Jeopardy! Season 38 (2021-2022)

[Trey]

Just an okay game for me. My only ts's were raw and A Mighty Wind.

Even I was aghast that Adams was accepted without a BMS.

However, I finally got my first FJ of the week.

[MrAtoz]

12 hours ago, possibilities said:

I don't know if I can tell the difference between sing-er and sing-ger. I don't remember noticing when Mayim said it, and I don't know if that's because I can't tell the difference, or because I've only ever heard it one way. 

Try saying the word "singer," then the word "finger."  Do they sound the same to you?  Or do you perceive a more prominent G sound in the middle of the word "finger"?

Most people do, but this does seem to be a genuine linguistic variation.  I've run into enough people in online discussions who don't notice any difference in the two pronunciations, or if they do, consider it too minor a distinction to worry about, that I've got to believe that some people just naturally pronounce singer the same way Mayim does.

I'm not going to criticize that.  Dialects are what they are, and judging people who speak a different dialect than I do is not something that I want to get into.

[SoMuchTV]

I realize there are people who don't care for Mayim (or don't prefer her as host), but it kind of surprises me how many people (elsewhere and to some extent here) seem to be blaming her for judging issues.  If the writers (or judges?  or both?) aren't including some kind of annotation on the answer cards like "first and last names required" or "acceptable alternatives are..." when the general rules (last name only is acceptable, initial articles don't matter) don't apply,  then that's on them.  Now if they are including that guidance, she's ignoring it, and they're not coming back with a change in scoring, as well as taking Mayim aside and saying "do better!", well, that's still on the judges/production staff.

I'll be glad when Ken's back, but maybe not for the same reason as a lot of people :)

[TakomaSnark]

20 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

I realize there are people who don't care for Mayim (or don't prefer her as host), but it kind of surprises me how many people (elsewhere and to some extent here) seem to be blaming her for judging issues.  If the writers (or judges?  or both?) aren't including some kind of annotation on the answer cards like "first and last names required" or "acceptable alternatives are..." when the general rules (last name only is acceptable, initial articles don't matter) don't apply,  then that's on them.  Now if they are including that guidance, she's ignoring it, and they're not coming back with a change in scoring, as well as taking Mayim aside and saying "do better!", well, that's still on the judges/production staff.

I'll be glad when Ken's back, but maybe not for the same reason as a lot of people :)

It's become a real 'bitch eating crackers' situation with Mayim. I wasn't particularly partial to her but seeing her get attacked for doing many of the same things that Ken does (including not prompting to BMS - anyone remember his not prompting to BMS for 'Manning,' even though there were at least three possible football playing Mannings that could have been the correct response?) is just bonkers.

From the longtime Jeopardy recapper at Reddit:

Quote

If the producers insisted on [BMS prompts] being done every time, it would be very easy to do. The first time it happens, call for a stopdown, remind Mayim to say it and reshoot it. After a couple of times, either she would learn to do it, or she wouldn't continue to host for very long.

It's not much different than the "Single Jeopardy!" thing. She said it because she didn't know any better and no one told her not to say it. It's up to the producers to catch these things and correct them before they go out over the air.

[possibilities]

1 hour ago, MrAtoz said:

Or do you perceive a more prominent G sound in the middle of the word "finger"?

No, I don't.

[Welshman in Ca]

I got final Jeopardy as I had just watched a program about Stalin & his rise to power that afternoon & knew that he hadn't gained the ultimate leadership until later so it had to be Lenin, if not for that my first reaction may well have been Stalin.

[30 Helens]

To be perfectly fair, it is true that we got a huge production/ staffing change at the same time we got a host change. And there could be a conscious BTS effort to loosen up some of the rules that may, in their minds, make the show less accessible. So for all we know, Mayim has been told not to stop and ask for more information unless a little voice whispers in her ear to do so.

All that said, I think the reason Mayim gets more flak than Ken (even though I do remember some criticism over that Manning clue) is because by the time something like this happens she has already done so many small things to annoy, befuddle or distract that I, for one, am already at the end of my patience. 

Maybe she gets more blame than she should. But I think the criticism is still deserved. 

T-minus one to Ken.

[Clanstarling]

9 hours ago, Montreal Meany said:

Who with a heart would not?

Me. I have a heart, but I never read the books, that I can recall. I did watch the series, but I don't think it was used on the show. I know Jesus Wept from other sources (the bible not so much).

