The Lunchtime Bonus Question

Welcome to the Lunchtime Bonus Question.

The rules are simple. Every day at 1030 GMT we give you an answer. You then tell us what the question was.

Marks are deducted for predictability, and a selection of your most wrong questions are published each day until about 1500 GMT when the actual question is revealed.

The winner of the inaugural Lunchtime Achievement Award and the prize of the handsome luxury keyring was Sara Whitaker of Limassol for her woefully wrong question to Friday's answer.

FRIDAY

Friday's answer is "WORKING OUT THE COST"

Entries are now closed. Wrong questions included:

The result of swallowing money?
Meg, Bristol

GCSE Maths Paper, Q2. Take one superb LBQ. Award points for originality; deduct points for predictability; multiply by the number of contestants submitting entries; factor in the number 5 to represent number of days per week; add the value of one luxury LBQ key ring; divide by 52; subtract the number you first thought of. This process is known as what?
Janet B, Nottingham

What aspect of the Private Finance Initiative has been found to be most expensive?
Tony H, Bristol, UK

What is the paradox of getting to and from a low cost airline airport.
Jon, Bologna

When out for a romantic first meal and your lady friend leans over and seductively purrs "I'd love to know what you're thinking right now" - what is not the best answer ?
Stephen H, Nottingham, UK

What is the term among the criminal fraternity for having been caught and imprisoned due to poor strategic planning?
Colin Larcombe, Paris

3 hours @£10.00 per hour per day, five days a week.
50% chance of getting a key ring within twenty weeks.
Total cost: £6000 for a key ring.
What reason would an insane person give for not doing the LBQ?
Mark Elleray, Birmingham

Message to sub-editor - please work up a title for this article on the rising fees for gym membership
Stephen H, Nottingham, UK

How does one get rid of those unsightly pounds?
Jonathan Bright, London NW1

The contestants on Shattered stay awake by ______________ to their credibility.
John Whapshott, Guildford

What is impossible for a dyscalculic economist?
Lyn Hallett, Surrey, UK

What are you doing in Brighton with a tape measure? No, wait...
Tim G

Biblical scholars have discovered a new passage where the disciples have a right set-to ______ ___ ___ ____ of the Last Supper and who had what.
Dave Williams, Prudhoe, UK

What crucial element of shopping does my wife always omit?
D Lyone, Manchester

If someone says you're calculating, what do they mean?
Jon, London

The LBQ team took a long Christmas break arguing over the lavish prize for 2004. But what were they discussing?
Richard C, Camberley, UK

What's worse than your wife telling you she wants a divorce?
David Lawrence, Bern Switzerland

What is the most stressful part of joining a new gym?
Caroline, Berks

What are fingers really for?
Sara, Limassol

What is the most common post-Christmas activity?
Amy, Leeds

All wrong. The correct question was what was the father of the 18-year-old triplet girls who have all just won places at Cambridge colleges dreading?

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THURSDAY

Thursday's answer is "SIX FOR WOMEN, FIVE FOR MEN"

Entries are now closed. Wrong questions included:

And on average, how many times a year do people go to a gym after they join in January?
Lester Mak, London, UK

How many pints does it take before a person is convinced they can sing 'Delilah' as well as Tom Jones?
Shiz, Cheshire, UK

Define "adequate".
David Dee, Maputo, Mozambique

How many pairs of shoes does Eddie Izzard have?
Robin, Herts

How many senses do human beings have?
Hilary, Brighton

So how many pounds did you put on over Christmas?
Nick Nevin, London, UK

What is the average number of body piercings per teenager?
Laurie Kord, Alcester

Maths GCSE qn. 3: "In the prototype for Scrabble, M and N scored 2 points, W and E scored 1, and O scored no points. What did you score for WOMEN and MEN?"
Stephen H, Nottingham, UK

What are the current world records for credit card juggling?
John S, Oldbury, UK

There is great tension among LBQers today, as the first Lunchtime Achievement Award keyring will be given away. In a competition to guess the gender of the inaugural recipient, what's the current status of the voting?
Andrew, Wolverhampton

What was the final score in the most recent Mars v Venus football match?
Alan C, Bracknell

Out of ten, God, how would you rate your two human creations?
Simon Cliff, Derby, UK

How many hurdles are there to overcome in a typical job interview ?
Martin Smith, Dunstable, England

If sat alone in a room with a tea cosy - how many minutes before an individual tries it on as a hat?
Dave Williams, Prudhoe,UK

What does 'Oh OK then, just one more chocolate' really mean?
James C, London

What makes an unsuccessful swingers party?
Kevin Smith, Eastbourne, UK

If a group of people say they will be ready to leave in 5 minutes, what will be the minimum time of actual readiness? (ducking to avoid flak)
Robin, Herts

What is the result when you translate from English to Serbian and back again the literary title Seven Brides for Seven Brothers?
Mike Hastings, Wolves

How many sexual discriminators does it take to change a light bulb?
James Castle, Welwyn Garden City, UK

What is the current score in the battle of the sexes?
Chris Ford, Bristol, UK

In hours and minutes, what is the perfect length of a shopping trip ?
Alex, Birmingham

And the scores for number of arguments initiated over the Christmas period are: ...
Mike, Aberdeen

How many toilets will Qantas be adding to their planes in order to comply with the new US request that passengers no longer cluster around the WCs?
Tim G, London, UK

How do you tell your 'dial-a-date' provider your sexual preference?
Peter Niven, Inverness

What, in feet, is considered tall in females and short in males?
Dave Godfrey, Swindon

What is a politically correct reworking of the phrase "six of one and half a dozen of the other"?
Suz, Paris

All wrong. The correct question was how much of each day did each sex spend on arts and cultural activities, according to a National Statistics report.

