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Here are 7 facts about Bob:

  1. He has a shot of alcohol every morning.
  2. He hasn't showered in weeks.
  3. He has a full head of hair, but doesn't use a comb.
  4. He regularly wraps a noose around his neck.
  5. He has a drug once or twice a day, but not for medicinal purposes.
  6. He has poor vision, but doesn't wear glasses.
  7. His favourite beverage contains 7 teaspoons of sugar.

Can you reinterpret each fact to make Bob sound like a pretty normal guy?

Note that there are multiple possibilities, but one of each will do.

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    $\begingroup$ By 'rephrase' do you mean to add and delete one or more words from each sentence and maintain the order of these seven ? $\endgroup$
    – ABcDexter
    Jun 6, 2016 at 12:57
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    $\begingroup$ i would say bob sounds pretty normal already $\endgroup$
    – JMP
    Jun 6, 2016 at 13:27
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    $\begingroup$ Bob is alcoholic with suicidal tendencies, but we are not discriminating him. He is a human, like all of us, and that makes him a normal. $\endgroup$
    – user902383
    Jun 6, 2016 at 16:37
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    $\begingroup$ I appreciate the fact that you wrote a riddle about me, but changed the name for my own protection. Thanks. $\endgroup$
    – Marius
    Jun 7, 2016 at 12:46

9 Answers 9

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Something like this?

He has a shot of alcohol every morning.

He uses mouthwash every morning.

He hasn't showered in weeks.

He takes a bath every day.

He has a full head of hair, but doesn't use a comb.

He always brushes his hair.

He regularly wraps a noose around his neck.

He wears a tie to work.

He has a drug once or twice a day, but not for medicinal purposes.

He has a glass or two of wine at dinner.

He has poor vision, but doesn't wear glasses.

He wears contact lenses.

His favourite beverage contains 7 teaspoons of sugar.

He likes to drink Coca-Cola (which has 7tsp of sugar in a 330ml can).

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    $\begingroup$ It's unusual to take communion every morning, though $\endgroup$
    – Richard Rast
    Jun 6, 2016 at 20:21
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    $\begingroup$ Am I the only one who thinks #3 is pretty normal, depending on the style you're going for? What if he just has curly hair? $\endgroup$
    – SirTechSpec
    Jun 6, 2016 at 21:03
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    $\begingroup$ @SirTechSpec: Are you suggesting people with curly hair don't use brushes or combs? $\endgroup$
    – Oddthinking
    Jun 7, 2016 at 13:15
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    $\begingroup$ Some don't, if you have a short style, yeah. $\endgroup$
    – SirTechSpec
    Jun 7, 2016 at 14:23
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    $\begingroup$ IMHO "coffee" works better a bit than "wine". I know more people who drink coffee daily than alcohol (but that's just my experience). It also has no overlap with the "shot of alcohol" comment, which feels a bit more elegant as a riddle. $\endgroup$
    – James Beninger
    Jun 7, 2016 at 14:43
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Not sure what the intent of the wordplay is, but here's my thinking.

He has a shot of alcohol every morning.

He uses mouthwash

He hasn't showered in weeks.

He has a bath every day.

He has a full head of hair, but doesn't use a comb.

Bob is has an afro. He uses a pick.

He regularly wraps a noose around his neck.

He wears a tie.

He has a drug once or twice a day, but not for medicinal purposes.

Coffee?

He has poor vision, but doesn't wear glasses.

He wears contact lenses.

His favourite beverage contains 7 teaspoons of sugar.

Coke? other soda pop?

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    $\begingroup$ Coffee, hahaha, great :D $\endgroup$
    – ABcDexter
    Jun 6, 2016 at 13:13
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    $\begingroup$ @rybo111 same here, I was about to write Coffee but calling it a drug would be a sin :P $\endgroup$
    – ABcDexter
    Jun 6, 2016 at 13:18
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    $\begingroup$ @ABcDexter Why? Its active ingredient is a highly addictive mind-altering substance. What else would you call it? $\endgroup$
    – Mason Wheeler
    Jun 6, 2016 at 17:38
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    $\begingroup$ For me, drug is any chemical which is essentially taken by a living organism for specific purpose. But coffee has no purpose, we just take it; it's the after-effects which make it heavenly... $\endgroup$
    – ABcDexter
    Jun 6, 2016 at 17:41
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    $\begingroup$ You take coffee because you are addicted to caffeine. You get withdrawal symptoms when you stop taking caffeine; that's why you feel like you NEED coffee in the morning. $\endgroup$
    – Erik
    Jun 7, 2016 at 10:44
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  1. He is an alcoholic
  2. He is homeless
  3. He wears a hat or some type of head covering
  4. He lives in a cold climate and wears a scarf to keep warm
  5. He smokes cigarettes but sparingly since he's homeless and can't afford to buy them.
  6. All the hair in his eyes prevents him from seeing well
  7. He drinks an old fashioned (or maybe jack and coke) in a big gulp thermos.
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I think most of the other answers have well and truly covered the categories,

I would just like to offer an alternative to the second last line:

He has poor vision and he doesn't wear glasses:

Poor Bob is completely blind!

