The term lateral thinking was coined by Edward de Bono to denote a creative problem-solving style that involves looking at the given situation from unexpected angles, and is typically necessary to the solution of situation puzzles.
The term "lateral-thinking puzzle" was popularised by Paul Sloane in his 1992 book Lateral Thinking Puzzlers.
[1] One situation puzzle would be: A man walks into a bar, and asks the bartender for a drink of water.
The bartender realized this and chose instead to cure the hiccups by frightening the man with the gun.
Once the man realized that his hiccups were gone, he no longer needed a drink of water, gratefully thanked the bartender, and left.