This is an entry into the 16th Fortnightly Challenge - reverse-puzzling
The Puzzleland Inc. is recruiting some fresh blood, and after some brain-bending tests, the candidates have been shortlisted to just two - of which you are one, of course. The final hurdle to cross is an interview; both the candidates will be called one by one, and asked a question. The one to answer the quickest will be appointed to the post of CEO - the Chief Enigmatic Officer.
On the day of interview, as luck would have it, your opponent is called first, as you are told to wait outside. You grin devilishly. You put on the headphone that is linked to a thought-reading device you secretly implanted in your rival's neck. As you turn on the switch, his train of thoughts crowd in you ear. Albeit the streaming is a bit noisy, you manage to listen to his mind...
Ah, interesting! But I don't get how this one is supposed to work; it obviously looks too short. Hmm...a CD maybe? Silence? What could mean silence? A gag? Shh...! That is not quite correct, I think...
Probably I am barking up the wrong tree...let me try something else.
OK, then... But I need the D. D is nothing? Nil? But what does the other part mean? The I is suspicious...maybe that is the D? I, three? ...could it be one? Hmm...ahh, I know - it's not telling, it's giving an example - and zero is nothing. Now THAT makes sense. This gives me a feeling of self-esteem. I should write it down quickly...the answer is ...
You are dismayed as the connection is suddenly interrupted. Shortly after, you are called inside. The interviewer announces, in a grave tone:
We have seen through your trickery. As you might expect, we are not going to ask you the same question that we asked him. Instead, your task is to figure out what the question was that we asked the other candidate. If you succeed, we will forget all that happened, and select you; but if you don't, the Police will take care of you.
You gasp. What are you going to answer?
Answer
This is something to do with
crossword clues.
Specifically (with thanks to @GentlePurpleRain for help coming up with this):
your rival is attempting to solve the following crossword clue: I say nothing (3). The solution is EGO, because the ego is part of the self ("I"), and "say" refers to giving an example (as in "a part of the self - the ego, say"), which is abbreviated as e.g., while "nothing" ~ zero ~ O.
This fits with most of what your rival is saying, as follows (with help from the OP for one or two lines):
Ah, interesting! But I don't get how this one is supposed to work; it obviously looks too short.
Only three letters.
Hmm...a CD maybe?
He wonders if the clue could be a Cryptic Definition.
Silence? What could mean silence? A gag? Shh...! That is not quite correct, I think... Probably I am barking up the wrong tree...let me try something else.
"I say nothing" sounds like it means something to do with silence, and "gag" and "shh" are 3-letter words, but ultimately he's barking up the wrong tree here.
OK, then... But I need the D.
Assuming this is 'regular' cryptic clue, he needs the Definition part.
D is nothing? Nil? But what does the other part mean?
He wonders if the "nothing" bit could be the definition. Nil is a three-letter word associated with the word "nothing" which appears in the clue. But that doesn't fit with the "I say" part.
The I is suspicious...maybe that is the D? I, three? ...could it be one?
Starting from the "I" part of the clue, he reached "one", another 3-letter word, as a possible solution.
Hmm...ahh, I know - it's not telling, it's giving an example - and zero is nothing. Now THAT makes sense.
Finally he gets it: the word "say" isn't say as in tell, but say as in giving an example, and the word "nothing" gives a zero or O.
This gives me a feeling of self-esteem. I should write it down quickly...the answer is ...
"a feeling of self-esteem" hints at the solution: EGO.
Original attempts at working out the meanings of the paragraphs of thought processes
The first paragraph seems to be about
a word with 2 or maybe 3 letters ("it obviously looks too short. Hmm...a CD maybe?"), where the clue contains something to do with the word "silence".
In the second paragraph, your rival is deciding
to move on and try a different clue from the crossword instead.
The third paragraph is about
a word which is known to contain a D and/or an I, where the clue contains something to do with the word "nothing". Your rival wonders if "nil" may be part of the solution, but eventually realises that in fact "zero" is, and that something else in the clue is an example rather than an instruction.
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