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riddles >> easy >> A gypsie and a theif.
(Message started by: truemuffinman on Aug 21st, 2006, 8:48pm)

Title: A gypsie and a theif.
Post by truemuffinman on Aug 21st, 2006, 8:48pm
This is my first post, so be nice. xD
J/K.

A theif stole from a gypsie's camp.

The gypsie had 31 items in his camp.

The theif was 5 ' 3'' tall.

After the gypsie raided her camp, the gypsie had 41 items.

The theif did not leave any items.

How is this possible?

ONLY IF YOU REALLY NEED A HINT: [hide]Look At The Genders.[/hide]

Title: Re: A gypsie and a theif.
Post by ezlonny on Aug 22nd, 2006, 8:51am
What's a theif?

[hideb]So the gypsy lost his belongings but she kept hers.[/hideb]

Title: Re: A gypsie and a theif.
Post by truemuffinman on Aug 22nd, 2006, 8:54am

on 08/22/06 at 08:51:44, ezlonny wrote:
What's a theif?

[hideb]So the gypsy lost his belongings but she kept hers.[/hideb]


Theif? Burglar? Stealer?
And no.

Title: Re: A gypsie and a theif.
Post by oh_boy on Aug 22nd, 2006, 9:11am
[hide]Well, to start with, it is nice to point out that the theif is a 'she' and the gypsie is a 'he'. Two stealings have happened.  The theif stole from the gypsie and took an arbitrary x items from him.  Then the gypsie took a revenge and raided the theif's camp.  He must have taken the x items back plus all (10) items of the theif's so that the gypsie ended up having 31+10=41 items with him, and the theif did not leave any item with herself.[/hide]  ::)

Title: Re: A gypsie and a theif.
Post by truemuffinman on Aug 22nd, 2006, 9:16am

on 08/22/06 at 09:11:33, oh_boy wrote:
[hide]Well, to start with, it is nice to point out that the theif is a 'she' and the gypsie is a 'he'. Two stealings have happened.  The theif stole from the gypsie and took an arbitrary x items from him.  Then the gypsie took a revenge and raided the theif's camp.  He must have taken the x items back plus all (10) items of the theif's so that the gypsie ended up having 31+10=41 items with him, and the theif did not leave any item with herself.[/hide]  ::)


Nope, sorry.
Read the [hide]gender[/hide] association closely.
Though that is an extremely good idea.

Title: Re: A gypsie and a theif.
Post by Icarus on Aug 22nd, 2006, 4:51pm
I fail to see what is wrong with oh_boy's solution:

At the start,
Gypsy = Male, has 31 items in camp;    Thief = Female, has at least 10 items in camp.


Quote:
A theif stole from a gypsie's camp.

The gypsie had 31 items in his camp.


Quote:
The theif did not leave any items.


Now, Gypsy has 0 items; thief has 41+ items.
Next, the Gypsy raids the the thief's camp:


Quote:
The theif was 5 ' 3'' tall.

After the gypsie raided her camp, the gypsie had 41 items.


Since the gypsy has no need to raid his own camp, the "her" refers back to the subject of the previous sentence: the thief. The gypsy takes 41 items that were in the possession of the thief.

This is entirely within keeping of all the associations you've listed. Why do you say it is wrong?

Title: Re: A gypsie and a theif.
Post by truemuffinman on Aug 22nd, 2006, 8:04pm

on 08/22/06 at 16:51:51, Icarus wrote:
I fail to see what is wrong with oh_boy's solution:

At the start,
Gypsy = Male, has 31 items in camp;    Thief = Female, has at least 10 items in camp.



Now, Gypsy has 0 items; thief has 41+ items.
Next, the Gypsy raids the the thief's camp:


Since the gypsy has no need to raid his own camp, the "her" refers back to the subject of the previous sentence: the thief. The gypsy takes 41 items that were in the possession of the thief.

This is entirely within keeping of all the associations you've listed. Why do you say it is wrong?


I never sad anything was wrong with it. It was actually pretty good. But the thief isn't female, and that's not what the proper solution is.

Title: Re: A gypsie and a theif.
Post by Sameer on Aug 22nd, 2006, 9:21pm

on 08/22/06 at 20:04:39, truemuffinman wrote:
I never sad anything was wrong with it. It was actually pretty good. But the thief isn't female, and that's not what the proper solution is.


