On-air challenge: The letters "R-D-A" stand for "recommended daily allowance." They're also the initials of "Red Delicious Apple." I'm going to give you some well-known initialisms plus clues for some common phrases that happen to have the same initials.
1. M.P.H. (miles per hour) — Toy in which you add parts to a face
2. L.O.L. (laugh out loud) — Work done for the sheer pleasure of doing it
3. D.D.S. (doctor of dental surgery) — Many libraries use this to arrange their books
4. W.S.W. (west southwest) — Forecast of wind and heavy snow
5. P.I.N. (personal identification number) — A little sticky thing you write on
6. S.S.T. (supersonic transport) — Latin words cried by John Wilkes Booth in Ford's Theater
7. M.M.A. (mixed martial arts) — Years in the past
8. P.A.C. (political action committee) — Two sides to consider when weighing a decision
9. P.D.A. (personal digital assistant or public display of affection) — Argue the other side of an argument even if you don't support it
10. B.T. S. (as in the K-pop band) — Out of sight, as backstage where things are done
Last week's challenge: This week's challenge comes from listener Alan Hochbaum, of Duluth, Ga. What common eight-letter noun can be shortened in two ways — using either its first three letters or its last four letters? The answer is a familiar item.
Challenge answer: magazine -> mag, zine
Winner: Vicki Helwick of Port Angeles, Wash.
This week's challenge: This week's challenge comes from Joseph Young of St. Cloud, Minn. who runs the website Puzzleria! Name a symbol punctuation mark on a computer keyboard. Anagram it to get the brand name of a product you might buy at a grocery, in two words. What is it?
If you know the answer to the two-week challenge, submit it here by Thursday, Dec. 8 at 3 p.m. ET. Listeners whose answers are selected win a chance to play the on-air puzzle. Important: Include a phone number where we can reach you.
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