[Balin] (orig. [Hamilton]) Maybe he works for Honda?

[BalinTheDwarf]

One of my favorite LTPs that was unfortunately lost with the archives in the site transfer. Some of you may remember it.

A man is sitting on his front porch when his neighbor comes over to him. The neighbor asks, "Rather a dismal January, isn't it?"
"Um, I suppose so," replies the man.
"What kind of car do you drive?" says the neighbor. "I drive a Kia. How about you?"
The man responds by cursing the neighbor out and telling him he never wants to see him again.
Why?

[GalFisk]

Is it January? Is it relevantly dismal? If so: meteorologically? Financially? Job-wise? Relationship-wise? Foodwise? Culturally? Would any other car brand cause this response? Is the neighbour angry at someone, and the answer makes it clear that the anger should be directed at the neighbour? Is he not angry until the response? Would he be angry at anyone else if they gave him the same answer to the same question?

[doriana_]

I remember that one, so I'll stay out of it. Good one indeed!

[BalinTheDwarf]

Is it January? Yes Is it relevantly dismal? No If so: meteorologically? Financially? Job-wise? Relationship-wise? Foodwise? Culturally?
Would any other car brand cause this response? No
Is the neighbour angry at someone, and the answer makes it clear that the anger should be directed at the neighbour? The neighbor is never angry, just the man on the porch Is he not angry until the response? The man on the porch is not angry until the neighbor's final statement Would he be angry at anyone else if they gave him the same answer to the same question? The two questions in a row? Likely so

[GalFisk]

Oh, I think I got the last quote confused. So the neighbour both asks what car the man drives and states that he (the neighbour) drives a Kia, and at this moment the man himself gets angry, without answering what car he (the man) drives, correct?
So the man on the porch has no reason to be angry until he learns that the neighbour drives a Kia? Or is there a reason, but it wasn't currently inciting anger in him? Are other people involved? Any animals? Pets? Other cars? More than one Kia car? Does the neighbour understand why the man is angry? Does he want him to be angry? Was that why he came over? Is he gloating? Teasing? Relevant that it's January? Could the puzzle work if it was July? Is a crime relevant? Relevant how well the two men know each other? Has there been any relevant animosity between them before? Rivalry? Friendship? Is it relevant that he is on the porch? Would it work if they met on the street? On the other man's porch? Inside porch-man's house? In a park? At work?

[Sundowner64]

Is the neighbor's statement sort of nasty? did he want to upset the man? did he expect this reaction?
Does the man on the porch drive a Kia, too? some other car? no car at all?
Is he physically unable to drive? did he lose his driving license? is he sitting out a driving ban?

[trebor2]

Can we name the man Mason and the neighbour Nathan?

Are they speaking in a language other than English? When it's translated, could Nathan's bit be construed as insulting/offensive? Does Kia mean something relevant other than the type of car? Is the bird the kea relevant?

Would Mason have been angry if Nathan had forgone the thing about the months and just skipped right to the car stuff?

Does Mason work for a rival company?

[Traveller]

I might remember this, too. How to ask a cryptic question...
Is the neighbour really interested in what kind of car the other guy (i.e. the angry guy) drives?

[BalinTheDwarf]

Oh, I think I got the last quote confused. So the neighbour both asks what car the man drives and states that he (the neighbour) drives a Kia, and at this moment the man himself gets angry, without answering what car he (the man) drives, correct? Correct
So the man on the porch has no reason to be angry until he learns that the neighbour drives a Kia? FA Or is there a reason, but it wasn't currently inciting anger in him?
Are other people involved? Any animals? Pets? Other cars? More than one Kia car? No to all
Does the neighbour understand why the man is angry? Yes Does he want him to be angry? No Was that why he came over? No Is he gloating? Teasing? Neither
Relevant that it's January? Yes Could the puzzle work if it was July? It could, but something else would have to change
Is a crime relevant? Not sure how to answer this one
Relevant how well the two men know each other? Yes Has there been any relevant animosity between them before? Rivalry? Friendship? None of these
Is it relevant that he is on the porch? No Would it work if they met on the street? On the other man's porch? Inside porch-man's house? In a park? At work? Any/all would work

Is the neighbor's statement sort of nasty? No did he want to upset the man? No did he expect this reaction? No
Does the man on the porch drive a Kia, too? FA some other car? no car at all?
Is he physically unable to drive? did he lose his driving license? is he sitting out a driving ban? No to all

Can we name the man Mason and the neighbour Nathan? Sure

Are they speaking in a language other than English? No When it's translated, could Nathan's bit be construed as insulting/offensive? Yes Does Kia mean something relevant other than the type of car? Yes Is the bird the kea relevant? No

Would Mason have been angry if Nathan had forgone the thing about the months and just skipped right to the car stuff? Possibly

Does Mason work for a rival company? No

I might remember this, too. How to ask a cryptic question...
Is the neighbour really interested in what kind of car the other guy (i.e. the angry guy) drives? He is not.

