On-air challenge: Every answer today is a made-up phrase of two five-letter words that differ only in their vowel.
Ex. Path for heavy vehicles --> TRUCK TRACK
1. Ravine in Holland
2. Dark-colored cube
3. Light-haired person who can't see
4. Viking caregiver
5. Things offered for sale during the third month of the year
6. Jersey that doesn't reach down to the waist
7. Odor that you can barely detect
8. Food for pigs that's just terrific
9. Immediate sound from a duck
[Last one has six-letter words:]
10. Cord that's hard to break
Last week's challenge: This is a two-week creative challenge. The object is to write a sentence using only the letters of any particular U.S. state. You can pick the state and repeat letters as often as necessary. For example:
OREGON --> Roger, go gorge on green eggnog.
NEBRASKA --> Sen. Ben Sasse's sneakers reek. [Note: Ben Sasse is a U.S. senator from Nebraska]
Entries will be judged on originality, sense, naturalness of syntax, humor, and overall elegance. *No more than three sentences per entry, please.*
Winner: The winner of our two-week challenge is Kate Simpson of Kensington, Maryland. Her winning submission:
For West Virginia: In tennis news, a new era starts as Serena is retiring.
Honorable mentions:
Minnesota: NASA insists men on moon missions met no sentient E.T.s. — Stacey Wakeham
Massachusetts: At the museum, esthetes hate the cute statues that amuse the masses. — H.S. Hughes
West Virginia: Serena's stinging tennis serves, never average, win sets. — Joseph Kuperberg
Minnesota: No one tests Nastase in tennis: one set to none. — Emily Simon
Rhode Island: Denise hoarded sand and seashells inside her shoreside diner. — Rawson Scheinberg
Washington: Shania Twain is in town tonight, singing Gaga's hit songs at Santana's San Antonio gig. — Kerry Fowler
Challenge: This week's challenge comes from listener Rawson Scheinberg, of Northville, Michigan. Think of an eight-letter noun composed phonetically of two consecutive names traditionally given to girls. Remove the sixth letter and rearrange the result. You'll get an event where you might hear the thing named by the original noun. What words are these?
If you know the answer to the two-week challenge, submit it here by Thursday, August 25 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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