involv d? A:

p?


Q: Was it a dangerous it m whi h wa for sale? A: o.

Q: Wa it a 5 rvice rather than a produ t? A: Yes.

Q: Wa th r anything about rh man which mad it wrong or inappropriat f r him to us thi s ric?

A: No.

Q: Was the official aeting correctly or in the man's best interests?

A:

Q: When did this happen? A: In 1912.

4.22 Free T-shirts

Q: Did ord ring and receiving the -shirt damage his 70

health in some way?

A: o.

Q: Did it r sult in fin n iallos ? A: Yes.

Q: Was th T-shirt off r orne kind of scam by criminals? A: o.

Q: Was the T-shirt H rag nuin off r? A: No. It had am ult ri r pu:rpo

Q: Was the T- hirt harrnle s?

A: Y s.

Q: Wa th man him If br aking th J w? A: Y s.

Q: Wa his name on a wanted list? o.

4.23 Bank Robbery I

Q: Did til bank empl y alert th p lice?

at imme iat Iy. He did sorn thing m r imp rtant

first.

Q: Did th gang get out of th bank? A: Yes.

Q: Did they g tint th ir g taway ar? A: N .

Q: ould thi hay happen d in an I bank? A: No.

4.24 Bank Robbery H

Q: WeT th robb r frustrated b cause th could not

spend or convert th money they had stol n?

A: Yes.

Q: Did th Y st al valid currency which could b A: Ye .

71

Q: Did the st al numb red r marked n t which c uld

b traced?

A:

Q: C uld th Y d P sit their I t in oth r banks? A: Ye , but that would have iven th m awa .

4.25 A Puzzling Attack

Q: Were any of th four criminals? A:

Q: Did the rhre have a sound rea on for bating up th

fourth?

A: Ye . A v ry ound r ason.

Q: ad he aid omethin whi h inflam d them? A: Yes.

Q: W re any dwarfs, lighth use-k per, r blo k of i involved?

A: o.

72

THE ANSWERS

1 Tempting Puzzles

1.1 A Fishy Tale

h v t ould that he ldfi h w dying fold ag. 0

t sp r th ld lady's fling h dash d out nd b ught a young but id ntical f hand di po ed f th Jd n.


LittJ Billy, as his narn sugge ts, wa a g at who unfortunately ate hi lab I, 0 no on knw wh re h was suppo d to go!

1.3 The Book

Sh w returning an

1.4 A Hairy Problem

h hair n a man' h ad i u ually at least twenty ars oLd r than the hair in hi m ustache. (This lution is n t guarant d to be biol gicall rrect but it d hav an inh rent piau ibility.)

1.5 The Birds

Th y were two golfers. In golf parlanc fne had hit a "birdie" (one under par) and the oth r an "eagle" (two under par).

73

Blinded at Teatime

had left hi teaspoon in his cup f t a. When h raised cup to drink, th tea poon handle poked him in the I temporarily blinding him.

1.7 Countdown

Th man wa counting the pins a h r mov d th m from an w shirt. Unfortunately, he missed one.


In 72 hours it would b midnight again,o it could not be "bright and unny."

1.9 No West

At the exact enter of the earth it is impo ible to look east or west but you auld look n rth or outh.


he blind beggar wa th iter of her br to r wh dj d.


The truck driver wa walking.


Th plane is itting on the ground at th irp rt in D nver, Cicada.

74


Th priest' urplic had caught fir from n ~ f th candles.

.14 Pond Problem

H lay th plank a h wn in thi diagram.

1.15 Walking and Running

he two k n sport m n tart d at th ir fitn lub, on

n the ycling rna hin and th oth r n the walking machine. After half an hour of indoor exerci e th y went or a run. The distanc from A to B is 2 miles.

1.16 Church Bells I

Th final chime ended abruptly and without the reverberation of the oth r chim s.

1.17 Church BelJs II

There was a joker living in a nearby hous . Ea h night, u ing his rifl and a silencer, he fired a bullet at the b U after the twelfth strok .