I did pretty well, almost ran Cold, and the TV show episodes (missing, dang nab it, the one I was most familiar with - Say My Name just left me blank, despite having watched the entire series at least twice. Sigh..)

Ran I Know What You Did. Got the raw, tundra, and Merkel TS.

I worked out FJ mostly by the date and what country is close to Finland.

Even though I blanked out on Samuel Adams' first name, I was pretty ticked off that BMS was not asked. Whether it's Mayim or not, it's annoying. It would be annoying with Ken as well.

Edited July 15, 2022 by Clanstarling

[proserpina65]

19 hours ago, Bastet said:

From her reaction when Mayim said "12, to make up the jury" I think Emily didn't put it together that a courtroom drama with a certain number of people selected for audience participation meant jury in the first place.

That was my impression as well.

Agree with others on the lack of a BMS for Adams.  That's absolutely ridiculous.

I had a decent game last night.  Only ran 4 categories (Terrible Supervillain Names, That's Cold, Literary Castles and I Know What You Did) but did get quite a few stumpers (tundra, deductible & copay, meat locker, raw, Savannah river, Dodie Smith, A Mighty Wind, Angela Merkel and beach volleyball).  And I got FJ.

I have been known to refer to one of the hearing rooms in our courthouse as a meat locker because it's always so cold.  Also, I was at the first US Olympic trials for beach volleyball in Baltimore in 1996.  I got to see Karch Kiraly play; the man is truly a legend in the sport of volleyball.  It was a lot of fun to watch in person.

13 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

My theory: Bialik doesn't know there was more than one Adams. She rules it correct immediately, and the judges let it go because of the hassle involved.

I don't really blame her.  The egregious lack of "be more specific" has being going on for quite some time, even back when Alex was still alive.  There was a game in 2015 with the long-time champ Alex Jacob, in the category "The First President", where contestants were credited with correct answers for "Adams" and "Roosevelt" without having to specify which President Adams and which President Roosevelt.  This is a producer problem more than a host problem.  It definitely has been getting worse in the last few seasons, though.

[proserpina65]

58 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

Me. I have a heart, but I never read the books, that I can recall. I did watch the series, but I don't think it was used on the show. I know Jesus Wept from other sources (the bible not so much).

I read the Little House books religiously, have my own copies, and used to re-read The Long Winter during the first snowstorm of every year.  I do not recall the phrase "Jesus Wept" in the books.  (Not saying it isn't in there, just that I don't remember.)  I credit Andy Dalziel with fixing it in my brain.

[MrAtoz]

1 hour ago, 30 Helens said:

To be perfectly fair, it is true that we got a huge production/ staffing change at the same time we got a host change. And there could be a conscious BTS effort to loosen up some of the rules that may, in their minds, make the show less accessible. So for all we know, Mayim has been told not to stop and ask for more information unless a little voice whispers in her ear to do so.

I suspect that this may be true.  You can see that they've made certain changes to the way things are done, such as the "next time on Jeopardy!" and the little recaps at the beginning of most episodes.  I think that there's been a deliberate effort to make Jeopardy! seem a bit less "stodgy" than its traditional reputation.  I don't know the numbers, but it's been no secret that the show's viewership tends to skew older.*  Trying to appeal to younger viewers may be an explicit goal of the new production team, and being looser with the "be more specifics" could be part of that.

* Just a note in support of that:  even today, some four years later, people at work often introduce me to new folks by saying "He was on Jeopardy!"  People who are, say, 45 or older tend to react with something like, "Wow, really?  That's so exciting! Did you win?  What was Alex like?, etc., etc."  Younger people's reactions are more along the lines of, "Oh. Okay."  They're just not that interested.  This isn't universal, but it's frequent enough that I notice it.

[Clanstarling]

30 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

I don't really blame her.  The egregious lack of "be more specific" has being going on for quite some time, even back when Alex was still alive.  There was a game in 2015 with the long-time champ Alex Jacob, in the category "The First President", where contestants were credited with correct answers for "Adams" and "Roosevelt" without having to specify which President Adams and which President Roosevelt.  This is a producer problem more than a host problem.  It definitely has been getting worse in the last few seasons, though.

True. How long has our Kit Carson gag been going on? As I recall, that was in response to a lack of a BMS, and was quite a while ago.

[proserpina65]

27 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

True. How long has our Kit Carson gag been going on? As I recall, that was in response to a lack of a BMS, and was quite a while ago.