Actually the solution is proper just not the one "you" are looking for. You need to add that thief is not a female in your problem to render the above solution not correct.

Title: Re: A gypsie and a theif.
Post by mfirmata on Aug 23rd, 2006, 12:41pm
[hideb]The male gypsy stole 10 items from the female gypsy.[/hideb]

Title: Re: A gypsie and a theif.
Post by truemuffinman on Aug 23rd, 2006, 5:37pm

on 08/23/06 at 12:41:33, mfirmata wrote:
[hideb]The male gypsy stole 10 items from the female gypsy.[/hideb]

Explain please.

Title: Re: A gypsie and a theif.
Post by Icarus on Aug 23rd, 2006, 6:34pm
If the thief is not female, then I can see only three possibilities:

(1) The gypsy is female, and is for some wierd reason raiding her own camp. (How is it raiding, if it is yours in the first place?)
(2) There is at least a third person here. Either a previously unmentioned "her", or else, as mfirmata suggests, a second gypsy, despite the fact that the gypsy is refered to as "the" gypsy, not "a" gypsy.
(3) The thief is not male either, but is asexual or a hermaphrodite. Thus the thief is being refered to as "her" even though it is not truly female.

Somehow, none of these solutions satisfy. The first goes against the meaning of "raid", the second against the meaning of "the", and the third against the meaning of "her". Yet without one of the three, there is no "her" for the gypsy to raid.

I think that oh_boy's solution has got to be better!

I think I prefer oh_boy's solution.

Title: Re: A gypsie and a theif.
Post by BNC on Aug 24th, 2006, 3:21am
Maybe there was an elderly German gentleman by the name of Camp nearby.
The gypsie raided her Camp.

Title: Re: A gypsie and a theif.
Post by rmsgrey on Aug 24th, 2006, 4:07am

on 08/24/06 at 03:21:09, BNC wrote:
Maybe there was an elderly German gentleman by the name of Camp nearby.
The gypsie raided her Camp.

Surely you mean Herr Camp...

Title: Re: A gypsie and a theif.
Post by GeMsToNe on Aug 24th, 2006, 4:25am
It depends... if they aren't in the same camp OR the same person. But it wouldn't make sense.  :P

I'll rephrase the paragraph to help myself.  :P

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
THIEF=MALE
GYPSY=FEMALE


He stole from her camp.  

She had 31 items in his camp. (should've added the words "now" at the end of the sentence =D )

He was 5 ' 3'' tall.

After she raided her(now this is where I get CONFUSED...) camp, she had 41 items.

HE did not leave any items.

How is this possible?

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
It is confusing... I just don't get it. oh_boy's answer is same as my answer, so I go with him =).

[hide]BUT, maybe it would've helped if there were IN THE SAME CAMP or MORE THAN TWO PEOPLE.[/hide]

Title: Re: A gypsie and a theif.
Post by mfirmata on Aug 24th, 2006, 4:27am
[hideb]The theif is a gypsy too?[/hideb]

Title: Re: A gypsie and a theif.
Post by GeMsToNe on Aug 24th, 2006, 4:32am

on 08/24/06 at 04:27:41, mfirmata wrote:
[hideb]The theif is a gypsy too?[/hideb]

I don't know. The riddle is quite confusing.  ???

=D I hope we solve it!  :)

Title: Re: A gypsie and a theif.
Post by truemuffinman on Aug 24th, 2006, 4:49pm

on 08/24/06 at 04:27:41, mfirmata wrote:
[hideb]The theif is a gypsy too?[/hideb]

Exactly!
And [hide]then someone stole from the thief.[/hide]

You won!

Title: Re: A gypsie and a theif.
Post by Icarus on Aug 24th, 2006, 7:04pm
That still leaves you speaking of "The gypsy" when there are two gypsies, which is effectively a lie.

On the other hand, oh_boy's solution works without any such misleading interpretation.

Title: Re: A gypsie and a theif.
Post by Roy on Aug 25th, 2006, 7:56pm
Okay, so i missed that one, i'll get the next one, my internet is back up so i can work all 99 hours of the morning if i have to.



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