7S

No) ~£ Do~'T \1A'JE. IT IN ~rO(K. BuT, If ~o\J (oMt

IN,) ~OV CAN Look.. AT 1T.

1.18 A Popular Book

Th book is a t 1 ph n dir ctory.


Fir t th man took th duck across, then h came back. and took th fox ov r. H I It th fox on th far ide of th riv r and return d with the uck. He th n 1 ft th duck on th near sid and took th c rn over. Th n h return d and took the duck a ross. Pr tty traightforward, eh?


The man tied th duck t the back f the boat with a rap . The duck swam along behind the b at a the man f rried th fox and c m ver in tum.

76

1.21 River Problem III

He tr tch a long rap fr rn point At pint Bash wn.

1.22 Bill and Ben

Bill and B n are laboratory rat. run thr ugh a c rtain maz many tim and ha 1 am d to rnplet it quickl . When Ben is intr duced to th our for th fir t time, it take him t n tim s as 1 ng.


A duck gr bb d th brick in its m uth nd A w off with it!


h duck :had a brick in its mouth (s e previou puzzl )!

This and the puzzle b fore it at r ciprocal puzzl s-ea h

holds th soluti n t th ther.

77


2.1 Stamp Collection

The man had r centl I ft hi wii t Iiv with his mi tr s. The angry wife had adv rtis d the m~' priz d tamp coll ction for sale, 0 he quickly b ught hi own stamps to

t p anyon el e doing so.


The sh ep k pt coming to th road.b cau . th Y lik d t eat th alt put on the road to stop It fre zing.


Pete could play t nnis with ith r hand but he was b tter a a left-hander. H start d ff pla ing right-hand d but switched after the fir t set.

2.4 Surrounded

The fugitiv leapt up and shouted, "Fir, fire!" Pande~oniurn br ke out and th audienc all ru h d for th xits. He easily capedin the confusion.

2.5 The Banker

The train was a roll r-coaster. The banker had promi take his nephew for a ride but hated the p rienc was relieved it was over.

d to . He

2.6 A Curious Place

The plac is Venu , wh re a day j longer than a y ar.

7

..

Venus tak 5 225 ~ rth day to g around th un but it takes 243 Earth days to rotate on its axi . In any v nt, it i unlik ly that many p opl would lik to go there for

ither period; th averag t mp r tur i round 885°F (460"'C), the pr sure is about 94 atmospher s. and th re ar thi k clouds of sulphuric add!

2.7 Grandmother's Letter

Th b y' grandm th r wa Qu n Vi t ria. In thi tru

in ident the b y old th I tt I' for fiv pound t rling

(over $20 in those day).

2.8 Theft at the Wedding

w w k later, wh. n th coupl r turn d from th ir han ym on, th whol family t d wn t wat h th vid

of the wedding. Th y were horrifi d to e , caught on th am ra, th groom going through his ath t-in-law' p cket and tea ling hi wallet.

2.9 The free Extension

It i a tru tor and the man wa Picasso. The build r

wi ely d ided that by building the xtensi n h would b abl to retain Pica a' r ugh k t h f til plans, whi h w uld b w rth far m r than th cost of th can truction work. He was righ t.


Th y spr ad out and wad only six inches deep.

a r

th riv r, which wa


The woman had been shipwreck d. Sh found a pirate's treasure but wa not res u d for even y ar .

79

2.12 Hit Out

he pan nt i a b r. The Ia t thing he heard was the

an sth ti t counting 1, 2, 3, 4, nd as he com s round he automatically tries t beat the c unt and re urn the fight again t his opp nent.


The cI ric sugge t d that peopl throw colored birds d.

2.14 Sell the Truth

He made the candJ that g on birthday cakes.

2.15 The Dried Peas

The dried pas are insid s r balls for th us of blind

people, to enable them to hear th ball.


This atory reportedly concerns th youthful Shirley T rnple. Her mother told her the Ii that h r p t d g had b n kill d in order to induce real sadn and tear for a movie scene which wa ab ut to b film d.