[GalFisk]

Does Nathan actually drive a Kia? Actually drive at all? Relevant where Kias are made? Other meanings of "drive" relevant? Of "Kia"? Has something bad relevantly happened to Mason? Relevant that holiday season was the month before? Have Nathan relevantly made Mason angry before? Vice versa? Does Nathan intend to honor Mason's wish that they never see each other again? Relevant?

[BalinTheDwarf]

Does Nathan actually drive a Kia? No Actually drive at all? Yes Relevant where Kias are made? No Other meanings of "drive" relevant? No Of "Kia"? Yes Has something bad relevantly happened to Mason? No Relevant that holiday season was the month before? No Have Nathan relevantly made Mason angry before? No Vice versa? No Does Nathan intend to honor Mason's wish that they never see each other again? Assume so Relevant? No

[Sundowner64]

So it is not relevant that Nathan mentions the January, but it is relevant that the conversation happens in January? (unless something else in the puzzle changes as well)
Does Nathan when he says "I'm driving a Kia" actually mean that he's driving a Kia? that he is driving another car? something entirely different? not related to driving at all?
Was Nathan's statement meant to be funny? Did Nathan make a joke, with no connection to reality?
Is there a connection between Mason and Nathan, other than being neighbours? Are they relatives? friends? (ex-) co-workers? do they share a hobby or pastime activity?
Does or did Mason and/or Nathan work for the government?
Does Nathan use Kia as acronym?

[trebor2]

Is Kia a person’s name?

[BalinTheDwarf]

So it is not relevant that Nathan mentions the January, but it is relevant that the conversation happens in January? (unless something else in the puzzle changes as well) The relevant part is that Nathan mentions the (in-puzzle) current month. If it had been, say, July, he'd have mentioned July
Does Nathan when he says "I'm driving a Kia" actually mean that he's driving a Kia? No that he is driving another car? No something entirely different? Yes not related to driving at all? Yes
Was Nathan's statement meant to be funny? No Did Nathan make a joke, with no connection to reality? No
Is there a connection between Mason and Nathan, other than being neighbours? No Are they relatives? friends? (ex-) co-workers? do they share a hobby or pastime activity? No to all
Does or did Mason and/or Nathan work for the government? No
Does Nathan use Kia as acronym? Yes

Is Kia a person's name? No

[GalFisk]

Kia = killed in action? Is it a commonly used acronym? Would Mason be angry if Nathan said that he owned a Kia? Bought a Kia? Did something else with a Kia? Does Mason have PTSD? Some other relevant condition? Did Nathan intend to cause a reaction? Confirm a suspicion? Get information? Just chat?

[BalinTheDwarf]

Kia = killed in action? No Is it a commonly used acronym? No Would Mason be angry if Nathan said that he owned a Kia? Bought a Kia? Did something else with a Kia? Any of these Does Mason have PTSD? No Some other relevant condition? No Did Nathan intend to cause a reaction? Confirm a suspicion? Get information? This, with a "Yope" to "confirm a suspicion." No to others Just chat?

[Traveller]

Is the acronym created such that the succession of words represented, while not directly grammatically wrong, is at least a bit strained/weird?

[GalFisk]

Does the angry reaction constitute information? Is the anger a refusal to give information? Is the acronym for an object? Human? Group? Business? Event? Technology? Does Mason feel anything relevant besides anger? If so: fear? Rage? Loss? Sorrow? Jealousy? Grief?

[BalinTheDwarf]

Is the acronym created such that the succession of words represented, while not directly grammatically wrong, is at least a bit strained/weird? It could be considered such - definitely atypical syntax.

Does the angry reaction constitute information? I'll just say Nathan correctly interprets the anger Is the anger a refusal to give information? No Is the acronym for an object? Human? To an extent, this Group? But also definitely this Business? Event? Technology? Does Mason feel anything relevant besides anger? No If so: fear? Rage? Loss? Sorrow? Jealousy? Grief?

[GalFisk]

Sports relevant? Politics? Religion? Business? Competition? Secrets? Law? Lawsuit(s)? Crime? Luck? Relationships? Music? Collectors? Collections? Travel? Money? Wealth? Gambling? Disasters?

[BalinTheDwarf]

Sports relevant? Politics? Religion? Business? Competition? Secrets? Law? Lawsuit(s)? Crime? Luck? Relationships? Music? Collectors? Collections? Travel? Money? Wealth? Gambling? Disasters? Crime/politics/religion

[trebor2]

Is there another acronym/initialism thing going on in the first question as well? Does the month mean something other than what month it is?

From the first word being spoken, does Mason understand that there’s some hidden meaning going on?

[GalFisk]

Crime: a specific crime? Crime in the area? Crime statistics? Crime committed by Mason? By Nathan? Mason being a victim? Nathan? Violent crime? Crime with a financial motive? Religion: Christianity? Islam? Hinduism? Judaism? Shintoism? Buddhism? Scientology? Other cults? Politics: international politics? Politics of their home country? Are they in the US? Edit: are they in the same country? Do they hold relevantly opposing views in some matter?

