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Father Dave !RsSxeehGwc joined in and replied with this 2 months ago, 35 minutes later[^][v]#1,356,349
Sure.
Try asking yourself what the horse might have been doing at the moment the fly flew into its mouth. A further hint: it does not involve the horse travelling or otherwise moving anywhere.
Good luck! I'll give you the answer if you don't get it.
Anonymous J joined in and replied with this 2 months ago, 8 hours later, 12 hours after the original post[^][v]#1,356,438
@previous (Father Dave !RsSxeehGwc)
Just because there are naked pictures of your wife all over motherless and show me your wife doesn't mean it will get better either.
Anonymous O double-posted this 2 months ago, 15 minutes later, 1 day after the original post[^][v]#1,356,544
I think that the answer relies on Russian-language wordplay.
The Russian for word "ушёл" is the past tense of "уйти", which means "to leave" or "to go away". So when you say ушёл, that translates to "left" or "has gone".
This is where the double-meaning comes in. The lateral thinking riddle says that the fly flew into the horses mouth, and flies back out. Bit when the fly leaves, the word ушёл is used. Because it means "left" or "has gone", there is an implication that the horse has gone, when actually it's just the fly that flew out.
Anonymous O triple-posted this 2 months ago, 3 minutes later, 1 day after the original post[^][v]#1,356,545
I used machine translation to create a possible Russian version of the puzzle which would work with my answer above. Father Dave, please tell me what you think.
Муха залетела в пасть лошади, а когда вылетела, лошадь ушла. Что произошло?
Yes, I think it's that there's a pun in Russian where even though it'd just that the fly flew out of the horses mouth, there's a suggestion that the horse disappeared.
Anonymous E replied with this 2 months ago, 1 minute later, 1 day after the original post[^][v]#1,356,558
@1,356,550 (Erik !saAqdaazn2)
All of those answers have been said 2 years ago at TC. Dave was banned over this among other issues. Did he ask you to start this up again?
Father Dave !RsSxeehGwc replied with this 2 months ago, 24 minutes later, 1 day after the original post[^][v]#1,356,559
So I think now would be an opportune time to clearly re-state the original problem:
A fly flies into a horse's mouth and when it flies back out again moments later the horse is gone. What's happened?
It was previously noted that the solution does not involve the death of either creature, and the problem is specific to a horse and a fly (their qualities/features). The problem would not work with, say, a fish swimming into a shark's mouth or a mosquito flying into a bear's mouth.
Good luck everyone! I'll give the answer later if nobody gets it.
Anonymous R joined in and replied with this 2 months ago, 8 minutes later, 1 day after the original post[^][v]#1,356,572
The horse didn't disappear, it's likely a case of a common bot fly lifecycle, where the fly's larvae (which look like worms) enter the horse's mouth, travel to the stomach, and then are expelled in the spring, only to emerge as adult flies.
> All of those answers have been said 2 years ago at TC.
3 years ago to be precise. And somewhat embarrassingly, only 2 people have successfully come up with the answer in all that time (one here and one at TC).
Indeed. A surly moderator locked a vibrant, engaging thread with 1500+ posts just because the answer kept eluding him. But we won't let that happen here!
Just because it stumped you doesn't mean Svet won't get it.
Right, a new clue. It'll be a 2-parter. The first part is this: when you imagine the problem's scenario in your mind's eye, on what (if anything) is the horse standing?
> Are you not even curious to the answer? I'm want this solved, it's the only way to stop Dave in his tracks.
It was solved years ago. But the trolling goes on. Once they found out at TC it was answered and he refused to acknowledge it he was banned for it. This is nothing but a troll for attention.
Father Dave !RsSxeehGwc replied with this 1 month ago, 4 hours later, 1 week after the original post[^][v]#1,358,539
Ok, I'm back! Sorry I've been gone all day, I just now got home and logged in to MC.
Right, on with part 2 of the clue.
You'll all recall the original formulation of the lateral thinking problem:
A fly flies into a horse's mouth and when it flies back out again moments later the horse is gone. What's happened?
You'll also recall I have said repeatedly that the solution does not involve wordplay and therefore the riddle works in any language.
But that doesn't mean we might not find clues within the wording...
And so, here is part 2 of the clue: go back through the riddle and ask yourself, "Each time I read the word fly or flies, am I reading it as a noun, adjective or verb?"
I'll give you all the weekend to mull that one over.
Green !!bO/s3MBcD replied with this 1 month ago, 35 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^][v]#1,358,594
Was the horse eaten by another animal, which is why it is gone? Or is it just a horse's head so when this fly flies through the mouth there is no horse's body so the horse is gone?