The Kit Carson gag was a result of Alex telling a contestant to be more specific in response to the contestant answering "Carson" to this clue:

"Nevada's capital is named for this man who sojourned through the West for 40 years"

It was also in Season 31, in 2015, just 2 games after the president debacle.  So maybe the producers started telling Alex to ask for more info rather just accepting a last name?  Seems to me there was a question about Nehru for which he required a first name as well, even when the category didn't specify.

59 minutes ago, MrAtoz said:

even today, some four years later, people at work often introduce me to new folks by saying "He was on Jeopardy!"  People who are, say, 45 or older tend to react with something like, "Wow, really?  That's so exciting! Did you win?  What was Alex like?, etc., etc."  Younger people's reactions are more along the lines of, "Oh. Okay."  They're just not that interested.  This isn't universal, but it's frequent enough that I notice it.

There's a lawyer here who does that every time he's in my office.  People, no matter their ages, never respond with anything other than "Wow, how'd you do?  What's Alex like?".  I definitely don't get a sense that younger people aren't interested.  It is possible that young folks don't watch it on tv like us old fogies do, though.

[dcalley]

48 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

True. How long has our Kit Carson gag been going on? As I recall, that was in response to a lack of a BMS, and was quite a while ago.

That whole thing started because a BMS was required for Carson, and no one knew Kit.

ETA: Thanks for the clue's wording, @proserpina65! I see it was a $200 clue! https://j-archive.com/showgame.php?game_id=4878

Edited July 15, 2022 by dcalley

[30 Helens]

14 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

"Nevada's capital is named for this man who sojourned through the West for 40 years"

Johnny Carson, right?

(Sorry.)

[TakomaSnark]

2 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

To be perfectly fair, it is true that we got a huge production/ staffing change at the same time we got a host change. And there could be a conscious BTS effort to loosen up some of the rules that may, in their minds, make the show less accessible. So for all we know, Mayim has been told not to stop and ask for more information unless a little voice whispers in her ear to do so.

All that said, I think the reason Mayim gets more flak than Ken (even though I do remember some criticism over that Manning clue) is because by the time something like this happens she has already done so many small things to annoy, befuddle or distract that I, for one, am already at the end of my patience. 

Maybe she gets more blame than she should. But I think the criticism is still deserved. 

T-minus one to Ken.

Ken was literally stepping in it on Twitter this past week, jumping into a thread critical of how the MVP speaks in a way that pretty much reminds me of the accusations against him of ableism.

This would be headline news if Mayim had done it; but Ken's nonsense is continually given a pass.

I did wonder if he felt 'free' to be chatty politically once again because he knows the future plans.

Edited July 15, 2022 by TakomaSnark

[illdoc]

15 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

Morticia

Addams (2 Ds).

[ams1001]

12 hours ago, ProudMary said:

I wish, but I highly doubt it. She's already been named a host of Jeopardy! She'll be around in some hosting capacity. 😒

Also, I doubt they're going to make any hosting announcements before the season ends. If they do, I'd bet it'll be on the last episode.

11 hours ago, Bastet said:

<Raises hand>

I've never read any of the Little House books and have only seen a few episodes of the show.   

I read all of them but I don't remember that.

 

[TakomaSnark]

5 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

Also, I doubt they're going to make any hosting announcements before the season ends. If they do, I'd bet it'll be on the last episode.

I read all of them but I don't remember that.

 

They are using Ken and Mayim in promos for the next season. I'm not sure how much more obvious they can be.

[chitowngirl]

27 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

I read all of them but I don't remember that.

It’s referenced in On the Banks of Plum Creek

[mertensia]

2 hours ago, ams1001 said:

Also, I doubt they're going to make any hosting announcements before the season ends. If they do, I'd bet it'll be on the last episode.

I read all of them but I don't remember that.

 

It happens in Sunday School. They are supposed to recite verses and Laura is assigned Jesus wept and is appalled or mortified that the teacher thinks she isn't capable of memorizing anything longer.

[Roaster]

Hey Anmol, I said Metamorphosis, too, before hearing a disappointed Mayim correct us that it's Metamorphoses.

I did not come up with FJ - disappointed in myself because those topics were in my wheelhouse.

Alex would have liked champion Emily if only because she won a lot of money.

[ams1001]

80% / 73% / 77%

Pretty good first round; ran Bite Club and Ice Cream, missed two Musicians and Novel Ts, and two US Places and 4,4.

Not terrible second round; ran Ends with I, missed one in Mexican History and You Will Get Better Here, and two each in the other categories.