[BalinTheDwarf]

Is there another acronym/initialism thing going on in the first question as well? No Does the month mean something other than what month it is? Not on its own

From the first word being spoken, does Mason understand that there’s some hidden meaning going on? Not right away, no

Crime: a specific crime? No Crime in the area? Crime statistics? Crime committed by Mason? By Nathan? Mason being a victim? Nathan? Violent crime? But also this, in some manner Crime with a financial motive? Religion: Christianity? I have to give this a strong Yope. No to rest Islam? Hinduism? Judaism? Shintoism? Buddhism? Scientology? Other cults? Politics: international politics? Politics of their home country? This Are they in the US? This Edit: are they in the same country? Yes Do they hold relevantly opposing views in some matter? Yes

[jmorahan]

Is Nathan a member of the group represented in the acronym? Is Mason?
Is it a political group? religious? criminal?
Is Nathan trying to determine whether Mason is a member of the group? Does he expect that Mason will not understand the hidden meaning(s) unless he is a member of the group?
Does the entire acronym represent the group? or just one or two letters? K? I? A?
Is the relevant religion Satanism?

[GalFisk]

Type of violent crime relevant? Perpetrators? Victims? Non-violent crime relevant? Non-crime violence relevant? Religious adherence to non-religious things relevant? The bible relevant? A specific tenet of christianity relevant? Politicians relevant? Presidents? Elections? Do they hold opposing views on a religious matter? Political matter? Personal matter? Is transport relevant? Travel? Pets?

[BalinTheDwarf]

Is Nathan a member of the group represented in the acronym? Yes Is Mason? No
Is it a political group? To an extent religious? It claims to be criminal? Definitely
Is Nathan trying to determine whether Mason is a member of the group? Yes Does he expect that Mason will not understand the hidden meaning(s) unless he is a member of the group? Yes
Does the entire acronym represent the group? No or just one or two letters? Yes K? This I? A?
Is the relevant religion Satanism? No

Type of violent crime relevant? Perpetrators? Victims? Non-violent crime relevant? Non-crime violence relevant? Religious adherence to non-religious things relevant? The bible relevant? A specific tenet of christianity relevant? Politicians relevant? Presidents? Elections? None of these are particularly relevant to the puzzle
Do they hold opposing views on a religious matter? Irrel Political matter? Almost certainly Personal matter? For svv of "personal"
Is transport relevant? Travel? Pets? None of these

[GalFisk]

Is the group the Ku Klux Klan?

[BalinTheDwarf]

Is the group the Ku Klux Klan? Yes

[GalFisk]

So KKK members use this code to identify one another? Relevant how Mason knows about it? Has he relevantly worked against them? Had trouble with them? Studied them? Infiltrated them?

[BalinTheDwarf]

So KKK members use this code to identify one another? Yes Relevant how Mason knows about it? No. Hamilton (the original puzzle author) mentioned finding out about it from Wikipedia. I found out from the original puzzle Has he relevantly worked against them? Had trouble with them? Studied them? Infiltrated them? All irrel

As Hamilton considered in the original puzzle, I could post a spoyler here saying "The neighbor was using Klan kode, and the man recognized it," but let's keep going. What precisely tipped off Mason and what confirmed his suspicions?

[Sundowner64]

I suppose then "Kia" stands for "Klansman I am"?
Does Nathan pronounce "Kia" in the usual way? did he pronounce it letter-wise? (kay-aye-aah)
Did Mason know that Nathan is not driving a Kia?
Did Mason's car stand visible for everyone in the driveway, so there was no point in asking?

[BalinTheDwarf]

suppose then "Kia" stands for "Klansman I am"? Yes
Does Nathan pronounce "Kia" in the usual way? Yes did he pronounce it letter-wise? (kay-aye-aah) No
Did Mason know that Nathan is not driving a Kia? Yes
Did Mason's car stand visible for everyone in the driveway, so there was no point in asking? No/Irrel

That's most of it, but there's still a bit of the kode that hasn't been deduced.

[GalFisk]

Is the missing bit in the month? In the word "dismal"? Somewhere else in that sentence? Somewhere outside the words spoken?

[Sundowner64]

Is the combination of "dismal" and "January" also Klan code?

[BalinTheDwarf]

Is the missing bit in the month? Yes In the word "dismal"? Yes Somewhere else in that sentence? No Somewhere outside the words spoken? No

Is the combination of "dismal" and "January" also Klan code? Yes. There's a different adjective assigned to each month.

****SPOILER****

The man was initially wary because that January had been particularly balmy, but his suspicions were confirmed when he saw the neighbor's Ford truck clearly parked in his driveway! Having recognized the Klan kode the neighbor was using, he told him to @#$% off in no particular shortage of words.

Well done!