The Wombat File Is Yours to Keep

Go Ipso Factoids! (And go Rachel, the team's MVP in this first round!)

Our answers:
1. The Prince and the Pauper
2. Pollyanna
3. Crossword puzzles
4. Defoe
5. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

We got half-credit on 3 through 5, and no credit at all for #1, since the correct answer was Puss in Boots. (Although looking at Walken's IMDB entries for 1988, I'm tempted by other possibilities that include Biloxi Blues and The Milagro Beanfield War.)

Our original guesses before the bonus clues were 3. Cocktail recipes 4. Melville 5. Show Boat. (We also kicked around Camus for #4.)

A fine set of questions, I'd say: they all seemed like stumpers, but rewarded further noodling.

Oh, I hates to do this, but I think we should be at 120, not 160.

We said

1. Puss in Boots
2. Pollyanna
3. Crossword Puzzles
4. Cervantes
5. Thoroughly Modern Millie

1, 2, and 3 half-credit. Bill is probably giving us full credit for #2, but in the first round we said Pollyanna for #5, and Mame for #2.

Boxjam, in the pre-clue round Laura must have switched #2 and #5 without your approval, because her submission shows Pollyanna at #2.
So I think scores are right.

'bat, I think my saintly teammate might have switched 2 for 5 based on my suggestion, which she believed to be pre-clue, but which was post-clue. Or she may have switched them for some other reason; I don't know. My input that '2 sure seems like it could be Pollyanna what with the saccharine ending' and her e-mail to you crossed in the intertubes, and I don't know the order of the confusing events.

Boxjam,

Another wrinkle -- if you check back in your e-mail, you'll note that I suggested on Tuesday Afternoon that Mame might could be #5 instead of #2, obviously wrong, but what I believe prompted Laura's last- minute switcheroo. Possibly. I'll live with 120 points if need be since it was me that prompted all this hand-wringing.

Jump ship to BHYU, and you can live with 80 points.

herbivorous,

It *would* reduce the clutter, true, but I've grown accustomed to this three digit lifestyle.

'jam, I've looked into the answer chronology, and your point total will stand.

I will admit that I found it startling that no one got Defoe in round one. Once I posted the question, I was concerned I had not made it difficult enough.

Sure, in retrospect Defoe's obvious, what with the civet cats and epidemic during childhood.

BTW, I googled after our post-clue answers were already submitted, and still couldn't figure out defoe.

"'The Storm' author civet cat perfume"'s top hit is...wombatfile.com.

Hey, I'm still surprised; I didn't know Willem Dafoe wrote anything, other than ad libbing a few lines in Streets of Fire.

I've got an extra digit for ya right here, hackly.

Thorougly MOdern Civit Cats in Boots Tilt at the Windmills of Pollyanna's Mind.

Defoe! Curse you Wombat! Will Shortz is much nicer than you.

Defoe.

Bring on the Past, Tipper! Whiskey Rebellion Anarchy Power!

I'm confused. Did the Dependent Clauses fail to submit revised answers?

Correct, Scraps. But you earned 80 points for one correct guess pre-clue. I forget which one was right, and I'm not in front of my email this second...

Lest anyone think we are a bunch of "cheese-eating surrender monkeys" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrender_monkeys), the reason for the Dependent Clauses' lack of revised answers was not due to ennui, cowardice or alien abduction. It was merely an apparent "communication breakdown" (yes, we're blaming it on Led Zeppelin) as to who would be the "submission monkey." We fully intend on building a perfect score in the next round, upon which we will climb a "stairway to heaven."