2.17 High Office

Tom in infant who is cr wn prince of hi countr. rn's father, th king, has just died leaving a v ry inexp rienced new head f state.

2.1S The Follower

He ha d seen a man rude in the back of the woman' car as he paid at the ga cline station. He followed her to warn her and was pI ased to see her pull into the police tation.

2.19 Money to Burn

Th robber's mother wa a widow who ow d the bank

$100,000. he bank had threatened t r p ss her hou

5 her on did a plan. H forg d $100,000 and she gay it to the bank mes eng r, who igned for it. Th Iorgeri s w r good 0 ugh to fool the mess - ng r but would nev r fo 1 th bank 0 th son had to r b the m -

ng r b f r h g t back to th bank.

2.20 Not a Kidnapper

Th - in P tor 0 ti d that th man wrot with his 1 ft hand. H a ked him to ti a knot. Th man was lefthand d and tied a 1 ft-hand d knot. he kn t ti dar un the hands and feet of th victim. were right-handed knots.

2.21 Ruination

Th employe discov red an important n w produ t. He I ft out a primary ingredient in the b tch f p per h wa making. He wa thu respon fbi for ac identally pr dueing the first blotting pap r.

2.22 The Bet

H tied rh lett r insid a hollowed-out cri k t ball (which i ab ut the arne siz as a ba ball). H then had it thr wn from man to man with th men standing about 60 yards (55 metres) apart al ng th entire way.

2.23 Days Off

AJI even mpl ye were very r Ii iou and th y c 11 had different Sabbaths. Th Christian to k off on Sunday, the Gr k Monday, the Persian Tu sda ,th A yrian Wednesday, the gyptian Thur day, the Arabian Mu lim

riday, and the J w a turday.

1

2.24· An. Irish Puzzle

Milligan stuffed animals. The man in the garage had heard that Milligan was a famous local taxidermist and thought that he ran some kind of taxi service!

3 Grisly Puzzles


He had a pain in his back and when he felt it h· found a recently stitched incision. The woman was a. lure for a crooked surgeon who removed healthy human organs and sold them to rich people needing organ transplants. On examination by X~ray the man found that one of hiskidneys was gone!

3 ... 2 Clean Sweep

The woman works at a teaching hospital as anord rIy. It is her job to clean bodies and g~et them ready for student lectures. She collapses when sh sees that the body awaiting her is the body of her brother, who had earlier died In an accident, She did not know that he had left his body to science.


He had been hit bya block of frozen toilet waste ejected by 82

a passenger jet high above him. It fell into the sea leaving no trace ..

3.4 A Rum Find

When they finished the fum they broke open the cask to find a body Inside. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, bodies were often shipped back to England from Jamaica this way. (British admiral Horatio Nelson's body was reputedly brought home to England in B. barrel of rum after the battle of Trafalgar.)

3 .. 5 Broken Match

e and a. number of other passengers were making a. balloon trip in a desperat attempt to escape from a country .. The balloon had to lose weight to stop it from crashIng. He drew the short match and had to jump.

3.6 The Cut Finger

This incident took place in Sou th America. The unfortunate man was camping bya river. When he put his hand in the river the blood attracted piranha fish, which r~ moved his finger including the cut!

3 .. 7 The Music Stopped

She was a circus tightrope walker. Her most daring act was to cross a high wire while blindfolded. The band played while she crossed and when the music stopped it was the signal that she had reached the end of the wire and could safely alight. Unfortunately, one day the conductor was taken ill at the last minute and the stand-in conductor, unaware of the importance of the timing, ended the music just a little too soon, She stepped off the wire to her death.

83

3.8 The Dog Choker

Th vet fund two human fing r in tile dog' throat. Th y b long d t a burglar. I v t f ar d that th burglar wa still in the hou e, c fraid of th dog and hidin in a do' t.

