NationStates Jolt Archive

Greetings Forum-goers!

Last week's answer:

The man lived in a lighthouse, upon switching off the lights he caused a liner to crash on the rocks, killing 90 people.

Results:

Correct Answer: Skinny87

Most Imaginative Answer: Brutland and Norden

Silliest Answer: Posi

Congratulations to them and well done to everyone else. You all clearly have a LOT of time to waste.

Today's puzzle:

A man stepped out of a speeding train to his death. He had been on his own in the compartment, and all that was found was a very large handkerchief. If he had made the journey by any means other than train, he would almost certainly not have committed suicide.

Why did he take his life?

This is a tough one, and the answer requires a lot of imagination. Good luck!

This is a tough one, and the answer requires a lot of imagination. Good luck!

It is also pretty well known ;) But good luck figuring it out to the people who never heard it before..

When he becomes severely depressed, he usually dreams of being crushed by a speeding train on the tracks. It was his preferred method of suicide... though he wasn't that depressed to do it anyway.

But on that day, his baby boy pooped on him, he had an argument with his wife, his dog was impounded, and he got fired from his job. Depressed and distraught, he went home and drank some beer. However, the beer spilled on his shirt and he tried to find something to wipe the mess off him.

He found his drawer where he keeps his valuable collection of very large handkerchiefs. To his surprise and dismay, there was only one handkerchief left! He became even more depressed and distraught. The loss of the collection he kept since childhood was his breaking point. He took the remaining handkerchief, bolted to the nearest train station, got on the nearest train, and jumped off. Well at least during the last hours of his life his dream was coming true. That icky bus ride won't make him happy anyway.

The man had just been broken up with, for the 11th straight time. He had never had a steady relationship, and was distraught about it. He was riding in the train thinking about it. Then he farted. The stench grew slowly, but soon it was overpowering. The tiny train compartment didn't let much air in, and so he began to suffocate. He tried breathing through the handkerchief to keep out the smell, but it was no use. The lack of oxygen to his brain caused him to hallucinate that the reason he could never have a steady relationship was because of his noxious gas, and so he jumped from the train to his death since he was going to die alone anyway.

It wasn't suicide, he was pushed...

It wasn't suicide, he was pushed...

Er, no...he DID commit suicide :D

Er, no...he DID commit suicide :D

That's what the killer wants you to think.

I'd be careful what you say here; you could be holding up a police investigation.

That's what the killer wants you to think.

I'd be careful what you say here; you could be holding up a police investigation.What if...Higher Thinking IS the killer? :eek:

What if...Higher Thinking IS the killer? :eek:

:eek:

I think we need to tread carefully here...

You get the guns. I'll call the police.

It is also pretty well known ;) But good luck figuring it out to the people who never heard it before..
Damn, I've never heard this one before.

But since I hadn't checked out the other thread: does the OP come back to do the usual "I'll answer question with yes or no?" thing? Or do we have to bring the full scenario to this?

Why did he take his life?
Sleepwalking? Pure guess, though.

Ooh, ooh, I've heard this one!

The man just had an operation to cure his blindness. The train was going through a tunnel when he decided to take off his blindfold to see if it had worked; he didn't see anything, thought it had failed, and killed himself.

Because the Flying Spaghetti monster told him to jump.

Ooh, ooh, I've heard this one!I read your whitetext and now I know it, too. =) Good, because I'm really impatient. :p

Ooh, ooh, I've heard this one!

The man just had an operation to cure his blindness. The train was going through a tunnel when he decided to take off his blindfold to see if it had worked; he didn't see anything, thought it had failed, and killed himself.

Buses go through tunnels too.

I read your whitetext and now I know it, too. =) Good, because I'm really impatient. :p
I'm really good at lateral thinking puzzles, if I do say so myself.

Because I read loads of books on those puzzles.

And I looked at all the answers when I couldn't figure any of them out, and now I know lots. :rolleyes: :p

Ooh, ooh, I've heard this one!

The man just had an operation to cure his blindness. The train was going through a tunnel when he decided to take off his blindfold to see if it had worked; he didn't see anything, thought it had failed, and killed himself.

Since when is the medical profession in the habit of using handkerchiefs?

Since when is the medical profession in the habit of using handkerchiefs?
Um... shush, you. Maybe he put it on himself so the results would be a surprise?

Buses go through tunnels too.

Buses do not have private rooms/compartments ;)

Buses do not have private rooms/compartments ;)

I don't think any trains do anymore (the only one I've seen was a really old one in Kenya, it was weird, like going back in time 100 years or so).

Buses go through tunnels too.
You can't just step off a bus, the driver has to open the door for you, usually.
I don't think any trains do anymore (the only one I've seen was a really old one in Kenya, it was weird, like going back in time 100 years or so).

