It's a general pastime of Western civilisation to invent possible answers to the raven/writing desk bit. Even Carroll himself did it, more or less in self-defense: "Because it can produce a few notes, tho they are very flat; and it is nevar put with the wrong end in front!" He says, though, that properly the riddle has no answer.

Re Britomart: smartarse. Have glossed it, just for you.