On-air challenge: Today's puzzle is called "Cocoa." Every answer is a word or name in which an interior syllable is pronounced "co" — in any spelling.
Example: Phoenix, Arizona's county --> MARICOPA
1. City in Washington state that shares an airport with Seattle.
2. Device that helps you read secret writing.
3. Cause of gradual loss of eyesight.
4. Symbol of plenty, or an abundant supply of good things.
5. Territory that broke into two states in 1889.
6. Giant corporation in the metals industry.
7. French president between Chirac and Hollande.
8. Extremely harsh, as laws.
9. Extremely bright, as a child.
10. Very elaborate, as architecture.
11. Formal expression of praise.
12. Metal that's the last chemical element alphabetically.
Last week's challenge: This challenge came from listener Mike Strong of Mechanicsburg, Penn. Think of a familiar two-word phrase — five letters in each word — that might be something you'd write in a letter. The first and last letters are the same. The third and eighth letters are the same. The fourth and seventh letters are the same. And the middle two letters are consecutive in the alphabet. What phrase is it?
Challenge answer: Yours truly
Winner: Gabrielle Sweets of Chattanooga, Tenn.
This week's challenge: The letters C + D together sound like the word "seedy." And the letters I + V together sound like "ivy." Take the 18 letters in the phrase END BACKSTAGE TV QUIZ. Rearrange them into pairs, using each letter exactly once, to make nine common, uncapitalized words phonetically. Can you do it?
If you know the answer to next week's challenge, submit it here. Listeners who submit correct answers win a chance to play the on-air puzzle. Important: Include a phone number where we can reach you by Thursday, Nov. 7 at 3 p.m. ET.
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