3.9 The Movie

Tom and [o w r the tar of til movie. Tom shot Joe in a sequence in the movie. When Tom left he was mobbed b fan 5 king hi aut graph.

3.10 The Damaged Car

A few minutes earlier, the man had been the driver in a fatal hit-and-run accident. 1-1 dr ve to th i oj t d ar a and m de it 10 k a though th car he d b n stol nand

andalized. He then phoned th p lice t report hi' ar tolen. ( his i a tru incident. H was lat r caught and nt to prison.)


The man wa an xamin r testing a mot rcycli t. He in-

tru t d th motorcydi t to a round the bio k and th n to do an em rg n y stop wh n th xaminer stepp d out from th idewalk. Unfortunat Jy, aneth r mot r yeli t of similar appearance came by first, Knowing nothing of the aIfang ment, h hit th examiner.


uring a forest fir some months arlier, a fire-fighting plan had cooped up wat r from th lak to dr P on the fir . Th plan had accident Ily pi k d up th un fortuna t wirnrn r.

84

,

3.13 The Dark Room

Th man was a cr t service ag rrt who h ntly kill d

vera I n my ag nts. H nt r d a c ional in a

hurch an corif s d to th killing. r, h wa

und r su picion and had b en follow d. h man he confessed to wa not a priest but an n my agent who had e n him nr r the chur h.

3.14 The Two Vans

ne man tri d to op n th front door of hi van but auld n t b ca us of th wat r pr ur. Th oth r man limb d

into the ba k of th van, asil pened th

and th r by escaped.

3.15 Suicide

The man i a lighthous -keeper. H w ke up in the darkness with a nagging fe ling that he he d forgotten 5 mething. H turned on th radio and hard a rep rt that a

hip h d ra h d onto r cks with r at I f lif . I.

r aliz d that it happ ned b caus h forgot to start th light that night.


he m vi had b n h wn a we k earli r. u an had taped it th n on h r videocassett r order to watch that evening.

3.17 One Beautiful Morning

The man wa the 1 ader of a religious cult. Believing that th world w uld end that night h had off r d hi f lL wers th hoi e of taking poison or eeing th d stru tion of th w rid. Many, including his wn childr n, had 11 s n

5

poi on. He and oth rs had g ne tIp expe ting to wake to Armag ddon. Wh rr the n xt day dawn d as a beautiful umrner morning h kn w that h had made a terribl mistake.


He was an Indian brav who sent smok signal alerting a war party t th approa h f a cavalry ITO p.


The woman was Eve, who gave Adam the forbidden fruit from the tr in the Garden of Ed fl. By br aking G d's instruction, Adam b came mortal and di d.

3.20 The Bad Boy

Out f mi chief, the boy climb d onto th roof of th man's hou e and placed a plank of w od ov r th chimney. The man, who had been asl p in hi pari r, wa suffo at d by fumes from his fire.



Th man recites th nur ry rhyme "Thi little p.iggy went to market, this little piggy stayed home .. ." whit wiggling ach of th baby's t . But th re is ne to too

86

,

man! hi rnbarra m nt, h find that th baby ha

six toes On one foot.

4.2 The Elder Twin

At the tim h w nt into lab r. the twin" m th r w travelling from Guam to Hawaii. The old r twin, Terry, was b In n Mar h It. Shortly aft rward , the m th r crossed the International Date Lin and Kerry, th young r twin, wa b rn. The date wa F bruary 2 tho In leap y ar ,th young r twin eJ brat her birthda two days before the older twin, sine F bruary 2, is two day b fore Mar h 1st.

group. If B bj cts then a k B to cut a bit ff A' pie

that he (B) w uJd be happ t take what remains. If B d not obi ct a k C and a on. If nobody obi cts, thn Jet A have that pi . C ntinuing thi pr e will give a di isian which ti fies everyb dy.

