Well, if it's open for a rewrite, perhaps something like: It was hopeless. Maude and Agnes had cracked top-secret messages during World War II, but even Bletchley Park's finest cryptographers were mystified by the enigmatic "008". At the risk of dissecting frogs, I think it telegraphs the context and puts the punchline where it belongs: at the end. It also breaks well into three lines. BenReceived on Fri Jan 26 2007 - 09:49:16 EST