FJ was an instaget.

TSes were data dump, black mamba, Matamorphoses (DD).

 

[IdEatThat]

Hopefully our long national nightmare is over.

[annzeepark914]

An anaconda in Africa? Really???

Did anyone hear me screaming black mamba?

[Katy M]

16 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

An anaconda in Africa? Really???

Did anyone hear me screaming black mamba?

No, because I drowned you ou twith my own screaming.

I got FJ, but it wasn't an instaget.  Had to think about it.

I got the missed clues of Romney, down east, black mamba and NCIS.

i got the entire categories of US places, ice cream and bite club right.

I only got one right in musician's first names, but other than I only missed 3 clues in the first round.  I tanked the first half of DJ only get one or two right in the first 3 categories, but only missed one clue each in the last 3 categories (opera, i and better).

[dcalley]

NOVEL "T"s was not explained. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was the only answer that didn't start with a T. ("The" doesn't count.) I wish they'd mixed it up a bit more. Even the J6 clue has three options that all start with T.

[GreekGeek]

1 hour ago, dcalley said:

NOVEL "T"s was not explained. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was the only answer that didn't start with a T. ("The" doesn't count.) I wish they'd mixed it up a bit more. Even the J6 clue has three options that all start with T.

I think they were expecting the response to be Tom Sawyer, without adding "The Adventures of."

[Mindthinkr]

I got data dump, black mamba, NCIS and I knew FJ, but couldn’t pull it out of my brain on time. 

[Browncoat]

I am embarrassed to admit that I did not get FJ tonight.  I should have, but I looked at the size part of the clue and my brain went to colossus, then wouldn’t leave.  It didn’t help that another person in the room was shouting out random metals like lead.

I didn’t keep track of TS tonight, but I know I got black mamba.

[SomeTameGazelle]

2 hours ago, Roaster said:

Hey Anmol, I said Metamorphosis, too, before hearing a disappointed Mayim correct us that it's Metamorphoses.

That was a roller coaster ride. When Anmol started the round with the Ovid category I assumed that it was one he felt comfortable with. When he found the DD on the second clue I applauded when he bet the max $2000.  When the clue came up and mentioned transformation I was sure that he would think of Ovid's best-known work immediately.  I was on the edge of my seat as he hesitated, and then finally he got it: Metamorphos! -- IS.  I'm glad he rallied and came in 2nd in the end, but that was very disappointing. Still, Emily played a very good game, I am still loving the surname Fiasco, and she deserved her win.

[possibilities]

Emily is so laid back! I wonder if having the name Fiasco has caused her to be always prepared.

7 hours ago, TakomaSnark said:

Ken was literally stepping in it on Twitter this past week

It's disappointing if Ken is acting obnoxious. I was very opposed to him being hired to host J! until I saw how much better I liked the show when he did it compared to how I felt when others did. I didn't see what he said, but if he hasn't learned by now how to not be obnoxious, he's not going to learn. Disappointing.

If the new management wants to make the show less fussy, I don't think they understand why people watch. They can make it compelling by casting interesting and varied contestants, and by having interesting and challenging categories. But to make the rule sloppy? I doubt that will attract more interest. It's like saying: "Ratings are down! Let's get lazy, and sloppy! That will bring the love!"

THen again, what do I know? Maybe there's an untapped audience for confusing, vague, and sloppy trivia contests.

[Bastet]

Boy, was I off to a bad start; I only ran places in the first round.  I got all but one in bite club, gelato, and musicians, missed two in 4, 4, and was awful in novels, missing three.

It didn't get any better in DJ; I only ran ends in I.  I got all but one in get better and Mexican, but I blew Ovid other than the $200 clue (I screwed up the Metamorphoses DD the same way Anmol did), and missed three in opera and two in models.

When I didn't get FJ right away, I thought this was going to be a bad game all around, but it came to me after some pondering.  That cheered me up, since as much as I enjoy an instaget, I feel really good about the FJs I don't initially know but figure out.

The data dump, Romney, and black mamba TS surprised me a little bit, but no Wow, I was not expecting that reactions like I had last night.

The way Emily selected "4, 4 for four" tickled me for some reason.  I also, like a poster above, dig Fiasco as a last name.

Mayim's joke about being told not to when she wears patchouli amused me, as I have friends whose whole house smells like that stuff and I'm one of the few who can stand it (I don't like it, but I don't dislike it -- although I am happy we spend much of our time outdoors instead).