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    $\begingroup$ But does that make him "a pretty normal guy"? $\endgroup$
    – rybo111
    Jun 6, 2016 at 13:25
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    $\begingroup$ What is 'normal', anyway? $\endgroup$
    – Inazuma
    Jun 6, 2016 at 13:27
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    $\begingroup$ Very true - I like your answer. $\endgroup$
    – rybo111
    Jun 6, 2016 at 13:31
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    $\begingroup$ @Inazuma Very personal answer : for me, something "normal" is something the majority shares as a common point. It would be the same as "being the norm". For example, a left-handed person isn't normal (in the 'pure' sense of "normal" as I hear it, not as everyone uses it), because the vast majority of people are right-handed (and I say it as a left-handed person). It sounds a bit extreme, but this is how I understand it personnally. $\endgroup$
    – Mayo
    Jun 6, 2016 at 14:07
  • $\begingroup$ How can you measure the majority of these answers? Only 300 million people are visually impaired worldwide, certainly not a majority. From this study: "The majority of participants (38.1%) have never used mouthwash, 17.5% used mouthwash less than once a month, 19.4% used mouthwash once every few days and 25.1% used mouthwash daily." I could go on... $\endgroup$
    – Inazuma
    Jun 6, 2016 at 14:14
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Bob is a

beach lifeguard

  1. He has a shot of alcohol every morning.

    mouthwash (cause why not)

  2. He hasn't showered in weeks.

    why would he, he can just take a swim

  3. He has a full head of hair, but doesn't use a comb.

    after swimming, he just pulls his hair backward,

  4. He regularly wraps a noose around his neck.

    whistle around his neck

  5. He has a drug once or twice a day, but not for medicinal purposes.

    coffee, cola (contains caffeine, less than coffee) or maybe betel, if he's Asian (common among truck drivers, to stay awake, so why not for a lifeguard)

  6. He has poor vision, but doesn't wear glasses.

    he must wear contacts, cause glasses get in the way of swimming

  7. His favorite beverage contains 7 teaspoons of sugar.

    cola (elegantly also answers 5)

The weakest point with this answer would be 3)

the whistle-as-noose, as that isn't really tight around his neck.

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    $\begingroup$ 3 is also a health and safety concern, but otherwise a cool answer $\endgroup$
    – rybo111
    Jun 6, 2016 at 20:27
  • $\begingroup$ @rybo111 How is not combing one's hair a health and safety concern? $\endgroup$
    – Maurycy
    Jun 7, 2016 at 11:01
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    $\begingroup$ @Maurycy Meant 4! $\endgroup$
    – rybo111
    Jun 7, 2016 at 12:03
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Bob is

Not yet born !

He has a shot of alcohol every morning.

His mother's natural blood content (weak, around 0.03 or so).

He hasn't showered in weeks.

No showers in the womb !.

He has a full head of hair, but doesn't use a comb.

His hairs already grew

He regularly wraps a noose around his neck.

The umbilical cord

He has a drug once or twice a day, but not for medicinal purposes.

His mother's hormones (serotonine and the like).

He has poor vision, but doesn't wear glasses.

Foetus have poor vision, and to bring them glasses would be incomfortable for the mother.

His favourite beverage contains 7 teaspoons of sugar.

Amniotic liquid has a sugary flavor.

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    $\begingroup$ I'm learning so much about Bob $\endgroup$
    – rybo111
    Jun 7, 2016 at 14:34
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Here is my take:

He has a shot of alcohol every morning.

He has a glass of water every morning.

He hasn't showered in weeks.

He hasn't missed yoga classes in weeks.

He has a full head of hair, but doesn't use a comb.

He has a full head of hair, but doesn't use a cap!

He regularly wraps a noose around his neck.

He regularly wears a tie around his neck (for his office).

He has a drug once or twice a day, but not for medicinal purposes.

He exercises once or twice a day, but not for body-building purposes.

He has poor vision, but doesn't wear glasses.

He has good vision, but still wear glasses to avoid strain (while using mobile).

His favourite beverage contains 7 teaspoons of sugar.

His favourite beverage contains 2 teaspoons of sugar.

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    $\begingroup$ An equally valid answer given the constraints of the puzzle. $\endgroup$
    – Chris Cudmore
    Jun 6, 2016 at 13:11
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    $\begingroup$ Thank you :) but i do feel that the question is too broad to answer. $\endgroup$
    – ABcDexter
    Jun 6, 2016 at 13:12
  • $\begingroup$ Perhaps my wording wasn't the best? Rephrase each fact so that the original fact still remains, but it's in a new form. Edit suggestions welcome. For instance, "he has poor vision" cannot be changed to "he has good vision". $\endgroup$
    – rybo111
    Jun 6, 2016 at 13:13
  • $\begingroup$ @rybo111 Rather than "rephrase" perhaps say "interpret"? $\endgroup$
    – atkins
    Jun 6, 2016 at 13:58
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    $\begingroup$ Lol +1 for the creativity :P $\endgroup$
    – thepiercingarrow
    Jun 6, 2016 at 20:35
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Other answers:

He has a shot of alcohol every morning.

He uses glycerol as a sugar substitute.

He hasn't showered in weeks.

He hasn't been to a friend's bridal or wedding shower in some time.

He has a full head of hair, but doesn't use a comb.

Rocking the dreadlocks!

He regularly wraps a noose around his neck.

He partakes in Civil Rights reenactments regularly.

He has a drug once or twice a day, but not for medicinal purposes.

He lives in Colorado.

He has poor vision, but doesn't wear glasses.

He hasn't taken a vision test since he was a child and doesn't know his vision is poor.

His favourite beverage contains 7 teaspoons of sugar.

He is a typical American.

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    $\begingroup$ If you're going by the chemical definition, regular sugar is also an alcohol. $\endgroup$
    – f''
    Jun 7, 2016 at 3:49
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    $\begingroup$ Is your answer supposed to start "Other answers"? $\endgroup$
    – rybo111
    Jun 8, 2016 at 11:53
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Bob is 19 years old and single. That would make 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 normal and expected.

  1. He has a sexual fetish that involves strangling himself.

  2. He refuses to wear glasses because he thinks they make him "look like a geek".

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