| Author | Message | ||
| Wizardofnz (Wizardofnz)
New member Username: Wizardofnz Post Number: 336 Registered: 10-2003 |
Two men, neither of whom had any interest in the local circus, approached a woman in the street and politely asked her where the circus was. Why? This may be a more common phenomenon than I give it credit for, so please convey any early schpoilers by E-mail or ghostwhite text. Thanks. | ||
| Solane (Solane)
New member Username: Solane Post Number: 342 Registered: 5-2006 |
Did they mean to ask where the circus was? Were they asking about the local circus as opposed to another circus? | ||
| Solane (Solane)
New member Username: Solane Post Number: 343 Registered: 5-2006 |
Were they in an english speaking country? French?  Other? Relevent? | ||
| Wizardofnz (Wizardofnz)
New member Username: Wizardofnz Post Number: 338 Registered: 10-2003 |
Solane Did they mean to ask where the circus was? yes Were they asking about the local circus as opposed to another circus? yes Solane (again) Were they in an english speaking country? French? Other? Relevent? irrelevant As is my policy, the title holds no clues to the solution of the puzzle | ||
| Jumpingjack (Jumpingjack)
New member Username: Jumpingjack Post Number: 266 Registered: 3-2006 |
Did the two men know each other? Did either of them know the woman? Did they approach her together? Separately? Did they intend to go to the circus, although they had no interest in watching it? Did they need to meet someone there? Did they have some kind of a bet? Was asking about the circus just an excuse to speak to her? Did they want to hear her voice, accent etc? | ||
| Wizardofnz (Wizardofnz)
New member Username: Wizardofnz Post Number: 341 Registered: 10-2003 |
Jumpingjack Did the two men know each other? yes Did either of them know the woman? no Did they approach her together? yes Separately? no Did they intend to go to the circus, although they had no interest in watching it? no Did they need to meet someone there? no Did they have some kind of a bet? no Was asking about the circus just an excuse to speak to her? no Did they want to hear her voice, accent etc? no | ||
| Sobs (Sobs)
New member Username: Sobs Post Number: 166 Registered: 6-2006 |
Would this puzzle work if the woman was a man? Did the men want the woman to answer? Were the men criminals/did they have criminal intentions? Was there a circus in town? Did they want to find out if the woman is just a tourist/visitor or actually living in town? | ||
| Jumpingjack (Jumpingjack)
New member Username: Jumpingjack Post Number: 273 Registered: 3-2006 |
Did they actually need to know where the circus was? Would they be able to achieve their aims by asking her where the park was instead? Do the two men have exactly the same aims? Would it make a difference if there was just one man? if there were three men or more? If there were a few women? a group of both women and men? | ||
| Wizardofnz (Wizardofnz)
New member Username: Wizardofnz Post Number: 344 Registered: 10-2003 |
Sobby Would this puzzle work if the woman was a man? yes Did the men want the woman to answer? yes Were the men criminals no/did they have criminal intentions? YES Was there a circus in town? yes Did they want to find out if the woman is just a tourist/visitor or actually living in town? no JJ Did they actually need to know where the circus was? no Would they be able to achieve their aims by asking her where the park was instead? no Do the two men have exactly the same aims? yes Would it make a difference if there was just one man? yes if there were three men or more? yes, minorly If there were a few women? YES a group of both women and men? YES | ||
| Sobs (Sobs)
New member Username: Sobs Post Number: 174 Registered: 6-2006 |
Was the content of the woman's answer relevant? Or did they hope it would distract the woman? Did the want to do something criminal to the woman? Rob her? | ||
| Jumpingjack (Jumpingjack)
New member Username: Jumpingjack Post Number: 298 Registered: 3-2006 |
Were the directions to the circus particularly long and tedious? Thus giving one of the men time to pickpcket her while the other pretended to struggle with the woman's instructions? | ||
| Wizardofnz (Wizardofnz)
New member Username: Wizardofnz Post Number: 346 Registered: 10-2003 |
Sobby Was the content of the woman's answer relevant? yes Or did they hope it would distract the woman? YES Did the want to do something criminal to the woman? yes Rob her? yes JJ Were the directions to the circus particularly long and tedious? no Thus giving one of the men time to pickpcket her while the other pretended to struggle with the woman's instructions? no, but close | ||
| Mycroft (Mycroft)
New member Username: Mycroft Post Number: 115 Registered: 10-2003 |
