| Author | Message | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 874 Registered: 8-2001 |
Arnie failed due to a poor choice on his part and was left measurably worse off. However, I (Ves) was left much better off, as I learned a new term to describe his particular brand of failure. What did Arnie fail at and what’s the term? | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 13623 Registered: 4-2010 |
Fail - academics relevant? Something that might end up on Failblog? | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 884 Registered: 8-2001 |
Fail - academics relevant? No Something that might end up on Failblog? I am not overly familiar with the full scope of Failblog, so I can't really answer this. | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 13629 Registered: 4-2010 |
Did he fail at a task? A goal? Arnie - H? A? M? | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 889 Registered: 8-2001 |
Did he fail at a task? A goal? More this. Arnie - H? A? M? Yes, HAM. | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 13638 Registered: 4-2010 |
Did he fail only once? More than once? Did he fail in a particularly stupid fashion? | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 896 Registered: 8-2001 |
Did he fail only once? Once that I know of More than once? Did he fail in a particularly stupid fashion? Yes, both in his poor choice and the final outcome, which the term describes. | ||
| Galfisk (Galfisk)
New member Username: Galfisk Post Number: 3947 Registered: 9-2009 |
Poor choice: of objects? Of words? Of actions? Worse off: financially? Emotionally? Legally? Were you better off in the same way that he was worse off? Is his profession relevant? Is yours? Crime involved? Sports? Bets? Gambling? | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 677 Registered: 2-2011 |
is the new term you learned an English word? or phrase? in common use? (common-ish as I'm sure you have a wide vocabulary and you didn't know it) or is it only in common use in certain circles? and if so, a certain profession? hobby or interest? | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 910 Registered: 8-2001 |
Galfisk Poor choice: of objects? No Of words? No Of actions? This Worse off: financially? YES! Emotionally? No Legally? No Were you better off in the same way that he was worse off? No (good Q) Is his profession relevant? No Is yours? No Crime involved? YES Sports? No Bets? No Gambling? No Shez Is the new term you learned an English word? or phrase? A phrase In common use? Common enough. (common-ish as I'm sure you have a wide vocabulary and you didn't know it) Why thank you. :D Or is it only in common use in certain circles? and if so, a certain profession? hobby or interest? No, it's not jargon, lingo, or slang of any sort. HINT: Unfortunately, the phrase is going to be rather impossible to guess without learning more about Arnie's actions. | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 13659 Registered: 4-2010 |
Did Arnie commit a crime? Did he lose money? Go bankrupt? | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 684 Registered: 2-2011 |
did he invest money? gamble? buy something? | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 914 Registered: 8-2001 |
Balin Did Arnie commit a crime? Yes Did he lose money? Yes Go bankrupt? No Shez Did he invest money? No gamble? No buy something? No | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 688 Registered: 2-2011 |
did he lose money because he had to pay a fine? | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 919 Registered: 8-2001 |
did he lose money because he had to pay a fine? Nope | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 689 Registered: 2-2011 |
did he spend money on buying drugs to sell? | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 922 Registered: 8-2001 |
did he spend money on buying drugs to sell? No | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 13671 Registered: 4-2010 |
Was he scammed? Via email? | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 691 Registered: 2-2011 |
did he lose actual money? valuable goods? property? | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 927 Registered: 8-2001 |
Balin Was he scammed? No Via email? No Shez Did he lose actual money? YES valuable goods? No property? No | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 13684 Registered: 4-2010 |
Did he actually lose the money (as in "where'd it go?")? | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 703 Registered: 2-2011 |
was he blackmailing someone? and they left the money at a drop and someone else walked off with it? did he lose money that he already had? was it a burglary? a stick-up? fraud? | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 929 Registered: 8-2001 |
Balin Did he actually lose the money (as in "where'd it go?")? No, not literally. (good thought though) Shez Was he blackmailing someone? No and they left the money at a drop and someone else walked off with it? No did he lose money that he already had? Yes was it a burglary? No a stick-up? YES fraud? No | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 716 Registered: 2-2011 |