4.4 The Sealed Envelope

There is usually a small gap at the top of th nvelope wh re the flap ha b n fol d ov r. Th wi e in rt d a knitting n edl thr ugh the gap and und r th fold of th letter. By rotating the needle she wound the letter tightly ar und it. Sh th n r mov d it, r ad th I tt r, and r -

plac d it u in th tion in r erse.

4.5 Tattoo

The men were sailor, who were often flogged for minor ffen e n bard hip. 5 m aptain r fu. d t whip a man' back if it carried th imag of Christ.


Pat was a Wstern r in Tokyo. ous ther are mall

and, in ord r to ave pac, peopl tend t r nt any I rg

it m which th y might us onl i nally. M st [apa-

nes rent th uitca es they take on holida .

4.7 The Tennis Tournament

Th answer i 212 matches including the final. There i a v ry ea y way to olve this eemingl difficult pr bl m. Each match must pr duce on winn r and on 10 r. Everyon except th tournam nt winn r lose exactly once,

th number f matches i actl th same a th number of loser. 50 to have 212 1 ser th re mu t be xactl 212 rnatche .

8

4.8 The ey

The man' wif was an habitual sle pwaJk 1". Sh had pr -

i uslyop ned th front do r in h r 51 p and walk d out

into th r ad. H plac d th k in U, buck t f ld

water that, if she reach d into th water to g tit, th

cold en ation w uld wak n h r.

4.9 That's fast!

f gla . A ra in gla tart in on

pIac ~ nd travel. acr s th gl at aped of 0 r 3000

mil 5 (4 00 kilom tres) p r hour.

4.10 A Man. ina. Bar

"' man was a pri st nducting a mmuni n ervice in a n arby church wh n they ran hart of It r wine. nly r d wine would do.

4. 1 The 88 Hours

Th m n had a n ty t nd he w nt t at 5 P.M. on a Friday v nin . The d nti t' including th ane thetist, had all gone and th dentist c uJd not administ r an an th tic. Th man in U d that th denti t should perat ven without anesthe tic th dentist aid that h would have to strap th man into th chair. hi was doe. h d nti t th n uff r d a heart attack and d.i d. The p or man wa left strapp d in th chair and unable to move. It wa a holiday w kend and no staff reported f r w rk until 9 A." f. on th foUowing Tu sday morning-88 hours lat r.

4.12 Sand Trap

This incident r putedly 0 curr d during th war b tw n Israel and Egypt. Becaus f import duti ,Mer ede cars

9

wer much more xp nsive in Egypt than in Isra L Wh n Israel seized va t tracts of th Sinai desert,a cI ver Israeli bu in ssman realiz d that thland would have t b handed back to Egypt after th war. By burying the cars he effectively exported them wh n the b rder hift d without them actually moving! Hi Egyptian associate subsequently sold them at a hand a e profit.


h building was the Au tralian National Mint. v r

many years, 50 much gold dust had be n ab orb d into th fabric of th building that it wa w 11 w rthwhil t d molish the building, xtract th gold, and r build.

4.14 The Tom Cheque

The man had ordered a bicycl for hi son a a gift. The adv rtisement had n t stated that it cam in 217 pi as a self-assembly kit. Thi was his r veng


Sin the weath r report did not pecify d gre in ahrenheit or Cel ius!c nrigrade, the temp ratur must have b en the sam in b th scale . Only a t mperature f - 40 degrees is the same in both Fahrenheit and Celsius!

entigrade. That temperatur for June would certainly make the place Antarctica.

4.16 Odd Animals Th yare all impo t rs:

he koala bear is not a bear; it is a mar upial, he prairie dog is not a d g; it is a rod nt.

The firefly is n t a fly; it i a b tie.

90

at rpillar. h [a krabbit i n t a rabbit; it i a hare.

h uin a pig i not a pig; it is a rod nt (and it is not IT m Guinea, but from South America).


It was a progTam f ontemporary da ical music play d from r ord. he re rd was pia ed at the wrong

pe d-45 rpm inst ad of 33 rpm. B cau e f th e oteric nature of th composition, thi rni take wa n t n ti ed until th nd of th tran mii n. It can easily be calculated that the pr gram should have la t d thirty minut .


