How to Play

A lateral thinking puzzle presents a vague situation and a question. It also includes one or more hidden key facts that you, the guesser, need to uncover to solve the puzzle.

Chef

The chef picked out a lemon, but found it left a bad taste in his mouth. He was able to return it, but only because his friend helped. Why?

Uncover all 2 key facts to solve the puzzle.

  1. The lemon is a defective car. Reveal
  2. The friend is helping tow the car.

To uncover the key facts, you can ask questions. Each question must have a "yes" or "no" answer. You can't ask "why did the friend need to help?", but you can ask "is the lemon heavy?"

  • Is the lemon heavy?
    yes

Lateral thinking puzzles involve misdirection. They paint a picture in your head that is different than reality. To break the illusion, ask questions that validate your assumptions.

  • Did the chef taste the lemon?
    no

The misdirection often comes from wordplay, including polysemy, where a word has multiple, related meanings. The context directs you to one meaning when the reality is another.

Uncover all 2 key facts to solve the puzzle.

  1. The lemon is a defective car.
  2. The friend is helping tow the car.
  • Is the lemon a fruit?
    no
  • Is the lemon a car?
    yes

Continue asking questions until you uncover all key facts and solve the puzzle!

Uncover all 2 key facts to solve the puzzle.

  1. The lemon is a defective car.
  2. The friend is helping tow the car.

The truth, unmasked...

The chef purchased a defective car that stopped working. His friend helped tow the car so he could return it.

  • Is the friend towing the car?
    yes

If you ever get stuck and need a hint, click the eye icon Reveal beside a key fact to reveal it.

  1. The lemon is a defective car. Reveal