NG 77

New game 77 is now available.


Round 1: L T P B O E A T I

I had PLOT, POTABLE, TABLETOP (speaking of which, see Wil Wheaton's fortnightly series about tabletop games), and then spotted an old favourite of PALETOT ("a loose outer garment or coat"), even though it doesn't score as well.

TABLETOP is the only eight, and the remaining seven is TALIPOT, a type of palm tree.

My selection: TABLETOP


Round 2: N M P I I Z O R A

I had MINI, PRION ("an infectious particle which is composed solely of protein and which is like a virus but contains no genetic material [...]"; this was a buzzword for a bit during the late eighties, as prions are the infectious agent in mad cow disease), MANOR, and IMPAIR.

IMPAIR is the only six, but there is a seven -- ably found by commenter Victor -- of RAMPION, a type of bellflower.

My selection: IMPAIR


Round 3: Target 507 from 25 100 10 3 8 9

I noted that the target was near 504 = 7*8*9, but that would only have sufficed for one away.  It's also 3*169 = 3*13*13, but I was not able to do anything with that, either.  I ended up writing down a different one-away of 506 = 3*10*(9 + 8) - 100/25.

A certain amount of experimentation after time showed that working down from 600 was fruitful, leading to the solution 507 = 8*(100 - 25) - 9*10 - 3.  There's a handful of other solutions, with the most findable feeling like 507 = 3*100 + 9*25 - 10 - 8.

My selection: 506 = 3*10*(9 + 8) - 100/25 (1 off)


Round 4: M R O R U E D I S

I had RUMOR, DOURER, MURDER, MURDERS, MOUSIER, and then a helpful memory from the series three grand final gave me DIMEROUS ("consisting of or divided into two parts").  I also had a hazy recollection that there was a valid anagram of it, but it was not until many hours later that SOREDIUM ("an asexual reproductive unit of a lichen consisting of a mass of algal cells enveloped in a network of hyphae") occurred to me; I see that last time it took a commenter to find it -- interesting what lingers in the mind somehow.

Those are the only eights; the other sevens are MEDIUMS / DUMMIES, DIMMERS, IMMURED, IMMURES, MEMOIRS, RUMORED, and MISDOER.

My selection: DIMEROUS


Round 5: C T D L U O E G F

I had CULT, CLOUT, CLOUTED, wondered about OUTFLED (it is not valid), and FLOUTED.  Those turn out to be the only two sevens, and the best to be done.

My selection: CLOUTED


Round 6: Target 444 from 100 50 1 10 6 8

The repeated digits are a familiar patter, so I knew it factored as 12*37 = 6*74.  It was hard to look past that even without an easy 75, and I emerged from my huddle with 444 = ((100 + 50) / (10 - 8) - 1)*6.  Then I found the rather more straightforward 444 = (8 + 1)*50 - 6.  Oh, well.

My selection: 444 = ((100 + 50) / (10 - 8) - 1)*6


Round 7: M T L T A E U C A

I had MALT, CALUMET (who could forget Angie Pearce finding it in episode 368?  Not me, anyway, particularly as it turned up just two games later in episode 370 to cement it in the memory), noted that a final I instead would have allowed MUTILATE, and then recalled -- possibly also from those two episodes -- the option of MACULATE ("to mark with a spot or spots; stain").

That's the only eight; the other sevens are LACTATE, TACTUAL ("of or relating to touch"), ACTUATE, and MACULAE (plural of MACULA: "a spot as on the sun, in the skin, or the like").

My selection: MACULATE


Round 8: Target 512 from 100 3 4 1 7 7

The target is the cube of 8 but it seems difficult to make enough eights.  On the other hand, that also means it is the ninth power of 2 and there are lots of alternate factorisations.  Pulling out the factor of 4 is fruitful; the cofactor is 128, and I wrote down a pair of solutions: 512 = (100 + 3*7 + 7)*4 and 512 = (100 + (3 + 1)*7)*4.

There's a few other variations on that idea (with 7 - 3 being another way to make a 4), but the only solution not using that approach is 512 = (4*3 - 7)*(100 + 1) + 7.

My selection: 512 = (100 + 3*7 + 7)*4


Round 9: INVADED US

The UN- and -ED fragments guided me to the answer of UNADVISED in due course.

My selection: UNADVISED (5.3s)