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Did you smile because it was humorous? Because it was a better answer than yours? Relevant that it was a woman who asked? A woman: HAF? Me/I=you, Admin? HAM? Relevant in which context she asked the question? Did she ask anyone else the question? If so, at the same time? Is X an object? Person? Concept? Verb? Adjective? Bigger than a breadbox? Is Y an object? Person? Concept? Verb? Adjective? Bigger than a breadbox? Were you answers based on: guesses? Knowledge? Calculations? Estimates? Did the question contain any numbers? A math problem? Was it a trick question?

Galfisk,

Did you smile because it was humorous? Because it was a better answer than yours?
YES, YES

Relevant that it was a woman who asked?
NO

A woman: HAF?
YES

Me/I=you, Admin? HAM?
YES

Relevant in which context she asked the question?
SOMEWHAT

Did she ask anyone else the question? If so, at the same time?
NO

Is X an object? Person? Concept? Verb? Adjective?
NOUN

Bigger than a breadbox?
MISLEADING

Is Y an object? Person? Concept? Verb? Adjective?
NOUN

Bigger than a breadbox?
MISLEADING

Were yoru answers based on: guesses? Knowledge? Calculations? Estimates?
YES, YES, NO, YES

Did the question contain any numbers?
YES

A math problem?
NO

Was it a trick question?
YES - VERY GOOD

Is X a person? A place? A thing? Same questions for Y, please?

Did she pose the question specifically to you? To you and one other person? To many people? Did you personally know this woman? If yes, is she a friend? Colleague? Relative? Was she giving a talk/lecture? Were the tables flipped, and she was giving a presentation on lateral thinking, and you were in the audience? Did she approach you after a speech/workshop/etc. that you gave?

Does the trick in the question involve wordplay? A pun? Was the question geared to sound like a math problem? A trivia question?

Trebor,

Is X a person? A place? A thing? Same questions for Y, please?
NO, NO, YES - SAME FOR Y

Did she pose the question specifically to you?
YES

To you and one other person? To many people? Did you personally know this woman? If yes, is she a friend? Colleague? Relative? Was she giving a talk/lecture?
NO

Were the tables flipped, and she was giving a presentation on lateral thinking, and you were in the audience?
NO

Did she approach you after a speech/workshop/etc. that you gave?
YES - ON LATERAL THINKING

Does the trick in the question involve wordplay? A pun?
YES

Was the question geared to sound like a math problem? A trivia question?
NO, YES

Did you initially interpret the question as having to do with: sports/athletics? History? Science? The arts/literature/entertainment? Geography? Politics? Religion? Mythology?

Did her answer reveal the question to be related to any of the above?

Does it matter that she came up to you at one of your lateral thinking seminars? Would it have worked if she had been a friend and you'd been meeting for coffee? Did her question relate to something you had said? done? at the event? (Other than encourage/teach lateral thinking, I mean.)

The thing that you were thinking of in your answers: is it a household item? Is it bigger than a car? Would it be found in an office? In a school? Is it an item related to work? Leisure? Play/creativity? Is it a celestial body? And was her actual answer any of these?

Was her question a "how many Y" type of question? A "do you have any Y?" type of question?

Hi Trebor,

Did you initially interpret the question as having to do with: sports/athletics? History? Science? The arts/literature/entertainment? Geography? Politics? Religion? Mythology?
NOT ANY OF THOSE

Did her answer reveal the question to be related to any of the above?
NO

Does it matter that she came up to you at one of your lateral thinking seminars?
A LITTLE AS I HAD ASKED THEM SOME TRICK QUESTIONS.

Would it have worked if she had been a friend and you'd been meeting for coffee?
YES

Did her question relate to something you had said? done? at the event? (Other than encourage/teach lateral thinking, I mean.)
NO


The thing that you were thinking of in your answers: is it a household item?
NO

Is it bigger than a car? Would it be found in an office? In a school? Is it an item related to work? Leisure? Play/creativity? Is it a celestial body? And was her actual answer any of these?
NONE OF THESE BUT X AND Y ARE COMMON WORDS

Was her question a "how many Y" type of question?
YES - ISH

A "do you have any Y?" type of question?
NO

Is X: a living thing? A tangible thing? Same for Y, please.

The question contained numbers. Were those numbers dates? Did they refer to amounts of X? Amounts of Y? Amounts of something else?

Trebor,

Is X: a living thing? A tangible thing? Same for Y, please
NO, NO, NO, NO

The question contained numbers.
NO - IT IMPLICITLY ASKED FOR A NUMBER IN THE ANSWER.