Erik !saAqdaazn2 (OP) replied with this 1 month ago, 1 minute later, 1 week after the original post[^][v]#1,358,640
@previous (Father Dave !RsSxeehGwc)
Okay, I'm actually excited for this now. Please don't ruin it and blert out the answer. I'm going to discuss it over lunch with friends and crack it by Sunday.
Father Dave !RsSxeehGwc replied with this 1 month ago, 2 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^][v]#1,358,673
@previous (Gunther)
LOL, you're actually talking about that screenshot you posted? That's not me you colossal berk. The patently false "OP" didn't clue you in? No wonder you can't solve this riddle if this is the level of your sleuthing skills 😂🤣
Anonymous Z-13 replied with this 1 month ago, 2 hours later, 1 week after the original post[^][v]#1,358,713
(Citing a deleted or non-existent reply.)
E.g. he deleted this one: > I have said repeatedly that the solution does not involve wordplay > "Each time I read the word fly or flies, am I reading it as a noun, adjective or verb?"
> Ok, I'm back! Sorry I've been gone all day, I just now got home and logged in to MC. > > Right, on with part 2 of the clue. > > You'll all recall the original formulation of the lateral thinking problem: > > A fly flies into a horse's mouth and when it flies back out again moments later the horse is gone. What's happened? > > You'll also recall I have said repeatedly that the solution does not involve wordplay and therefore the riddle works in any language. > > But that doesn't mean we might not find clues within the wording... > > And so, here is part 2 of the clue: go back through the riddle and ask yourself, "Each time I read the word fly or flies, am I reading it as a noun, adjective or verb?" > > I'll give you all the weekend to mull that one over.
Oatmeal Fucker !BYUc1TwJMU replied with this 1 month ago, 3 days later, 2 weeks after the original post[^][v]#1,359,725
The horse was a Looney Tune who had run off a cliff, and the fly flew in and out of his mouth in the moments that the horse was holding up a "Yikes" sign before he fell down the chasm.
> 2 guesses. > > 1. Was the hourse crossing a stream or river?
Oooooh, you might be going in the right direction here!! Very important question though: do you mean swimming across a river or being otherwise transported across?
> 2. Did the horse rear up ?
Not relevant. That is to say, if it did, it would not affect the problem.
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened" - Matthew 7:7-8
> > I'm sure he will if we all ask for it. > > Precisely. > > "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened" - Matthew 7:7-8
> So somebody did give you the right answer and you didnt announce the results?
To the best of my knowledge there are at least 2 people who know the solution, one is at Tinychan and the other is Fake Anon (the moderator here at Minichan). Back when I actually took this seriously and accusations that there was no solution legitimately annoyed me I PMed him the answer on the understanding that he would publicly confirm that I had sent it to him, which he did. His acknowledgement no longer exists because the thread has been deleted (by me, because of the Tinychan Pedophile's spam) but I've no doubt he'll reconfirm that I sent it to him if asked.
I am also prepared to PM to Svet, via a moderator, the solution to the problem. I will do it today if he asks me, again on the understanding that he confirms in this thread that I sent it to him, a solution does exist, and it is a genuinely clever riddle (in other words it's not some lame wordplay or something). Like I said at this stage I'm happy to play along with the silliness but when I first posted the riddle 3 years ago it was a serious problem from a respected Russian TV show and it irritated me when people said I had made it up.
Father Dave !RsSxeehGwc replied with this 1 month ago, 4 minutes later, 1 month after the original post[^][v]#1,363,644
@previous (Z-29)
"Irritated" - past tense you berk. See: @1,363,602 (Father Dave !RsSxeehGwc) > 3 years ago
See also: @1,363,602 (Father Dave !RsSxeehGwc) > at this stage I'm happy to play along with the silliness
Another card-carrying member of the Royal Society of Berks 😂
> I feel like every solution has been given already
They used to say the same about Goldbach's Conjecture.
> I want to know why you didn't announce the winner when the Tinychan person gave the right answer.
Because the solution was not posted publicly in the thread, it was PMed to me. I won't say more or else there's a risk I'll reveal who it was and I don't want to do that.
> Anyway the horse is a reflection in still water and the fly fucked up the image by making it ripple.
What happened to "I feel like every solution has been given already"? You're still coming up with new ideas!
The horse happened to have fallen out of a plane and was dropping at terminal velocity. The fly didn't fly out itself, but rather flew out by the force of momentum.
Father Dave !RsSxeehGwc replied with this 1 month ago, 6 minutes later, 1 month after the original post[^][v]#1,363,719
@previous (Oatmeal Fucker !BYUc1TwJMU)
That wouldn't entail the horse being "gone" moments later. I've skydived, you're not falling so fast that you disappear from the pilot's view within moments!