[opus]

7 minutes ago, Bastet said:

  I also, like a poster above, dig Fiasco as a last name.

It definitely has book/TV/movie character written all over it.

[annzeepark914]

Does anyone think Emily will be a10+ game winner? Or are her competitors in these three games so far not topnotch?  I'm amazed at the amount of money she wins.

[30 Helens]

3 hours ago, GreekGeek said:

I think they were expecting the response to be Tom Sawyer, without adding "The Adventures of."

Except that’s not the name of the book. There is an annoying trend toward including the article when alphabetizing titles (which drives me crazy when I have to search though 2 pages of things starting with “The”), so it would not surprise me if the T in question was the one at the start of The.

2 hours ago, possibilities said:

I didn't see what he said, but if he hasn't learned by now how to not be obnoxious, he's not going to learn. Disappointing.

I don’t know what he said either, although I did my best to find it. But I’m reserving judgment until I know there’s something that deserves judging. Ken has a dry sense of humor (as do I), and that can sometimes be misunderstood. Also, Twitter twits have a long track record of getting worked up over nothing.

And before anyone thinks I wouldn’t give Mayim the same benefit of the doubt, I defended her about her so-called anti-vax comments that actually weren’t. That was another case of public jumping to conclusions. But if I were Ken (or Mayim), I’d just stay the hell off of Twitter.

[possibilities]

6 hours ago, Bastet said:

Mayim's joke about being told not to when she wears patchouli amused me,

Me, too. I despise the stuff. It's one of those things that I just cannot even imagine how anyone doesn't find it repulsive. Yet, apparently, some love it. Shudder.

[TakomaSnark]

8 hours ago, possibilities said:

Emily is so laid back! I wonder if having the name Fiasco has caused her to be always prepared.

It's disappointing if Ken is acting obnoxious. I was very opposed to him being hired to host J! until I saw how much better I liked the show when he did it compared to how I felt when others did. I didn't see what he said, but if he hasn't learned by now how to not be obnoxious, he's not going to learn. Disappointing.

If the new management wants to make the show less fussy, I don't think they understand why people watch. They can make it compelling by casting interesting and varied contestants, and by having interesting and challenging categories. But to make the rule sloppy? I doubt that will attract more interest. It's like saying: "Ratings are down! Let's get lazy, and sloppy! That will bring the love!"

THen again, what do I know? Maybe there's an untapped audience for confusing, vague, and sloppy trivia contests.

I'll just say this: He unnecessarily jumped into a comment thread that suggested that Kamala Harris had a speech impediment. While his comment was an obnoxious one about learning what 'KHIVE' was, the fact that he couldn't just STFU tells me volumes about his self-control. 

He also jumped into a reply with Michael Ian Black mocking Catholics who idolize JFK.

I would think if Sony saw him as the full-time face of the franchise going foward, they'd have seized his Twitter already.

In no universe would Mayim inserting herself like that not be a major scandal.

Edited July 16, 2022 by TakomaSnark

[GreekGeek]

5 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

Except that’s not the name of the book. There is an annoying trend toward including the article when alphabetizing titles (which drives me crazy when I have to search though 2 pages of things starting with “The”), so it would not surprise me if the T in question was the one at the start of The.

It sometimes happens that a title is changed or abbreviated and becomes an acceptable alternative. J! regularly accepts Alice in Wonderland rather than Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and The Wizard of Oz without including "Wonderful", which was in the title of the original book.

[Trey]

10 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

and I knew FJ, but couldn’t pull it out of my brain on time. 

Me too.  I was concentrating on the Greek gods part of the clue because I knew it and wracked my brain but I could not Remember the Titans. It was just on the edge of my brain.

I did get the ts's of mamba (I was also shouting the answer), Leander, and NCIS.

[annzeepark914]

1 hour ago, Trey said:

I did get the ts's of mamba (I was also shouting the answer), Leander, and NCIS.

Just had a funny vision of people watching this show, all across America (well, by time zones), shouting "answers" at their TV's. I shout louder when it's a ts 😁.

[Clanstarling]

18 hours ago, mertensia said:

It happens in Sunday School. They are supposed to recite verses and Laura is assigned Jesus wept and is appalled or mortified that the teacher thinks she isn't capable of memorizing anything longer.

I'd be thrilled. I'm pretty good at memorizing, but I'm also lazy.

15 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

An anaconda in Africa? Really???

I was more "deadly bite, really?"

