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Lateral with Tom Scott
Lateral with Tom Scott

169: Blue peacock

January 02, 2026 • 45m

Summary

⏱️ 5 min read

Overview

In this episode of Lateral, host Tom Scott welcomes back wine writer Hannah Crosby and YouTubers Evan and Caitlin to solve a series of lateral thinking puzzles. The trio tackles questions ranging from peculiar newspaper headlines to Cold War-era nuclear weapons, using creative reasoning to uncover the surprising answers behind each mystery.

The Banana Throws Orange Apple Mystery

The panel tackles a bizarre 1929 newspaper headline about fruit-named throwing, quickly realizing the headline isn't about actual fruit but rather names. Through clever deduction, they discover this was a real news story about a boy with an unusual name meeting an unfortunate accident. The question perfectly captures the whimsical nature of early 20th-century journalism and their love of punny headlines.

  • The Iola Register ran a headline on July 3rd, 1929 reading 'Banana Throws Orange Apple'
  • The panel correctly identifies that the words represent names rather than actual fruit
  • A young boy named Orange Apple slipped on a banana peel in Chicago and was hospitalized with minor injuries
  • The Pittsburgh Sun-Telegram took it further with the headline 'Orange Apple Slips on Banana Peel, Falls Plum'
" Stupid headline, something trivial is going on, but every aspect of that as soon as you get to the details, no. "
" Tabloids these days are like this celebrity named their child this weird name apple orange, you know but they were doing it back then too. "

The Crochet and Knitting Yarn Twist

This question explores the technical details of yarn construction that most people never consider. The panel works through why someone switching from knitting to crocheting would need to change yarn types, eventually discovering it relates to the direction of the yarn's twist. The answer reveals a fascinating detail about fiber arts that even experienced crafters might not know.

  • Olive switched from using needles (knitting) to hooks (crocheting) and had to buy Z-type yarn instead of S-type
  • S-plied and Z-plied yarn refers to the direction the yarn is twisted, matching the diagonal in those letters
  • Knitting with Western methods requires S-plied yarn which tightens as you work
  • Crocheting requires Z-plied yarn to avoid the yarn becoming slack during work
" Think about the makeup of the yarn. The S and the Z represent the shape that the yarn makes when it's twisted. "

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