Friday 14 March 2014

NG 340

New game 340 is now available.


Round 1: H C L L H B I A O

I had CHILL, COBIA (a type of fish), and LOCAL.

There is a six to be found in this mix, though: LOCHIA ("the liquid discharge from the uterus after childbirth").  In fact, that leads to the only seven of LOCHIAL.

My selection: CHILL
Best: LOCHIAL


Round 2: E C N O E R A D S

I had ONCE, CRONE, CORNEA, CORNEAS, DEACONS, CENSORED, and REASONED.

The other eights are ASCENDER, SECONDER / NECROSED, and ENDOSARC ("the endoplasm of a protozoan (opposed to ectosarc)").  But there is a nine to be had here: COARSENED.

My selection: CENSORED
Best: COARSENED


Round 3: Target 772 from 50 25 100 2 3 7

The standard method is very hard to go past here, and soon leads to a solution of 772 = 7*100 + 50 + 25 - 3.  I also jumped at the opportunity to make 875 and turned that into an alternative solution of 772 = 7*(100 + 25) - 2*50 - 3.

My selection: 772 = 7*100 + 50 + 25 - 3


Round 4: D A T O I N T A T

I had TOAD, IOTA, DITTO, and ATTAINT ("Law History to condemn by a sentence or a bill or act of attainder").  If only that second A had been an E then ANTIDOTE would have been an option.

ATTAINT seems to be the only seven.  The sixes are ATTAIN and ANATTO (variant spelling of ANNATTO, a type of tree).

My selection: ATTAINT


Round 5: L D S S P U O M E

I had PUSS, PLUS, SOUPS, rightly rejected DUMPLESS, MUSSED, MUSSEL, PLUMES, POSSUM, and MODULES.  Considerably after time I considered the option of POSSUMED, and checking confirmed its validity (POSSUM as a verb: "to go hunting possums").

POSSUMED is the only eight.  The other sevens are SLUMPED, SPOUSED / PSEUDOS (PSEUDO: "a person who pretends to be what he or she is not, especially one who affecs a knowledge of cultural matters or superiority in general"), and PLUMOSE ("having feathers or plumes; feathered") / PUMELOS (PUMELO being a variant spelling of POMELO).

My selection: MODULES
Best: POSSUMED


Round 6: Target 592 from 50 4 4 8 7 1

Again we have the required offset for the standard method.  Unfortunately using up that 8 removes the most obvious way of making the 12 that we want, but it is easily worked around: 592 = 4*(7 - 4)*50 - 8.  (Or, of course, 592 = (7 + 4 + 1)*50 - 8.)  The target could also be approachas as 8*74, and that can be made to work: 592 = ((7 - 1)*4 + 50)*8.

My selection: 592 = 4*(7 - 4)*50 - 8


Round 7: R U C I R T S E E

I had CURT, CITRUS / RICTUS, CURRIES, and CRUSTIER / RECRUITS.

The other eights are RECITERS and URETERIC (adjective derived from URETER: "a muscular duct or tube conveying the urine from a kidney to the bladder or cloaca").

My selection: CRUSTIER


Round 8: Target 691 from 100 25 4 5 9 1

I wanted to keep the 9 aside for this one, but the 700 was less easy to come by.  But a hybrid approach got me to it, and so to the solution 691 = (5 + 1)*100 + 4*25 - 9.  Then I contemplated the option of 675 + 16 and was also able to get that to work with 691 = 9*(100 - 25) + 4*(5 - 1).

My selection: 691 = (5 + 1)*100 + 4*25 - 9


Round 9: TAROT CODE

I was completely lost on this one.  Interestingly, in the presentation I chose above, the partial solution DOCTOR can be read backwards.

My selection: [no answer]
Best: DOCTORATE

2 comments:

Mike Backhouse said...

BALL then CHILL after time
SNORED
Geoff's way
TAINT, then ATTAIN after time
MUSSED (jokingly thought about PLUSSED as the opposite of NONPLUSSED)
Geoff's 'of course' solution
CRUSTIER
Geoff's way
x

Unknown said...

1. chill
2. dancers
3. 7x100+25+50-3=772
4. ditto
5. possum - will remember it's a verb too next time!
6. (4+7+1)x50-8=592
7. crustier
8. (5+1)x100+(4x25)-9=691
9. x