It said he was alone in the compartment, the train just was just somewhat empty.

You can't just step off a bus, the driver has to open the door for you, usually.
.
Not on open-top buses :p

Not on open-top buses :p

True.


Perhaps he had been hypnotised at some stage to flee whenever he saw a large handkerchief.

I don't think any trains do anymore (the only one I've seen was a really old one in Kenya, it was weird, like going back in time 100 years or so).
Nah. Normal trains still always have a few compartments per waggon, with transparent doors, though. But I'd think actual sleeper trains would have them with non-transparent doors. Otherwise that would be a bit... uncomfortable... <.<

True.


Perhaps he had been hypnotised at some stage to flee whenever he saw a large handkerchief.
Or maybe the handkerchief had some sort of chemical on it? Eg: Something to ease sleep, or something to cause hallucinations.

Nah. Normal trains still always have a few compartments per waggon, with transparent doors, though. But I'd think actual sleeper trains would have them with non-transparent doors. Otherwise that would be a bit... uncomfortable... <.<
You're lucky to get doors at all. :p

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a338/yesthebrucedickinson/hardsleeper.jpg

Greetings Forum-goers!

Today's puzzle:

A man stepped out of a speeding train to his death. He had been on his own in the compartment, and all that was found was a very large handkerchief. If he had made the journey by any means other than train, he would almost certainly not have committed suicide.

Why did he take his life?

This is a tough one, and the answer requires a lot of imagination. Good luck!

Why did this gentleman take his life? Here is my take on it.

The gentleman was a regular train commuter on Auckland's Western Line, and for the twenty-fifth time this month, his train was running late pulling into Waitakere Station and he remembered that he was going to be sacked by his boss if he was late again; which was bound to happen. By being sacked from his job, his income of NZ$30,000 a year would disappear overnight, he would lose his beautiful house in the beautiful foothills of the Waitakere Ranges, which he was already paying 92% of his weekly after-tax income on, and of course he would lose the girl; yes the girl that charmed him every single morning when he walked through the doors at work. He boarded, paid the conductor his fare and sat on his own in the guards van of the set, in spite of the very clearly shown staff only sign. Of course, the conductors were busy apologising profusely for the excessive delays and attempting to clip the tickets of five hundred passengers packed into a train designed for four hundred passengers, so they hardly noticed.

To make matters worse, the points decided to fail only the fortieth time this month, so the train was held up yet again and he thought to himself; stuff this, I am going to be two hours late again, I am going to lose everything dear to me. So, he opened up the guards van side door, little knowing that the train was moving again, so he stepped outside, got caught by a piece of engine that had been held in place by some duck-tape and got caught under the bogies. His body was pulverised by the engine and no-one noticed the destruction of the corpse above the loud noise that the ADK normally made. The gentleman had left the handkerchief behind by mistake when he had left the guards van.

Of course, he would never have been late had he taken alternative transport, so he would not have had a reason to commit suicide. Had he taken a car, he would have been in the City in time for work, and even a bus would have been better, although admitedly, he would have had to make his way to Swanson to catch the nearest bus. Yet, in spite of that, he continued to take the train because he was a Green Party member, and train catching is what Green Party members do.

The pieces of body were eventually found by the next train along the line. Because of the evidence being all over the single-track line, the timetable was thrown into chaos and for only the eleventh time this month, everything ran late. A government inquiry found out that the suicide was preventable had everything worked to schedule, and although the ARC backed the report, the government refused to make the adjustments necessary to prevent further tragedies like this happening again, and electrification had to wait another five years and fifty reports.

You win.

You're lucky to get doors at all. :p

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a338/yesthebrucedickinson/hardsleeper.jpg:rolleyes: :p On a side note, though, I do think those beds are actually wider than the ones in European trains. Bastards!

Why did this gentleman take his life? Here is my take on it.

The gentleman was a regular train commuter on Auckland's Western Line, and for the twenty-fifth time this month, his train was running late pulling into Waitakere Station and he remembered that he was going to be sacked by his boss if he was late again; which was bound to happen. By being sacked from his job, his income of NZ$30,000 a year would disappear overnight, he would lose his beautiful house in the beautiful foothills of the Waitakere Ranges, which he was already paying 92% of his weekly after-tax income on, and of course he would lose the girl; yes the girl that charmed him every single morning when he walked through the doors at work. He boarded, paid the conductor his fare and sat on his own in the guards van of the set, in spite of the very clearly shown staff only sign. Of course, the conductors were busy apologising profusely for the excessive delays and attempting to clip the tickets of five hundred passengers packed into a train designed for four hundred passengers, so they hardly noticed.