a bank? a shop? a petrol station? did he get away with any money? did anyone hand him some money? did he have to hand over any of his own money? did he put down some money in order to pick something else up? like, he was about to get away with some money and he put it down to take something which he mistakenly thought contained more? | ||
| Galfisk (Galfisk)
New member Username: Galfisk Post Number: 3967 Registered: 9-2009 |
Did he forget his wallet at the scene? Which contained more money than he got away with? Were you better off specifically because he lost money? Or because of something else he did related to the loss of money? Were you present during the stick-up? Were you robbed? Were you involved in the legal proceedings? | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 933 Registered: 8-2001 |
Shez a bank? No a shop? Yes a petrol station? No did he get away with any money? No did anyone hand him some money? No did he have to hand over any of his own money? YES did he put down some money in order to pick something else up? No like, he was about to get away with some money and he put it down to take something which he mistakenly thought contained more? No Galfisk Did he forget his wallet at the scene? No Which contained more money than he got away with? No Were you better off specifically because he lost money? YES (good Q) Or because of something else he did related to the loss of money? No Were you present during the stick-up? No Were you robbed? No Were you involved in the legal proceedings? No | ||
| Galfisk (Galfisk)
New member Username: Galfisk Post Number: 3968 Registered: 9-2009 |
Relevant which shop? did you have anything to do with the shop? Or the robber? Relevant what the robber would've done with the money, if he had gotten any? Relevant what happened after the robbery? Did he return to the shop? | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 722 Registered: 2-2011 |
did he actually buy something? or had he had to pay to park there? | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 936 Registered: 8-2001 |
Relevant which shop? Yes did you have anything to do with the shop? Or the robber? No, I am in NO way involved in thsi puzzle...other than writing/hosting it. Relevant what the robber would've done with the money, if he had gotten any? Not relevant Relevant what happened after the robbery? Not relevant Did he return to the shop? Not relevant | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 937 Registered: 8-2001 |
did he actually buy something? No-ish or had he had to pay to park there? No | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 723 Registered: 2-2011 |
did he hand over some of his own money ostensibly in order to pay for something? which he didn't then take away with him? did he have to do that so they would open the cash register? | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 942 Registered: 8-2001 |
did he hand over some of his own money ostensibly in order to pay for something? \bYes} which he didn't then take away with him? Yes did he have to do that so they would open the cash register? No, but OTRT | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 728 Registered: 2-2011 |
did he do that so that the assistant would turn their back? | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 945 Registered: 8-2001 |
did he do that so that the assistant would turn their back? Close enough, yes. He pretended to want to purchse something to distract the clerk. So, what was his "poor choice" and what term did I learn in reading about this event? | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 732 Registered: 2-2011 |
had he chosen the wrong shop to hold up because they had no money? or no way of getting to it? or the wrong time/day to go there because they had just emptied their tills? or the wrong assistant to threaten because they refused to hand over the cash? or the wrong weapon to use? like he pointed his finger instead of a gun? | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 953 Registered: 8-2001 |
had he chosen the wrong shop to hold up because they had no money? No or no way of getting to it? No or the wrong time/day to go there because they had just emptied their tills? No or the wrong assistant to threaten because they refused to hand over the cash? No-ish or the wrong weapon to use? No like he pointed his finger instead of a gun? No | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 736 Registered: 2-2011 |
the wrong assistant? | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 13699 Registered: 4-2010 |
Was he trying to rob a restaurant? | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 959 Registered: 8-2001 |
the wrong assistant? Nope Was he trying to rob a restaurant? No | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 739 Registered: 2-2011 |
was the shop next door to a police station? were there policemen in the shop? | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 963 Registered: 8-2001 |
was the shop next door to a police station? No were there policemen in the shop? No | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 741 Registered: 2-2011 |
