Final Jeopardy: U.S. Lakes (5-12-26)

Here are some more clues from the 5/12/2026 Jeopardy! game, including the 2 reversals. Please don’t put the answers to the stumpers in the comments so people who missed the game can have a chance to answer them. It is okay to refer to them by category and clue value or by part of the clue.

Good Reversal: “INTER” IS COMING ($600) Zachary Taylor underwent this process in 1991, 141 years after he died – Tristan buzzed in with reinternment. Ken said no as he tried to switch to internment. Laurel got it with disinternment. The judges found that Taylor was reinterred after the disinternment so Tristan got $1200. (The switch to internment was ignored because reinternment should have been accepted.)

Bad Reversal (imo): MEETING IN THE MIDDLE ($1200) The boundary between the outer ear and the middle ear is the eardrum, aka this membrane – Ken accepted Laurel’s response of “tympanum” but the judges wanted to hear “tympanic”, which Ken actually said while accepting “tympanum”. For “tympanic”, Merriam-Webster says: “of, relating to, or being a tympanum”; the first definition for tympanum is “tympanic membrane”, making it seem perfectly acceptable to say one or the other.

POTPOURRI ($600) It can mean to raise something, like a flag; as a noun, it’s the height of the flag when flying on a staff

($800) In February 2026 Lunar New Year brought about the year of this, one of the 5 basic Chinese elements + an animal

The Daily Box Scores are released at 8 pm Eastern

SNEAK PEEK CATEGORY: HOLIDAYS & OBSERVANCES OF THE MONTH
($200) Black Friday & the birthday of the Marine Corps
($400) National Library Workers’ Day & Tax Day
($600) National Nurses Day & The Kentucky Derby
($800) Orthodox Christmas & Civil Rights Day
($1000) Both equinoxes (2 responses please)