Keep thinking though! You'll get there, I believe in you. If it helps you, I'll give you a clue: the horse needn't be moving at any point during the scenario.
> From the reference point of the fly, the horse disappears immediately.
There is no way of knowing that. You can't know the fly's perspective, much less what it sees, to say nothing of the fact that just because thing A can't see thing B, it doesn't follow that thing B is therefore gone. There will be things in your truck that you can't see when you're driving but they're still there!
> Is the fly moving during this scenario?
Naturally. It "flies into a horse's mouth" and "flies back out moments later".
Father Dave !RsSxeehGwc replied with this 1 month ago, 15 minutes later, 1 month after the original post[^][v]#1,363,729
@previous (Oatmeal Fucker !BYUc1TwJMU)
That's its location you berk. Your scenario hinges upon which direction it is looking, and you can't know what that is. If I tell you the fly is looking down towards earth for example your 'solution' falls apart like a freshly-baked apple crumble.
Father Dave !RsSxeehGwc replied with this 4 weeks ago, 53 minutes later, 1 month after the original post[^][v]#1,364,179
@previous (Oatmeal Fucker !BYUc1TwJMU)
Then why can the "third party" not see the horse if his "relative position" is of the fly? All you've done here is substitute the fly for a third party, which does nothing to salvage your scenario if the 3rd party is facing the horse as it descends.
Doesn't matter where the fly is looking, because the observer is a third party viewing the fly, and only the fly. From the point of view of this third party, the horse has gone.
> Doesn't matter where the fly is looking, because the observer is a third party viewing the fly, and only the fly.
If this is the case then what's the need for the rest of your scenario? Why not just simplify your solution to: "The riddle is from the perspective of a person who for whatever reason cannot see the horse?"
Erik !saAqdaazn2 (OP) replied with this 3 weeks ago, 11 hours later, 1 month after the original post[^][v]#1,364,411
I fear my thread is getting derailed and that's unfortunate.
We need to get back to debating this riddle and thinking latterly.
My latest guess. @Dave, was the dead? And I don't mean "gone" as in dead, but the fly flew into a dead horses mouth and moments later it few out as the horse was dropped through a trapdoor
Erik !saAqdaazn2 (OP) double-posted this 3 weeks ago, 5 hours later, 1 month after the original post[^][v]#1,364,447
(Citing a deleted or non-existent reply.)
I disagree. Dave may be a putin apologist but he has held off giving me the answer at my request a d even offered to PM me the answer.
The show has been running for decades and the horse/fly problem is generally considered to be one of the most ingenious questions in the game's history.
Anonymous Z-13 replied with this 3 weeks ago, 11 minutes later, 1 month after the original post[^][v]#1,365,029
@previous (Father Dave !RsSxeehGwc) > one [of] the most ingenious questions in the game's history.
And yet there isn't a single mention of this riddle anywhere else online...
Anonymous P replied with this 3 weeks ago, 48 minutes later, 1 month after the original post[^][v]#1,365,101
The horse has likely just disappeared due to the horse disappearing trick, where the horse is magically removed from the location. The fly entering and leaving the mouth is a common distraction to make the trick more believable
The only horse being gone riddle on that show, as far as I'm aware (and I've looked on VK...) is the one that says "A horse is gone. Where?", the answer being "In the past".
> The only horse being gone riddle on that show, as far as I'm aware (and I've looked on VK...) is the one that says "A horse is gone. Where?", the answer being "In the past".
There have been 493 episodes of the show spread over 43 seasons with each episode lasting up to 90 minutes. Are you suggesting you've watched every one?
Father Dave !RsSxeehGwc replied with this 2 weeks ago, 5 minutes later, 1 month after the original post[^][v]#1,365,400
@previous (Oatmeal Fucker !BYUc1TwJMU)
Something doesn't add up here. You're asking me to link to something which you've literally claimed you're currently looking at.
Let's do it this way, which 'community' (I'm assuming your settings are set to English) are you using when you say you "looked on VK"? Post the link to the page you claim to be looking at, or just screenshot it if you prefer.
> Something doesn't add up here. You're asking me to link to something which you've literally claimed you're currently looking at.
I browsed the feed, and I cannot see the post you're referencing.
> Let's do it this way, which 'community' (I'm assuming your settings are set to English) are you using when you say you "looked on VK"? Post the link to the page you claim to be looking at, or just screenshot it if you prefer.
"Did you know that at first the show "What? Where? When?" did not have a team of TV viewers? Interesting facts and questions forThe first games were searched for by the editorial team.
