This has tormented me for years. A friend gave a photocopied page of 25 cryptic abbreviations to figure out, with no answers anywhere. I have no idea where it originated or if there is an answer sheet, so I have from time to time tortured my brain on it.
26 L. of the A. (26 letters of the alphabet. Get the idea?)
7 W. of the A.W.
1001 A.N.
12 S. of the Z.
54 C. in the D. with a J.
9 P. in the S.S.
88 P.K.
13 S. on the A.F.
32 D.F. at which W.F.
18 H. on a G.C.
90 D in a R.A.
200 D. for P.G. in M.*
8 S. on a S.S.*
3 B.M. (SHTR)
4 Q in a G.
24 H. in a D.
1 W on a U
5 D in a Z.C.*
57 h.v.
P. on a F.T.*
1000 W. that a P. is W.
29 D. in F. in a L.Y.
64 S. on C.B.
40 D. and N. of the G.F.
L. with a W.N.
*marks the ones that I just cannot solve. Now, some of these are blatantly obvious and some are less apparent, but these few remaining unsolved abbreviations are bedevilling me.
Where else can I turn, if not to the assembled minds of the Straight Dope community? Please give this matter some thought. Shed some light into this darkness, I implore you.
Thankew. Man, that was quick! I kept thinking 8 S. on a S.S. had something to do with a Silver Star. A Stop Sign! Of course!
And by all means, feel free to post the solutions to the other ones. There is certainly a few folks scratching their heads over the ones you just solved, but I thought it would be nice to give everyone a shot at this thing.
I got all 24 (and I didn’t cheat by reading the other posts ) … But why is it that #25 has no number significance attached to it??? That is why I can’t solve that one:
26 L. of the A. (26 letters of the alphabet. Get the idea?)
7 W. of the A.W. (7 Wonders of the Ancient World)
1001 A.N. (1001 Arabian Nights)
12 S. of the Z. (12 Signs of the Zodiac)
54 C. in the D. with a J. (54 Cards in the Deck with a Joker)
9 P. in the S.S. (9 Planets in the Solar System)
88 P.K. (88 Piano Keys)
13 S. on the A.F. (13 Stripes on the American Flag)
32 D.F. at which W.F. (32 Degrees Fahrenheit at Which Water Freezes)
18 H. on a G.C. (18 Holes on a Golf Course)
90 D in a R.A. (90 Degrees in a Right Angle)
200 D. for P.G. in M.* (200 Dollars for Passing Go in Monopoly)
8 S. on a S.S.* (8 Sides on a Stop Sign)
3 B.M. (SHTR) (3 Blind Mice ? See How They Run)
4 Q in a G. (4 Quarts in a gallon)
24 H. in a D. (24 Hours in a Day)
1 W on a U (1 Wheel on a Unicycle)
5 D in a Z.C.* (5 digits in a Zip Code)
57 h.v. (57 Heinz Varieties)
P. on a F.T.* (11 Players on a Football Team)
1000 W. that a P. is W. (1000 Words that a Picture is Worth)
29 D. in F. in a L.Y. (29 Days in February in a Leap Year)
64 S. on C.B. (64 Squares on a Chess Board)
40 D. and N. of the G.F. (40 Days & Nights of the Great Flood)
) … But why is it that