[☠] Dead Ringer

[Literally a Skeleton]

Good day to you, my fellow lovers of all things lateral!*

We are fast approaching that most hallowed of e'ens; the night in which the spirit of dressing up tends to involve dressing up as the spirit. As it's the most fearfully wonderful time of the year, here is a lateral puzzle of a gruesome and quirky nature, much as many of the best puzzles are.

The body of a man is found washed up on a remote beach, far from his hometown. What little remains of his clothing is torn and impossible to identify. His face and body, bloated and nibbled by sea-bound creatures, are similarly unrecognisable. Nonetheless, it does not take long for his identity to be confirmed. How?

*Originally, I was going to say 'lovers of laterality', but I have been reliably informed that this is not what that word means. It refers instead to a preference of one side of the brain in controlling limbs, muscles and other organs on the other side. Needless to say, there are a number of reasons why this no longer applies to me.

[peter365]

Well well it's good to see the perennial winner of the LTPF slimming contest is back among us.

Does the body (the guy in the puzzles' not yours ) have any distinguishing features? A tattoo or birthmark perhaps?

In life did the man undergo any relevant medical procedure? Is his occupation relevant?

Does he have any possessions on him when his body is found? IS the clothing he wears unusual or distinguishing in any way?

Is how he died relevant? or what he was doing when he entered the water?

Is he found in a different country than he lived in ?

[Zanreo]

Was he wearing some kind of accessory that didn't get destroyed? Is the exact place he ended up relevant?

[trebor]

Had he been in the military? Is it relevant who discovered his body? How he died? How long he’d been dead? Does this happen in the 21st century? 20th?

[Literally a Skeleton]

Peter

Well well it's good to see the perennial winner of the LTPF slimming contest is back among us. I'm not sure I like this insinuation. I was never fat, merely big-boned. And I can say this with some credibility.

Does the body (the guy in the puzzles' not yours how wonderful that you had to disambiguate that ) have any distinguishing features? A tattoo or birthmark perhaps? no to both

In life did the man undergo any relevant medical procedure? Is his occupation relevant? no to both

Does he have any possessions on him when his body is found? yes IS the clothing he wears unusual or distinguishing in any way? no, other than being ripped, wet-look and somewhat grungy - all of which have admittedly been recent fashion trends

Is how he died relevant? no or what he was doing when he entered the water? no

Is he found in a different country than he lived in ? assume no

Zanreo

Hello, my Norwegian friend. The Valkyries send their regards from the other side. They truly do give the best hugs. I say this as one who gives the worst.

Was he wearing some kind of accessory that didn't get destroyed? Indeed he was Is the exact place he ended up relevant? no

Trebor

You know what, I've just noticed your name is Robert in reverse. This makes me think of my neighbour at Highgate for two reasons: One, he is a Robert, or at the very least was, and two, he was always concerned about his dating prospects, being under six feet. But it's in reverse now: he's six feet under, and his prospects are arguably even worse...

Had he been in the military? no Is it relevant who discovered his body? no How he died? no How long he’d been dead? no Does this happen in the 21st century? 20th? Either is possible, I say as someone who has lived through both. Or been equally alive in both, at least.

[WiZ]

I must say it's a pleasure to have you out and about again. You'll always be my skeleton in the closet, even though I've now come out of the closet about my skeleton.

[peter365]

Is the accesory a piece of jewellery? A medal of some sort? Does it represent an achievement?

Is his ethnicity relevant? Which, when coupled with the accessory made it easy to identify him ? For example could he have been the first and only black man at that time to have won an Olympic gold medal?

[irishelk]

Although I can't help but suspect that this puzzle statement is purely a jab at our weak and fleshy mortal coils, I feel compelled to join in

Did anyone already know that he had died? Were they relevantly looking for his body?

Is the accessory something that you would typically see people wearing on their body (say, walking down a city street)? Did it cause his body to sink? Or float? Does it have anything written on it? His name? Is it one-of-a-kind?

[Balin]

Did the man have any physical abnormalities?

[Literally a Skeleton]

WiZ

I must say it's a pleasure to have you out and about again. You'll always be my skeleton in the closet, even though I've now come out of the closet about my skeleton.

I'm not going to respond to this, for talking to oneself is said to be the first sign of losing one's mind. Granted, the process of decomposition means I have lost my mind some time ago, but I nonetheless resent the implication as deeply as the grave.

Peter

Is the accesory a piece of jewellery? yesish A medal of some sort? no Does it represent an achievement? no

Is his ethnicity relevant? no (and you'll be amazed at how little it matters once skin is out of the question... Which, when coupled with the accessory made it easy to identify him ? no For example could he have been the first and only black man at that time to have won an Olympic gold medal? he was not

IrishElk

Although I can't help but suspect that this puzzle statement is purely a jab at our weak and fleshy mortal coils, I feel compelled to join in Fish gnaw on the flesh. Dogs gnaw on the bones. Living or dead, something will always come back to bite us in the end. Although there's a lot less of my end than there once was....

Did anyone already know that he had died? no Were they relevantly looking for his body? no

Is the accessory something that you would typically see people wearing on their body (say, walking down a city street)? yesish Did it cause his body to sink? Or float? no to both Does it have anything written on it? yes His name? no Is it one-of-a-kind? yope

Balin

Did the man have any physical abnormalities? No. Well, not until the salt sea and sharks got to him...

[Zanreo]

Was it... a ring? Maybe a wedding ring?

[peter365]

Is there a relevant tradition in his hometown? Had his body been found close to his home would it have been as easy to identify him? Is it relevant that the beach he was found on was remote? Is the duration between his being washed up and being found relevant?