A n w traffic r gulation, designed to encourage c. r sharing, tated that nly ar arrying tw r m r pas enger could us certain Ian s of th fr eway. This 1 d to motori t buying bl w-up d lis to gi th app aranc that they f5!

4.·9 Blackmail

he criminal sent an invoi to a blind man wh had recently died. His widow imrnediat Iy knew that it must b a cam.

4.20 A Good Night's Sleep

The man was deaf. He had to get up earl fran important meting and he was so worried about 0 ersleeping that he could not get to sleep. After opening th urtains, h w-

ver, h knew that the sunlight would wake him up, so he was n longer w rried and fell asleep a ily.

91


Th man wanted to buy a first-class tick t on the maid n voyage f th luxury lin r Titanic in 1912. was refu ed b cause h wa bla k. The Titan; ank with gr at I f life.

4.22 Free T- hirts

hi i a. tru t ry fr m Conn cti ut. h adv rti m nt was a trap for p ople who u d illegal devie t tap into cable television circuits without paying. It wa placed by th owners f th cabl t I vi ion netw rk and uld b

e n only by p pl using ill gal e d r .Th "fr e"

T-shirt was oon followed by a I Her informing them that th y w r ommitting f deral crim and impo ing a $2 00 fin . The recipient h d littl hoic but t pa up.

4.23 Bank Robbery I

The bank wa on the ixth floor of a tall building. The taff m mber who truggl d fr e press d a . eeurity button which froze all th I vat r . Th gang wa trapp d in id the elevator until the police cam to arrest them.

4.24 Bank Robbery n

Th robber di covered to th ir horr r that th currency can i t d only f fre hly mint d coins. AiJ 'hop and banks were al rted to watch out for anyone trying to echang Jarg amounts of coin, 0 th gang wa r ducd t pla ing lot machine !

4.25 A Puzzling Attack

They had been trying to solve a lateral thinking problemthi n in fact. Wh n th ne po ing the problem r -

92

v I d th nswer the ther b at him LIp. (In tting this puzzle, always describe the gr lip and the problem poser in t rm of the number of men and women in your own group.)

93

About the Authors

Paul Sloane wa born in tland and grew up n ar Bla kpool in th n rth of England. H tudied engineering at Trinity Hall, Cambridg I and graduat d with a fir t- la han r degree. While at Cambridge h met hi wife, who i a te cher, They live in amb rley, England, with th it thre daughter.

M t f Paul Sloane's are r ha been in the comput r industry and h is curr ntly th urop an vi -pr sident f r a oftware company. H has lway been an avid colI t rand creat r f puzzl 5. His fir t book, Lateral Thinking Puzzlers, wa published by Sterling in 1991. Paul Sloan has given spe ches and radi talk n th t pic of hang managem nt and lateral thinking.

Des MacHale wa born in County Mayo, If land, and is A $0 iate Professor f Math matics at University C llege in Cork. He was educated at University College, Galway, and the Univ r ity of Keele in ngland. He and hi wit , Anne, have fiv children.

The author f over thirty b ok , mo tly of humor but also one on giving up smoking, D s MacHale has many interests including puzzJe , ge logy, writing, br adcasting, films, photography, numismatics, and, of cours , math matic . He i urr ntly working on thr e mor books.

Thi i the second book c -authored by Paul Sloane and Des MacHale. It follows on the success f their first book, Challenging Latemt Thinking Puzzles, also published by St rling.

