lateral thinking solutions

SOLUTIONS


1. The man is very, very short and can only reach halfway up the
elevator
buttons. However, if it is raining then he will have his umbrella
with him
and can press the higher buttons with it.


2. The surgeon was his mother.


3. It was day time.


4. At the time she went into labor, the mother of the twins was
traveling
by boat. The older twin, Terry, was born first early on March 1st.
The
boat then crossed a time zone and Kerry, the younger twin, was born
on
February the 28th. Therefore, the younger twin celebrates her
birthday two
days before her older brother.


5. A square manhole cover can be turned and dropped down the diagonal
of
the manhole. A round manhole cannot be dropped down the manhole. So
for
safety and practicality, all manhole covers should be round.


6. The poison in the punch came from the ice cubes. When the man
drank the
punch, the ice was fully frozen. Gradually it melted, poisoning the
punch.


7. They were two of a set of triplets (or quadruplets, etc.). This
puzzle
stumps many people. They try outlandish solutions involving test-tube
babies or surrogate mothers. Why does the brain search for complex
solutions when there is a much simpler one available?


8. The man had hiccups. The barman recognized this from his speech and
drew
the gun in order to give him a shock. It worked and cured the
hiccups--so
the man no longer needed the water.