was it a supermarket? bookshop? clothes shop? butchers? bakers? hardware? charity? gun shop? | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 752 Registered: 2-2011 |
did the assistant not hand over any money because they could not access it? because they were laughing? did he do something really stupid? did he have a weapon? relevant? | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 974 Registered: 8-2001 |
Shez Was it a supermarket? No bookshop? No clothes shop? No butchers? No bakers? No hardware? No charity? No gun shop? YES! did the assistant not hand over any money because they could not access it? No because they were laughing? No did he do something really stupid? Well, yes... did he have a weapon? Yes relevant? Yes I think we have all the pieces. Someone want to put the situation together so we can address the term? | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 13723 Registered: 4-2010 |
Is this it? (How did nobody guess "Did he die"? Shouldn't that have been, I don't know, the third question? It is on almost every other puzzle...) | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 980 Registered: 8-2001 |
Is this it? Nope, but that's entertaining! | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 13741 Registered: 4-2010 |
So he tried to rob a gun shop, right? With a gun? Was he shot? Did he die? Or was he just preventing from robbing the store by people with guns (cashiers? customers?) ? | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 1000 Registered: 8-2001 |
So he tried to rob a gun shop, right? Yep With a gun? Yes Was he shot? No Did he die? No Or was he just preventing from robbing the store by people with guns (cashiers? customers?)? This one. Unsurprisingly, the cashier pulled a gun. However, the elements above are not relevant to determining the term, though you all have already figured out what IS relevant. | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 764 Registered: 2-2011 |
is the term something in common everyday usage? is it slang? does it describe doing something stupid? not thinking ahead? or is there more to it? | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 1003 Registered: 8-2001 |
Is the term something in common everyday usage? All the words are, yes Is it slang? no Does it describe doing something stupid? No Not thinking ahead? No or is there more to it? It describes part of this situation specifically. HINT: The part is directly referenced in the puzzle statement. | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 13748 Registered: 4-2010 |
Is it relevant that you described Arnie's stupidity as a "particular brand of failure"? | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 1009 Registered: 8-2001 |
Is it relevant that you described Arnie's stupidity as a "particular brand of failure"? No, in that I could have used the word "type" instead of "brand". | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 13756 Registered: 4-2010 |
Is any one bit of Arnie's stupidity more relevant than another? The "poor choice" relevant? Is that "poor choice" his trying to rob a gun shop? | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 1011 Registered: 8-2001 |
Is any one bit of Arnie's stupidity more relevant than another? YES The "poor choice" relevant? No, not for the term Is that "poor choice" his trying to rob a gun shop? Yes, that was the 'poor choice'. Mostly because he didn't think for a minute that gun shops are full of other people..with guns. | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 13758 Registered: 4-2010 |
"Being left worse off" (arrested?) relevant? | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 1013 Registered: 8-2001 |
"Being left worse off" Yes (arrested?) No relevant? Yes The "worse off" has already been determined, though perhaps not connected with that phrase in the puzzle statement. | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 1082 Registered: 8-2001 |
This one has stalled a bit so how about a RECAP? Puzzle Statement: Arnie failed due to a poor choice on his part and was left measurably worse off. However, I (Ves) was left much better off, as I learned a new term to describe his particular brand of failure. We know: * Arnie is a failed robber. * His “poor choice” was in choosing to try and rob a gun store. * He used a gun and, unsurprisingly, the clerk (and nearly everyone in the store) had a gun. * Arnie had used his own money to pretend to buy something and then, while the clerk was distracted, pulled his gun. * The clerk pulled his own gun and Arnie ran away, leaving his money behind. (Sucks to be Arnie.) HOWEVER, I (Ves) was left better off because I learned a new term to describe the events above. We are still working to determine the term. The term: * Relates to Arnie being “worse off” and the fact he lost money in the robbery attempt. * The term is made up of common words and is not slang or jargon. | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 13837 Registered: 4-2010 |
Is any of the words a synonym of "stupid"? Or something like that? | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 1085 Registered: 8-2001 |
Is any of the words a synonym of "stupid"? No Or something like that? No | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 824 Registered: 2-2011 |