94

INDEX

Bad Boy, 26, 62, 86

Bank R bb ry I, 34, 71, 92 Bank Robbery n. 34, 71-72, 92 B I, Th , 19-20, 52, 1

Bill and B n, 11,42, 76

Bird, Th . 6, 37. 73

Bta krnail, 33, 69, 91

Blanket Mystery, The, 26,.61. 6 Blind B ggar, Th , 7, 38, 74 Blinded at Teatime, 7,37, 74 Book, Th , 6. 36. 73

Brid Crossing, 16, 47, 79 Broken Match, 22, 55-56, 83 Building D rnolition, 31, 67, 90

hureh Bells I, 9, 40. 75

Chur h B lis H, 9, 41, 75

Clean Sweep, 22,54, 82 ountdown, 7, 37~8, 74 Curious Place, A, 15, 46, 7 79 lit Fing r, The, 23, 56. 83

Damaged ar, The, 2.3-24, 56-

57,84

Dark Room, The, 25, 59, 5 Da Off, 21, 52. 8]

D adly Bite, 26, 61-62. 6 Death on the Boat, 22,54,

2 3

Dog hoker, he, 23, 56-57, 84 Dog That Did 01 Die, he,

17-18, 49-.50, 0

Dried Peas, The, 17, 49, 80

88 HOUTS, Th, 3 , 66-67, 89 ·Ider Twin, The, 28, 63. 7

Fair Shar s, 2S-29, 63-64, 87-88 Fi hy Tale, A,S, 36. 73

Follow T., Th , 18, 50, 80

Free Extension, The, 16, 47, 79 Fr e 'f-shirt , 34, 70-71. 2

o rd ight's 91 randmothcr' Letter, 15, 46. 7

Grateful for Poor Service, 34, iO,92

re n Wt'dding, A, 17, 4 ,

l Iairy Probl m, A, 6, 37. 7 High Office, 18, 50, 80

Hil ul, 17,48, 80

fri h Puzzl • An, 21,52-3,82

Key, The, 30, 65, 89

Lost Passenger, The. 6, 3b. 73

Man in a Bar, A, O,ob. 9 Missing Brick, rh~, 11, 43. 76 M n to Bum. 18, 50-.51. 81 Motorcyclist, The, 24, .58, B4 Mountains Ahead, ,39, 7 Movie, The, 23, 57. 4

MU'i Stopped, Th!;', 23,56, 83

No We I, 7, 38 .. 74

Not a Kidnapper, 18-19,51, 81 ur ry Rhyme, Th , 28, 63, 8 7

Odd Animals, 32,68. 90-91

n B autiful M rning, 26, 60- 61.85-86

Plane Crash, Th , 26, 60, 5 Pond Problem, 8, 40, 75

5

Popular Book, A, 9, 41-42, 7 Puz:zJing Attack, A, 35, 72. 92-93

River Problem I, 0, 42, 76 River Problem II, 10, 42, 76 River Probl m Ill, 11, 42, 76 Ruination, 19, 51. ]

Rum Find, A, 22, 55. 83

and Trap. 31, 67, 89-90 Sealed En" lope, The, 29, 64, 8

Sell th Truth, 17,49, 0

v n-Y ar Itch, The, 17,47- 48,79

She pi h B havi r, 14, 44, 78 Shocking Discov ry, A, 21-22, 53-54, 2

Short r Program, Th , 32, 68- 69,9\

Stamp Coli ti n, 13, 43, 78 Strang Christening, A, 8, 39- 40,75

Strange PH ht, A, 12,4,3, 76 Sui id , 25, 59-;60, 5

96

Suitcase for Hir , 30,64-65, 88 Surrounded, 15, 45, 78 Swimmer in the For t, 24, 58,

84

Tattoo, 29, 64, 88

Tennis Match, The, 14, 45, 7 . nni T urnam nt, The, 30,

65,88

That's Fa u, 3D, 66, 89

The Banker, 15, 45-46,78 Theft at the Wedding, 15, 46-

47,79

om Chque, The, 3 , 68, 90 Traffi rouble, 32,59, 91 Truck Driver, The, 8, 39, 74 Two an, The, 25,59, 85

Walking and Running, 9, 40, 75 WAllY Test I, 12-13, 20 WALLY Test U, 27-28, 35 Weath r For ast, " 38, 74 Wealn r R port, The, 31, 58, 0

I Pag .k ; puzzle, clue, olution

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