Did she respond by pointing? Did this allow them to do something they would otherwise be unable to do? | ||
| Wizardofnz (Wizardofnz)
New member Username: Wizardofnz Post Number: 349 Registered: 10-2003 |
Did she respond by pointing? no | ||
| Jumpingjack (Jumpingjack)
New member Username: Jumpingjack Post Number: 299 Registered: 3-2006 |
Was the circus situated somewhere behind her, in the distance? Causing her to turn around and peer in that direction, and thus giving them the chance to pickpocket her? | ||
| Wizardofnz (Wizardofnz)
New member Username: Wizardofnz Post Number: 351 Registered: 10-2003 |
JJ Was the circus situated somewhere behind her, in the distance? irrelevant Causing her to turn around and peer in that direction, and thus giving them the chance to pickpocket her? no, and FA | ||
| Jumpingjack (Jumpingjack)
New member Username: Jumpingjack Post Number: 331 Registered: 3-2006 |
FA: they didn't pickpocket her? Did they snatch her bag, necklace etc? Did she know she had been robbed only after they left, or were they not at all discreet? Did they have a map with them? did she? did she use it when giving them directions? Would the men still be able to rob her if she didn't know where the circus was? if she gave them the wrong directions? | ||
| Wizardofnz (Wizardofnz)
New member Username: Wizardofnz Post Number: 354 Registered: 10-2003 |
FA: they didn't pickpocket her? correct Did they snatch her bag, necklace etc? no Did she know she had been robbed only after they left, yes or were they not at all discreet? no Did they have a map with them? no did she? no did she use it when giving them directions? no Would the men still be able to rob her if she didn't know where the circus was? yes if she gave them the wrong directions? yes... explore | ||
| Bentarm (Bentarm)
New member Username: Bentarm Post Number: 928 Registered: 6-2001 |
Did they know where the circus was? Could they have achieved the same effect by asking where the zoo was? Did they steal money? clothing? jewelry? watch? anything from a handbag? relevant what they stole? | ||
| Comforteagle (Comforteagle)
New member Username: Comforteagle Post Number: 54 Registered: 7-2006 |
Did they steal something she had used to answer their question? Was it relevant that: She took a certain amount of time to tell them where the circus was? She said a certain word? She revealed personal information about herself? Did they actually rob her while she gave directions? Some time afterwards? Some time before? | ||
| Wizardofnz (Wizardofnz)
New member Username: Wizardofnz Post Number: 357 Registered: 10-2003 |
He-who-plays-waterpolo-in-an-unorthodox-fashion Did they know where the circus was? irrelevant Could they have achieved the same effect by asking where the zoo was? yes Did they steal money? clothing? jewelry? watch? none of these anything from a handbag? no relevant what they stole? yes Comforteagle Did they steal something she had used to answer their question? no Was it relevant that: She took a certain amount of time to tell them where the circus was? yes She said a certain word? no She revealed personal information about herself? no Did they actually rob her while she gave directions? yes Some time afterwards? Some time before? neither | ||
| Sobs (Sobs)
New member Username: Sobs Post Number: 193 Registered: 6-2006 |
Did they steal... -her (hand)bag? -the keys to her car/house? -her umbrella? -her dog? | ||
| Plebeian (Plebeian)
New member Username: Plebeian Post Number: 333 Registered: 7-2006 |
Was the woman standing on the street when asked? Or in a car? | ||
| Jumpingjack (Jumpingjack)
New member Username: Jumpingjack Post Number: 350 Registered: 3-2006 |
Did they steal something that she was wearing? something that she was holding? something that was sitting/standing next to her? | ||
| Wizardofnz (Wizardofnz)
New member Username: Wizardofnz Post Number: 361 Registered: 10-2003 |
Sobby Did they steal... -her (hand)bag? -the keys to her car/house? -her umbrella? -her dog? none of the above Pleb Was the woman standing no on the street yes when asked? Or in a car? no JJ Did they steal something that she was wearing? no something that she was holding? no something that was sitting/standing next to her? et voila. | ||
| Plebeian (Plebeian)
New member Username: Plebeian Post Number: 391 Registered: 7-2006 |
Was she sitting on a park bench? Was the thing they stole something which belonged to her? Was it alive? | ||
| Wizardofnz (Wizardofnz)
New member Username: Wizardofnz Post Number: 364 Registered: 10-2003 |
Was she sitting on a park bench? no Was the thing they stole something which belonged to her? yes Was it alive? no | ||
| Mycroft (Mycroft)
New member Username: Mycroft Post Number: 171 Registered: 10-2003 |
Did they have a map handy for her to examine, as a distraction? | ||
| Wizardofnz (Wizardofnz)