14 hours ago, dcalley said:

NOVEL "T"s was not explained. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was the only answer that didn't start with a T. ("The" doesn't count.) I wish they'd mixed it up a bit more. Even the J6 clue has three options that all start with T.

I answered Tom Sawyer. I always forget the Adventures of part.

12 hours ago, possibilities said:

Emily is so laid back! I wonder if having the name Fiasco has caused her to be always prepared.

I haven't checked, but I've wondered if someone way back in the family tree is responsible for the definition of the word. 😄

9 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

Except that’s not the name of the book. There is an annoying trend toward including the article when alphabetizing titles (which drives me crazy when I have to search though 2 pages of things starting with “The”), so it would not surprise me if the T in question was the one at the start of The.

I think this trend started happening when we started using computer programs (especially Excel) to sort alphabetically. It is annoying, but not as annoying as way back in the day when my local Blockbuster "alphabetized" by the first letter of the title.

5 hours ago, possibilities said:

Me, too. I despise the stuff. It's one of those things that I just cannot even imagine how anyone doesn't find it repulsive. Yet, apparently, some love it. Shudder.

I hate the smell of patchouli and am old enough to have smelled it a lot.

I did pretty well, but no FJ. I would have run Ice Cream, except I said Brown Bunny instead of Blue Bunny - two VERY different things.

Edited July 16, 2022 by Clanstarling

[ams1001]

17 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

I haven't checked, but I've wondered if someone way back in the family tree is responsible for the definition of the word. 😄

It's comments like this that make me go google things...

Quote

The story here involves the original Italian word fiasco, which means "glass bottle."

According to one theory, when Venetian glassblowers realized a beautiful piece was flawed, they turned it into an ordinary bottle.

When that happened, a would-be work of art was downgraded into a mere fiasco - which is, according to the theory, how that word came to mean "complete failure."

[Clanstarling]

20 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

It's comments like this that make me go google things...

Thank you! I'm going to have a lot of fun with avocado!

[stonehaven]

I ran Ice Cream and got FJ so I was pleased with myself. I also am still laughing at that one guy who answered Steve Miller for a question about the frontman for the Time doing "Jungle Love"....Shows his age....I will admit Steve's "Jungle" is better to dance too....

[Montreal Meany]

12 hours ago, GreekGeek said:

It sometimes happens that a title is changed or abbreviated and becomes an acceptable alternative. J! regularly accepts Alice in Wonderland rather than Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and The Wizard of Oz without including "Wonderful", which was in the title of the original book.

That's true, and I don't mind in general if they accept "Wizard of Oz" for "Wonderful Wizard of Oz", but if the category name "Novel 'T's" means (as I presume) we are to look for novels that start with "T", then they ought to restrict themselves to proper titles. They only have to come up with five, after all. 
 

[MrAtoz]

14 hours ago, GreekGeek said:

It sometimes happens that a title is changed or abbreviated and becomes an acceptable alternative. J! regularly accepts Alice in Wonderland rather than Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and The Wizard of Oz without including "Wonderful", which was in the title of the original book.

Or (to give my favorite example), Gulliver's Travels rather than Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World.  In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships.

[Ailianna]

For Book of the Dead, I said The Book of Going Forth by Day. Not to be one of those people; I've just been reading A lot of Egyptian history/archeology lately, and that's the actual translation if the title, but you rarely hear it in the non-academic arena. Would they have ruled that correct?

[SomeTameGazelle]

12 minutes ago, Ailianna said:

For Book of the Dead, I said The Book of Going Forth by Day. Not to be one of those people; I've just been reading A lot of Egyptian history/archeology lately, and that's the actual translation if the title, but you rarely hear it in the non-academic arena. Would they have ruled that correct?

The category World of Opera and the phrasing in the clue ("words sung from this tome")  don't seem to rule it out. However the Wikipedia entry gives the literal translation as Coming rather than Going.  I don't know whether the word is flexible enough to be translated as either coming or going.  If not that's probably where you would be ruled incorrect.

[Ailianna]

Wikipedia being well and good, but Aidan Dodson, E. A. Wallis Budge, Barbara Mertz, use the word going. I suspect it's a translation imprecision, but I think going forth is still more common in the literature, as seen in this translation.

I think if they tried to rule me incorrect on coming versus going (and now I'm having flashbacks to my US Army basic training--if you were there in those years you know!), I'd fight that one. I just wasn't sure if it had to be something from that opera (which I've never heard of) it if it was just about the text.