in reply to 2 Qs: introspection & overriding built-ins

You can have a look at This node if you haven't done it yet. It has some interesting discussion about the topic, specially diotalevi's answer. It has some explanation about some internals where I get lost, but maybe you can get something clear. It also has a list of "not overridable functions".
  • Comment on Re: 2 Qs: introspection & overriding built-ins