Were those numbers dates?
NO BUT CLOSER

Did they refer to amounts of X? Amounts of Y?
INDIRECTLY YES - BUT AMBIGUOUSLY

Amounts of something else?
NO

Is time relevant? Is the question related to some well known joke? Such as "how many x does it take to screw in a light bulb"? Are the intangible things related? Is a pun relevant? Homophone? Double meaning?

Galfisk,

Is time relevant?
YES

Is the question related to some well known joke? Such as "how many x does it take to screw in a light bulb"?
NO

Are the intangible things related?
NO

Is a pun relevant? Homophone? Double meaning?
YES, YES, YES

Are X and Y intangible items? abstract concepts? letters? numbers?
Are X and Y the same type of thing?
Are both X identical? or just the same type of thing?
Is X represented by one word? Is Y? are both words English?
Does the question ask for a number? for a minimum number of something? a maximum number?
Does it contain "how many" (or could be phrased in this way without losing the pun)?
Is the question in English? Is it a correct sentence? Does it contain any of the typical question words, like: How? When? Where? Why? What? Who?

Sundowner,

Are X and Y intangible items? abstract concepts? letters? numbers?
YES, YESISH, NO, NO

Are X and Y the same type of thing?
IN A HIGH LEVEL GENERIC SENSE YES, BUT NOT DIRECTLY

Are both X identical? or just the same type of thing?
7X AND 8X - X IS THE SAME IN BOTH

Is X represented by one word? Is Y? are both words English?
YES

Does the question ask for a number? for a minimum number of something? a maximum number?
YES, NO, NO

Does it contain "how many" (or could be phrased in this way without losing the pun)?
HOW MANY IS IMPLIED BUT NOT ASKED DIRECTLY.

Is the question in English? Is it a correct sentence?
YES

Does it contain any of the typical question words, like: How? When? Where? Why? What? Who?
YES - WHAT

Are the 7 X seven individual, identical items? the 8 X? the 9 Y?
Are X and Y units of measurement?

Does the number 9 in her answer combine with Y to sound like a different word? Or did she use the word "nine" as a homophone to imply some other word (like the German "nein")?

Does time matter as in: time of day? Time of year? How long something lasts/takes?

Is X a measure of time? Is Y?

Sundowner,

Are the 7 X seven individual, identical items? the 8 X? the 9 Y?
YES

Are X and Y units of measurement?
YES

JONDAR,

Does the number 9 in her answer combine with Y to sound like a different word?
NO

Or did she use the word "nine" as a homophone to imply some other word (like the German "nein")?
NO

TREBOR

Does time matter as in: time of day? Time of year? How long something lasts/takes?
NO, NO, YES

Is X a measure of time? Is Y?
NO, YES

Is Y seconds? Minutes? Hours? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? Decades? Centuries? Millennia? Relevant that human pregnancies last 9 months? That a week is 7 days? Are humans relevant? Animals? Other living things?

Galfisk

Is Y seconds? Minutes? Hours? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? Decades? Centuries? Millennia?
MONTHS

Relevant that human pregnancies last 9 months?
YES

That a week is 7 days?
NO

Are humans relevant? Animals? Other living things?
YES, NO, NO



Posts: 12007
Joined: Tue May 27, 2014 8:03 pm
Location: Sweden

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Rather than a measure of time, is X a measure of length? Mass? Area? Volume?

Jondahr,

Rather than a measure of time, is X a measure of length? Mass? Area? Volume?
NO, YES, NO, NO

Relevant that human babies often weigh around 7 or 8 pounds?

Jondahr,

Relevant that human babies often weigh around 7 or 8 pounds?
YES

SO WHAT WAS THE QUESTION?

Is the word "carry" relevant? The concept of carrying? Is there a single word with a relevant double meaning? If so, s verb? Noun? Adjective? Adverb? Is the question about a baby? Babies in general? One specific baby?

Galfisk,

Is the word "carry" relevant? The concept of carrying?
NO

Is there a single word with a relevant double meaning?
YES

If so, s verb? Noun? Adjective? Adverb?
NOUN

Is the question about a baby? Babies in general? One specific baby?
YES, YES, NO

Weight/wait relevant?

Galfisk

* * * SPOILER * * *

Weight/wait relevant?
YES

She asked a question which with phonetics could be written as:

What is the average wate for a new born baby in England in 2024?

I assumed she meant weight so I tried 7 pounds, then 8 pounds.

She said the answer was 9 months - and that is the average wait for a new baby!