To make matters worse, the points decided to fail only the fortieth time this month, so the train was held up yet again and he thought to himself; stuff this, I am going to be two hours late again, I am going to lose everything dear to me. So, he opened up the guards van side door, little knowing that the train was moving again, so he stepped outside, got caught by a piece of engine that had been held in place by some duck-tape and got caught under the bogies. His body was pulverised by the engine and no-one noticed the destruction of the corpse above the loud noise that the ADK normally made. The gentleman had left the handkerchief behind by mistake when he had left the guards van.

Of course, he would never have been late had he taken alternative transport, so he would not have had a reason to commit suicide. Had he taken a car, he would have been in the City in time for work, and even a bus would have been better, although admitedly, he would have had to make his way to Swanson to catch the nearest bus. Yet, in spite of that, he continued to take the train because he was a Green Party member, and train catching is what Green Party members do.

The pieces of body were eventually found by the next train along the line. Because of the evidence being all over the single-track line, the timetable was thrown into chaos and for only the eleventh time this month, everything ran late. A government inquiry found out that the suicide was preventable had everything worked to schedule, and although the ARC backed the report, the government refused to make the adjustments necessary to prevent further tragedies like this happening again, and electrification had to wait another five years and fifty reports.
http://www.freesmileys.org/emo/happy081.gif

Aha... He was the Train conductor and by not waving his "hankerchief" it meant that when he leant,stepped out of the train the driver didn't see and so kept going pulling him under the train to his death!

His handkerchief was actually huge and he planned to use it to parachute of a bridge as the train went past. Unfortunately as he jumped it got caught on some sort of thingy that is unique to trains and he indulged in an exhilarating yet short go at ropeless bunjee-jumping.

He was taking a valueable Kimono to a salesman and while he was on the train or at the station someone stole it and replaced it by this handkerchief. This person overreacted and jumped.

Today's puzzle:

A man stepped out of a speeding train to his death. He had been on his own in the compartment, and all that was found was a very large handkerchief. If he had made the journey by any means other than train, he would almost certainly not have committed suicide.

Why did he take his life?

This is a tough one, and the answer requires a lot of imagination. Good luck!

He wanted to parachute out of the train. Unfortunately he forgot that trains don't fly.

He was using the handkerchief to smuggle cheap Ritalin in from Canada. After six hours of being on the train by himself, he decided to try the Ritalin to see if he could get some sort of high off it. Before he new it, the Ritalin was gone and he was seeing little Christina Aguilera monsters. One threatened to turn him into a newt. He quickly came up with a plan: since the monster was standing at the edge of the door, he would kick it it out the door. He ran at the monster and launched what could only be called a beautiful kick. Seeing as the monster wasn't real, he ended up doing a backflip similarly to Charlie Brown and launched himself off the plane.

The HANKERCHIEF was the killer.

The guy was in the train with the hankerchief and thinking, "My oh my, what a lovely hankerchief. There's no way such a lovely hankerchief would EVER push me off of a speeding train."

Little did he know.....

The HANKERCHIEF was the killer.

The guy was in the train with the hankerchief and thinking, "My oh my, what a lovely hankerchief. There's no way such a lovely hankerchief would EVER push me off of a speeding train."

Little did he know.....This I like.

he just had Surgery on his eyes. the hankerchief was covering his eyes and he took them off to see if the sugery was sucessfull... but at that time, the train went into a tunnel and he thought the sugery failed since his compartment was dark. so he committed suicide.

A man stepped out of a speeding train to his death. He had been on his own in the compartment, and all that was found was a very large handkerchief. If he had made the journey by any means other than train, he would almost certainly not have committed suicide.

Why did he take his life?

The man had foolishly invested in railway transportation, and the only return he ever got was some lousy complimentary handkerchief.

Buses go through tunnels too.

Here's my problem with it. People wear bandages or sunglasses not hankerchiefs after a surgery.

The solution is absurd and unrealistic

The train was an old train, as shown by having compartments and doors that can be opened when the train is speeding. As an old train, it is made partly of wood, which would be very unlikely to exist in any other form of transport.

The man was a Sikh. While reclining his head he felt a little scratching in the vicinity of his sacred wooden comb, and removing it, he was horrified to see it eaten before his very eyes! It had been infested with wood-worms from the old wood of the carriage!

Losing his faith at this dire omen, the man removed his turban and committed suicide by leaping from the train.

Here's my problem with it. People wear bandages or sunglasses not hankerchiefs after a surgery.

The solution is absurd and unrealisticthe situation I read from another source only mentions strips of cloth.
solution makes sense. but in a weird way...

He thought that having an unusually large handkerchief would protect him from attack by unusually small train conductors, he obviously thought wrong.

((And it counted as suicide because he hadn't bought a ticket before getting on the train and so it was his fault that the conductors through him off))