does it mean "loser"? | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 1088 Registered: 8-2001 |
does it mean "loser"? No | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 13846 Registered: 4-2010 |
Does the term directly reference: Guns? Robbery? Arnie's name? | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 1091 Registered: 8-2001 |
Does the term directly reference: Guns? Robbery? This one. It names a type of robbery...as in the type that happened here. Arnie's name? | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 13853 Registered: 4-2010 |
Robbing...a weapons shop? A shop with the same type of weapon that the thief is using? A shop where the cashier to fight back? | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 1105 Registered: 8-2001 |
Robbing...a weapons shop? No A shop with the same type of weapon that the thief is using? No A shop where the cashier to fight back? No A little OTWT here... | ||
| Gregoryuconn (Gregoryuconn)
New member Username: Gregoryuconn Post Number: 1317 Registered: 9-2010 |
Irony? | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 1128 Registered: 8-2001 |
Irony? Is the term "irony"? No. | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 835 Registered: 2-2011 |
does the term describe a failed robbery? a stupid robbery? a costly robbery? | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 1157 Registered: 8-2001 |
does the term describe a failed robbery? Of a particular type a stupid robbery? Yes, but only a particular type a costly robbery? YES! That should get you all on the right track. I'm not going to be a stickler for the term itself if we can just nail down the pertinent details about it, I will post the you-know-what. | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 842 Registered: 2-2011 |
is the term a play on words? a pun? does the word robbery appear in the term? are we looking for a single word? or phrase? | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 1168 Registered: 8-2001 |
is the term a play on words? a pun? No to both does the word robbery appear in the term? Yes are we looking for a single word? or phrase? Phrase The term is ? ?-? ROBBERY (hope that helps some). | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 845 Registered: 2-2011 |
erm... | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 13904 Registered: 4-2010 |
Do the question marks represent words? Letters? | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 1170 Registered: 8-2001 |
Do the question marks represent words? Letters? Words. Again, I'm not going to be a stickler for the exact phrase if we could get what aspect of robbery-fail, as illustrated in this case, it describes. | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 13915 Registered: 4-2010 |
Not planning ahead? | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 1179 Registered: 8-2001 |
Not planning ahead? Nope *cough* This is rather important: a costly robbery? YES! | ||
| Gregoryuconn (Gregoryuconn)
New member Username: Gregoryuconn Post Number: 1325 Registered: 9-2010 |
Darwin Award? Did he win one? | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 866 Registered: 2-2011 |
is the first ? "A"? | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 1189 Registered: 8-2001 |
Darwin Award? No Did he win one? No Are you sure you posted these on the correct puzzle? This puzzle is 95% of the way done. We are just looking for a phrase that describes this particular brand of "costly robbery". is the first ? "A"? No...there are no articles in the missing words. | ||
| Sundowner (Sundowner)
New member Username: Sundowner Post Number: 730 Registered: 6-2003 |
Not-for-profit robbery? | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 1194 Registered: 8-2001 |
Not-for-profit robbery? No, but we are getting very close with the idea of not-for-profit! I'll take Qs on this one for one more day and end it tonight if we haven't gotten there. THANK YOU all for your tenacity! | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 13937 Registered: 4-2010 |
"Losing money on the deal" or some variation of that? | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 879 Registered: 2-2011 |
something loss-making robbery? | ||
| Vesica (Vesica)
New member Username: Vesica Post Number: 1196 Registered: 8-2001 |
Close enough! ***** SPOILER ***** Drawn from the news blurb, “Arnie” tried to distract the clerk at a gun store by laying $40 on the counter to buy a box of bullets, then pulling a gun and demanding all the store's money. The clerk thwarted the robbery by pulling his own gun (not surprisingly, since it was a gun store) and scaring the robber off -- while the $40 remained on the counter. The new term I learned was “negative cash-flow” robbery – a robbery which costs the would-be robber money! It seems sort of opposite the point of a robbery, but there are enough of these to merit a term to group them. Special points to Balin & Shez for sticking with this one! | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 895 Registered: 2-2011 |
thanks Vesica. I would never have guessed the true phrase in a million years, but I love it! |