Would the accessory normally be visible if he was fully clothed? Is it anything to do with religion?

In life did the man suffer any persecution? imprisionment? Is his educational background relevant?

[Literally a Skeleton]

Zanreo

Was it... a ring? Maybe a wedding ring? Ah... the icon of 'to death to us part'. He's off the hook now. No to both.

Peter

Is there a relevant tradition in his hometown? no Had his body been found close to his home would it have been as easy to identify him? equally so, come to think of it Is it relevant that the beach he was found on was remote? no Is the duration between his being washed up and being found relevant? no

Would the accessory normally be visible if he was fully clothed? no Is it anything to do with religion? no

In life did the man suffer any persecution? imprisionment? assume no to both Is his educational background relevant? No, although some levels are more likely than others...

[Balin]

Is the accessory metal? Did the man have it for medical reasons?

[trebor]

Is the accessory a piercing? Or body modification thing?

Had he been a well-known figure during his earthly days? Did he die in the water? Did other people die along with him?

Is his profession relevant? Perhaps he was an actor, working with s”crypt”s, or an animal groomer at “The Cat-A-Combs”?

[Literally a Skeleton]

Balin

Is the accessory metal? yes, mostly Did the man have it for medical reasons? no

Trebor

Is the accessory a piercing? no Or body modification thing? no (an option no longer available to me, gold teeth perhaps notwithstanding)

Had he been a well-known figure during his earthly days? no Did he die in the water? yes, he was quite literally 'dead in the water' Did other people die along with him? irrelevant

Is his profession relevant? no Perhaps he was an actor, working with s”crypt”s, or an animal groomer at “The Cat-A-Combs”? Your puns brought a big smile to my face, although these days that's something of a default.

[GalFisk]

Apart from metal, was it glass? Stone? Precious stone? Plastic? Ceramic? Wood? Relevant? Did it have relevant writing? Symbols? Did he own it? Steal it? Was it unique? Well known?

[Literally a Skeleton]

Apart from metal, was it glass? yes Stone? Precious stone? Plastic? Ceramic? Wood? no to these Relevant? For context Did it have relevant writing? Symbols? yes to both Did he own it? yes Steal it? no Was it unique? Yes, in a relevant sense Well known? yope

[trebor]

Is the accessory something that would typically adorn part of the head? Neck? Arms? Hands? Belly area? Pelvic region? Legs? Feet? Is it something that a person (other than OH or you, obviously, being dead now and whatnot) could remove and put on at will? Is it a locket? Is it inscribed with a date? Set of dates? Message from a loved one? His initials? A loved one's initials?

Does it matter why/how he entered the water? (Frolicking at a beach vs., say, being flung out of a plane?)

[Literally a Skeleton]

Is the accessory something that would typically adorn part of the head? Neck? no to these Arms? Hands? yesish to these Belly area? Pelvic region? no (and for me, it's just a pelvis) Legs? Feet? no to both Is it something that a person (other than OH or you, obviously, being dead now and whatnot) could remove and put on at will? yes Is it a locket? no Is it inscribed with a date? no, with a small and amusing ish Set of dates? no Message from a loved one? no His initials? no A loved one's initials? no

Does it matter why/how he entered the water? No (Frolicking at a beach vs., say, being flung out of a plane? Of the two, I would hazard a guess that the latter was a little more likely)

[Balin]

Perhaps it adorns the wrists? Are they handcuffs?

[Literally a Skeleton]

Perhaps it adorns the wrists? yes Are they handcuffs? but no

[trebor]

A watch? Bracelet? If it’s a watch, does it matter the time showing on the face? (And how luck it is to still have one!) Is it the sort where the face can be lifted off?

[Literally a Skeleton]

A watch? yes Bracelet? no If it’s a watch, does it matter the time showing on the face? It does not (And how luck it is to still have one! I couldn't agree more. Some of the undead can still relate, however - I saw a ghoul wandering around a barrow, all sunken eyes and sallow skin... a clear example of wight privilege!) Is it the sort where the face can be lifted off? No - no facelifts involved in this puzzle.

[trebor]

Does the watch bare a serial number? Or something else that could be linked solely to that one watch? Was he tracked through that?

[GalFisk]

Was the watch analog? Digital? Smart? Still running? In working condition? Cheap? Expensive? Engraved or otherwise marked with his name?

[Literally a Skeleton]

Trebor

Does the watch bare a serial number? yes Or something else that could be linked solely to that one watch? yes Was he tracked through that? and yes

GalFisk

Was the watch analog? yes Digital? no Smart? no Still running? In working condition? irrel to both Cheap? no Expensive? yes Engraved or otherwise marked with his name? no to both

***** SPOILER *****

He was wearing a Rolex watch. Rolex keep such meticulous service records that the police were able to quote the serial number and get a full service history, mentioning the name of the man repeatedly.

This little scenario was based on a real-life murder mystery; in 1996, a man was fished up in a trawler near Teignmouth. They were able to identify him via the service history of his one possession, the watch. It eventually untangled an international web of deceit, but I'll leave the gory details for you to discover:

https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/p ... ght-516448

Congratulations to Trebor on the solution, and thank you everyone for playing. While this puzzle managed to stay alive through Halloween, it met an untimely end on Guy Fawke's day. Much like Mr. Fawkes himself. And while the commonwealth goes off to celebrate his plot, I shall return to mine. Farewell, my lively LTPF friends. We shall meet again...

[peter365]

NIce puzzle . This was an impressive undertaking, especially as undertaking no doubt holds bad memories for you!

[irishelk]

Nice one!

(The puzzle, not Peter's pun, which physically pains me)

[peter365]

I'm sure Literally a Skeleton would love to be able to experience physical pain again.