New member Username: Wizardofnz Post Number: 367 Registered: 10-2003 |
Did they have a map handy for her to examine, as a distraction? No,but explore this line | ||
| Rabrab (Rabrab)
New member Username: Rabrab Post Number: 1303 Registered: 2-2005 |
Was she sitting (on the curb? on the stoop of a building?) when they asked her? Was she walking? Getting into or out of a vehicle? Would any question have served them as well, as long as it distracted her? as long as it caused her to stop what she was doing? as long as it caused her to turn her head? Did they steal a shopping bag? a package? packages? a garment? (had she laid her coat on the car while she was unlocking it, maybe?) | ||
| Wizardofnz (Wizardofnz)
New member Username: Wizardofnz Post Number: 370 Registered: 10-2003 |
Rab-rab-rab, Rab-rab-rabara Was she sitting yes (on the curb? on the stoop of a building?) neither when they asked her? Was she walking? no Getting into or out of a vehicle? no Would any question have served them as well, as long as it distracted her? not quite as long as it caused her to stop what she was doing? no as long as it caused her to turn her head? a question with this effect would have been effective also, but less so Did they steal a shopping bag? a package? packages? a garment? (had she laid her coat on the car while she was unlocking it, maybe?) no to all the above | ||
| Stuccosalt (Stuccosalt)
New member Username: Stuccosalt Post Number: 513 Registered: 8-2004 |
Did they hand her anything? Did they ask her to write anything down? Was she waiting for a bus? A cab? | ||
| Wizardofnz (Wizardofnz)
New member Username: Wizardofnz Post Number: 371 Registered: 10-2003 |
Did they hand her anything? no Did they ask her to write anything down? no Was she waiting for a bus? A cab? neither | ||
| Rabrab (Rabrab)
New member Username: Rabrab Post Number: 1304 Registered: 2-2005 |
 Was she sitting in a vehicle? in a privately-owned car? (with the windows down? with the windows up? with the door open?) in a bus? in a cab? at a sidewalk cafe? (did they steal her food? her phone? her iPod? her newspaper?) Building on Mycroft's q's: Did they have something other than a map that they showed her? That they asked her to look at? Was it important to them that she look in a particular direction? If so, was that direction up? down? up and to the left? up and to the right? up and behind her? down and to the right? down and to the left? down and behind her? behind her? straight ahead? or would it be sufficient for their purposes that she look away from something else? Did she have something that they wanted her to look at? | ||
| Dabong (Dabong)
New member Username: Dabong Post Number: 5 Registered: 8-2006 |
is there any possibility that the woman was dressed in a very wierd way, therefore when the men asked her about the circus, they were just making fun of her? | ||
| 0815 (0815)
New member Username: 0815 Post Number: 420 Registered: 3-2006 |
Any animals relevant? Did the men bring along some animal? ...that distracted the woman? | ||
| Wizardofnz (Wizardofnz)
New member Username: Wizardofnz Post Number: 373 Registered: 10-2003 |
Rabble Was she sitting in a vehicle? no in a privately-owned car? no (with the windows down? with the windows up? with the door open?) in a bus? in a cab? at a sidewalk cafe? <--yes(did they steal her food? her phone? <--yes her iPod? her newspaper?) Building on Mycroft's q's: Did they have something other than a map that they showed her? no That they asked her to look at? no Was it important to them that she look in a particular direction? no If so, was that direction up? down? up and to the left? up and to the right? up and behind her? down and to the right? down and to the left? down and behind her? behind her? straight ahead? or would it be sufficient for their purposes that she look away from something else? yes Did she have something that they wanted her to look at? YES Dabong is there any possibility that the woman was dressed in a very wierd way, therefore when the men asked her about the circus, they were just making fun of her? It's entirely possible, just not the solution 0815 Any animals relevant? no Did the men bring along some animal? no...that distracted the woman? no | ||
| Ollyrukes (Ollyrukes)
New member Username: Ollyrukes Post Number: 7 Registered: 8-2006 |
is this the old trick of putting a map down on the table on top of the phone and then stealing the phone when you pick the map up? | ||
| Wizardofnz (Wizardofnz)
New member Username: Wizardofnz Post Number: 375 Registered: 10-2003 |
Olly is this the old trick of putting a map down on the table on top of the phone and then stealing the phone when you pick the map up? More or less, my solution involved her looking it up in a newspaper, but this works just as well. ***** SPOILER ***** |
