The Palindromes of Weird Al's "Bob" Quiz

Answer: a German am I

The L at the end of "regal" is the center of the palindrome.

An artist named Scott Chaseling designed a vase named after this palindrome. The Scott Jacobson Gallery described it thus: "Blown vessel with yellow interior layered with clear glass, then layered with red and finished off with brown, sand blasted cameo exposing all the colors." It's quite a vibrant piece.

Answer: Adam

A classic palindrome. The I in "I'm" marks the center.

This palindrome was the title of a 2001 episode of "The Lone Gunmen". According to the Internet Movie Database, "The Lone Gunmen" is "Spin-off of The X-Files featuring the trio of computer-hacking conspiracy geeks popularly known as The Lone Gunmen. Never ones to stray far from the center of corporate and government intrigue, the threesome of John Byers, Melvin Frohike, and Richard Langly play like a misguided Mission Impossible team, embarking on a series of comic adventures that simultaneously highlight their genius and ineptitude." In the "Madam, I'm Adam" episode, the trio meet a man who has found his life "erased" -- None of the people he knows know who he is.

Answer: Lisa Bonet

The A in "ate" is the center of the palindrome.

I don't know if Lisa Bonet ate any basil or not, but she gained fame and wealth, along with an Emmy nomination, as Denise Huxtable on "The Cosby Show".

Answer: see God

The E at the end of "geese" is the center of the palindrome.

David Slade directed a 2004 sci-fi short thriller called "Do Geese See God?", written by David Carter and Greg Hahn.

Answer: Nine men I nod

The center of this palindrome is the P in "interpret".

I would assume the "nine men" refer to a pre-Sandra Day O'Connor Supreme Court. But a blogger named Klepopotamus offered his nonsense interpretation (which he felt was appropriate for a nonsense song):

"The 'Nine Men' are the Beatles, whose weirdness culminated with Revolution #9. This is a commentary on our ability to outsource our culture (bringing the Beatles to America) and then ruin it (clearly a reference to Ringo's solo work)."

Answer: no evil star

This one contains an even number of letters, doubling the central Ns.

Ookla The Mo actually performed a song entitled, "Rats Live On No Evil Star", including such lyrics as:

"Here we go here we go
Rats live on no evil star
Everything I say you hear the other way
It's 1917 and I'm the Czar"

I swear I am not making this up.

Answer: selfless as I am

The F in "selfless" marks the center.

Other palindromes featuring ma include "Ma has a ham" and "Ma is a madam, as I am."

Answer: doom a yam

The A in "baby" is the center of the palindrome.

A yam is not to be confused with a sweet potato. Excessive contact with raw yams can cause itching. Maybe that's what made the baby moody.

Yams can be stored up to six months without refrigeration.

Answer: Tylenol

The T in "Tylenol" marks the center. I wonder who noticed that the final letters of Tylenol spell "lonely" backwards?

Tylenol is a brand name of acetaminophen, a popular pain reliever and fever reducer. Since it comes in bottles with other Tylenol pills, it's evidently part of a lonely crowd.

Answer: no minor ego

The N in "no" is the center of the palindrome.

Geronimo's name means "one who yawns" -- making it an odd thing to shout before jumping. But there's a logic to it!

According to Wikipedia, "In 1940, the night before their first mass jump, U.S. paratroopers at Fort Benning watched the 1939 film "Geronimo", in which the actor playing Geronimo yells his name as he leaps from a high cliff into a river, depicting a real-life escape Geronimo successfully attempted in which he jumped off Medicine Bluff at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, into the Medicine Creek with his Cadillac horse. Private Aubrey Eberhardt announced he would shout the name when he jumped from the airplane to prove he was not scared."

Answer: a Toyota

Another case of brand-name palindromery. The possessive S after the first "Toyota" marks the center.

Toyota is the world's largest automobile manufacturer, employing over 300,000 people worldwide.

Answer: tofu

The T in "tofu" is the center of the palindrome.

Tofu, which originated in China, is basically a kind of soy-milk cheese. It's also called bean curd. There are two primary types of tofu -- fresh tofu, which is made from the soy milk, and processed tofu, made from fresh tofu.

Although fresh tofu is virtually without flavor or odor, fermented tofu can have a foul smell, but, like stinky cheeses, it has aficionados who savor the flavor.

Answer: sanitary zoo

The S in "sanitary" marks the center.

The rat is the first animal of the Chinese zodiac. The fancy rats people keep as pets are the same species as common sewer rats.

Answer: a fat egg under a dog

The F in "fat" is the center.

The Red Nugget is also an ice cream shop in Cooperstown, New York.

Answer: lasagna hog

Another palindrome with an even number of letters, doubling the central I.

Jon Agee wrote a book of palindromes entitled, "Go Hang a Salami, I'm a Lasagna Hog", complete with amusing illustrations.