After a while, TV viewers began doing this, and now anyone can come up with and send a question for the game. Try it yourself - send your questions for experts in the most convenient way for you ⬆
People are very unhappy that there are no spring and summer finals this year, aren't they? Olesya Alekseeva-Ishanova in particular seems extremely hurt.
Father Dave !RsSxeehGwc double-posted this 2 weeks ago, 5 minutes later, 1 month after the original post[^][v]#1,365,520
For those who don't know, lampredotto is produced with one of the four stomachs from bovine meat, the abomasum. It goes through a lengthy cooking process with tomato, onion, parsley and celery. A dish of very poor origin, nowadays it is upscale Florentine street food and usually eaten in a sandwich, the semelle, salted unlike other types of Tuscan bread.
And so as you can see, cooking it requires all my attention.
Anonymous P replied with this 2 weeks ago, 18 minutes later, 1 month after the original post[^][v]#1,365,535
@previous (Father Dave !RsSxeehGwc) The horse has likely just disappeared due to the horse disappearing trick, where the horse is magically removed from the location. The fly entering and leaving the mouth is a common distraction to make the trick more believable
Father Dave !RsSxeehGwc replied with this 2 weeks ago, 3 minutes later, 1 month after the original post[^][v]#1,365,543
@1,365,535 (P)
I mean, if the answer were simply "it's magic!" it would hardly be a lateral thinking problem, much less one of the ten highest rated questions in a show that's been going for 43 years!
Anonymous P replied with this 2 weeks ago, 14 minutes later, 1 month after the original post[^][v]#1,365,546
@previous (Father Dave !RsSxeehGwc)
1: You limit the solution to just a single one solution. No Room for alternate solutions -
The definition to Lateral Thinking is:
Lateral thinking is a manner of solving problems using an indirect and creative approach via reasoning that is not immediately obvious. Synonymous to thinking outside the box, it involves ideas that may not be obtainable using only traditional step-by-step logic..
Of course this is not the only possible definition to lateral thinking.
> The definition to Lateral Thinking is: > Lateral thinking is a manner of solving problems using an indirect and creative approach via reasoning that is not immediately obvious.
None of which applies to "it's magic!" If it did then "it's magic!" would be the answer to literally every lateral thinking question, thus rendering them meaningless.
Oatmeal Fucker !BYUc1TwJMU replied with this 2 weeks ago, 2 minutes later, 1 month after the original post[^][v]#1,366,006
The horse was a photo of a horse, the one that Saint George was riding on the coat of arms of Russian Empire. The fly happened to fly into a small hole in the flag at the imperial palace on the 15th March 1917, and was disturbed by the flag being taken down after the abdication of the Tsar, causing it to leave it's resting position. Afterwards, the coat of arms no longer had any legal basis so it was "gone"
> The horse was a photo of a horse, the one that Saint George was riding on the coat of arms of Russian Empire. The fly happened to fly into a small hole in the flag at the imperial palace on the 15th March 1917, and was disturbed by the flag being taken down after the abdication of the Tsar, causing it to leave it's resting position. Afterwards, the coat of arms no longer had any legal basis so it was "gone"
You're on the right lines here. See, I told you reading those VK comments would pay dividends.
The question comes from the pre-glasnost time. The fly is a metaphor for the Lenin and the horse is a metaphor for the corrupt bourgeoisie. By itself, a fly can do very little harm to something as solid and large as a horse, or an empire, but, one single fly bravely leading the charge in the face of extreme danger, and risking everything, was able to topple the corrupt Tsardom and demolish it, leaving nothing behind except the freedom to build a new socialist soviet republic.
Father Dave !RsSxeehGwc replied with this 2 weeks ago, 3 hours later, 1 month after the original post[^][v]#1,366,029
You see, our cereal fetishist friend up there accused me of trying to waste his time by having him translate a bunch of comments on the social media page of a popular Russian game show. I presume an apology will be forthcoming?
Oatmeal Fucker !BYUc1TwJMU double-posted this 2 weeks ago, 1 minute later, 1 month after the original post[^][v]#1,366,031
I'm still waiting for you to show me where this supposed "top 10 user-submitted questions" article is, as it appears to be nowhere on the VK page you said it would be on.
> I'm still waiting for you to show me where this supposed "top 10 user-submitted questions" article is, as it appears to be nowhere on the VK page you said it would be on.
My apologies, I will do so when I get home later. I just got done chairing a rather important meeting at work.
> Was the horse being eaten so when the fly flew out the horse was no longer there as it had been consumed by another animal?
Somebody already proposed that but no, the horse was not being eaten. Realistically nothing can consume a horse in the "moments" it took the fly to fly in and out of the horse's mouth.