So there I was running on the treadmill, listening to my fav podcast and watching the ballgame as Greg was challenging Martha and Grant on the "Name Dropping" game. (The "Tend to a Rat Killin" episode?)
Greg had given two clues and you had to combine the resultant words somehow with a proper name dropping out. He asked for a "certain visitor from space" and a "shop or store". Ahhh, too easy Greg. The visitor from space is obviously ET and a shop is a MARKET unto which you drop the proper name MARK to get ET. I tuned out momentarily to catch up on the score of the game...but am rudely pulled back into the conversation between Greg and Martha agreeing that "my favorite" MARTIAN is a shopping MART with the proper name IAN dropping off.
Well, obviously Martha and Greg are both wrong and I am right...right?...right?
You know, ternce, the more I think about it the righter you get!
Ooooo! Wish I'd said that, ternce!
Usually the wronger I am the righter I feel!
Even though MARTIAN is a more "surprising" answer maybe and MARKET a bit cruder, I thought it was curious that the construction lent itself to 2 answers so easily...the wonders of English.
Not to detract from the lovely coincidence, or your brilliance, a technicality stands in the way of your trophy. Greg in his explanation specifically says that the first clue would be the longer word containing the two other words. Martian (alien) contains mart (store) and Ian (name). For your answer to be correct, the clues would have to have been given in random order, since the relationships of the containing word and the contained word are reversed. Market (store) contains Mark (name) and ET (alien).
Still, I am quite impressed by your ability to come up with such an elegant response while working out. Usually I just whiff unless I pause the podcast.