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WEDNESDAY

Wednesday's answer is "BEFORE THE MOVIE FINISHED"

Entries are now closed. Wrong questions included:

Filmus Interruptus?
Candace, New Jersey, US

When was week 8 in the film 9 1/2 weeks ?
Stephen H, Nottingham, UK

The air marshal stayed calm and decided not to take action ....
Dave Williams, Prudhoe, UK

"When shall we meet?", I queried. Within seconds my friend Ed from Finland had texted me back...
Dan Swanmore, Bury St Edmunds, UK

Avoid embarrassing situations and use film references to replace sexual content in conversations, for example - premature ejaculation......
Russ, Leeds.

the mov
Ian, Sweden

As a teenager it was compulsory at our school to tell our mates that we'd got our girlfriend pregnant when?
John Whapshott, Guildford

In 2003, when was the most popular time for kids in my neighbourhood to chat to their friends on the phone?
Catherine O, Maidenhead

Maths GCSE question 34: If Britney Spears married Jason Alexander at the beginning of Ben Hur, when was the marriage over?
Gary Feldman, London, UK

When is the prequel 'Started' set?
Andy Cottier, London

In Return of the King, the movie finished.....
Jason S, Southampton, UK

I was bored flaccid, so I left when?
Martin, Harlow

How soon are pirate DVD's on sale?
Richard Sockett, Sheffield, England

In the service industry sprint competition, by when had the meal crossed the line, showered, changed and gone to the bar?
Steve, Brighton

When did the opening credits run?
Caroline, Berks

When did the Titanic sink?
Peter Niven, Inverness

All wrong. The correct question was when did Tom Cruise fly out of the UK, after spending most of the premiere of The Last Samurai shaking hands in Leicester Square?

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TUESDAY

Tuesday's answer is "BORED FLACCID"

Entries are now closed. Wrong questions included:

Christine Hamilton, Christine Hamilton, Christine Hamilton, Christine Hamilton, Christine Hamilton...
Gary Mascoll, Croudon, UK

Gandalf: "And the 8th member of the Fellowship IS..."
Mark D, Swindon

After playing with their prestigious LBQ keyring for a couple of hours, what will the lucky winner inevitably be?
Lyn Hallett, Surrey, UK

Why can't you surf on a Lilo?
Ben, UK

What did the wobbly drill do?
Chris Pritchett, Bristol

Acidic derivative of boron?...no, wait.
Suz, Paris

If you're not hardly interested, you are...
Jon, London

How did you feel after the rousing speeches at the Society of Impotents' Annual Dinner?
Phil Sears, Dorking

As a child, one of my favourite books was Roald Dahl's "Ennui The _____ _______ Giant"
Dave Williams, Prudhoe, UK

Who is Scandinavia's top tennis player?
Dave Williams, Prudhoe, UK

Why is the crime rate so high in the town of Flac
Steve Chandler, Cambridge

Why do you need a stiff drink?
Edward Green, London, UK

To: [e-mail]
From: [e-mail]
Subject: new game
Dear Sir,
I am afraid that we have decided to reject your new board game on the following points:
1. Rules too complicated
2. Game takes too long to play
3. .........
James Castle, Welwyn Garden City, UK

The makers of Viagra have developed a pill to relieve tedium, but what have they called it to dispel any rumours about side-effects?
Tim G, London, UK

What state is most likely to get a Coldstream guard the sack?
MTM, Huddersfield

All wrong. The correct question was how did the Daily Telegraph's theatre critic describe his condition after seeing the West End production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses?

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MONDAY

Monday's answer is "A VICTORIAN PENNY"

Entries are now closed. Wrong questions included:

"Ian Penny - could you please re-send your telegram, were you a winner or a loser in the fight ?"
Stephen H, Nottingham, UK

What was typically the value of a Victorian gentleman's thoughts?
Rob Holman, Chislehurst, Kent, England

What did Mrs Beeton wear in her kitchen...no, wait...
Phil Welch, London

What's a tea urn?
Ian Amis, London

What is the monetary value of the Lunchtime Achievement Award?
Maureen , Florida, US

What was Mick Jagger's weekly pocket money as a boy?
Gary Feldman, London, UK

What comes before a royal flush?
Edward Green, London

What would have been my total spend for Christmas booze, food and presents in 1853 ?
Keith Fox, Ilkeston, Derbyshire

I was surprised to find my 327,204 reward points were worth ...
Jon, London

Penelope Laurentia Herietta Margaret Mountbatten-deVere-Lambly-Warner?
Suz, Paris

What would Prince Albert have given for an LBQ keyring?
Kip, Norwich, UK

If you remove the small wheel from an old bike, what are you left with?
Robin, Herts

Which woman would be the right type and age for Rod Stewart?
Daniel Ward, Eastbourne, UK

What was the only thing that Mrs Beckham spent when she visited Madrid's not-posh-enough January sales?
Becky, London

Who gives a toss?
Kieran Boyle, Oxford

How much was a penny black?
Dave Williams, Prudhoe, UK

What got spent in a 19th Century lavatory?
Paul Chapman, Cardiff

What is the most cost-effective improvisation for a 1-1/4" washer?
Graham Brown, mostly Oxfordshire

What do your grandparents tell you they survived on when they were young?
Lyn Hallett, Surrey, UK

All wrong. The correct question was what, along with a diary, was given to participants in an experiment to see if they thought themselves lucky (70% of them decided to keep the penny after the experiment was over).