Tuesday 25 March 2014

NG 347

New game 347 is now available.


Round 1: S L R W E O M G I

I had SLEW, LOWERS, MOWERS, GLOWERS, and MOILERS (MOIL: "to work hard; toil; drudge").  After time I noted that a U instead of the I (or the E) would have allowed LUGWORMS.

Chambers would allow GOMERILS (GOMERIL being a Scottish term for "a simpleton; a dunderhead"), but it's not in the Macquarie so seven is the best on offer.  The other seven is GLORIES,

My selection: GLOWERS


Round 2: F P T F S E A O I

I had PEST, STAFF, PATOIS, wondered about OFFSITE (I suspected that even if it were present it would be hyphenated; it is not listed, however), and was relieved to be spared that decision by noticing OPIATES.

The other seven is PIAFFES (PIAFFE: "(of a horse) to lift each pair of diagonally opposite legs in succession, as in the trot, but without going forwards, backwards, or sideways"; then again, a second definition is "to move slowly forwards, backwards, or sideways in this manner", suggesting that part of the first definition is redundant).

There's a few almost-sevens here.  TIP-OFFS requires the hyphen, and the Macquarie fails to list plural forms for TOFFY, TAFFY, or ATOPY ("a genetic tendency to develop allergic reactions").

My selection: OPIATES


Round 3: Target 339 from 50 75 5 4 2 3

The target is 3*113, but a little unusually I started with the standard method instead, aiming for 350 - 11.  The 11 was going to need three small numbers, but fortunately 350 was manageable without them, leading to the solution 339 = 4*75 + 50 - (2*3 + 5).  Although I did not write it down, I also observed that a tweak could save a number: 339 = 4*(75 - 2) + 50 - 3.

Moving on to the option of 3*113 I got that working as 339 = ((50 + 4)*2 + 5)*3, and then went looking further afield.  The 39 ending was near half of 75, so I tried multiplying by 2 and found that the new target of 678 was easily obtained.  The result was my preferred solution: 339 = ((5 + 4)*75 + 3)/2.

My selection: 339 = ((5 + 4)*75 + 3)/2


Round 4: R S A E T X D I A

I had EARS, TEARS, EXTRAS, TRADES, TIRADES, and RADIATES.

The Macquarie does not list AIRDATES, but there is another eight: DATARIES (plural of DATARY: "Roman Catholic Church an officer, now cardinal, at the head of a certain office or department of the Curia who investigates the fitness of candidates for benefices in the gift of the papal see").

There's a decent number of sevens to be had: RADIATE, ASTRIDE / STAIDER / DISRATE ("to reduce to a lower rating, as a petty officer, or a non-commissioned officer of marines") / DIASTER ("a stage in mitosis at which the chromosomes, after their division and separation, are grouped near the poles of the spindle"), RADIXES (one plural form of RADIX: "a root; a radical"), and ASTERIA ("a precious stone which shows asterism when cabochon-cut, as the star-sapphire") / ATRESIA ("Medicine the congenital absence or excessive narrowing of a duct or canal") / ARISTAE (plural of ARISTA: "Botany a bristle-like appendage of grain, etc.").

My selection: RADIATES


Round 5: L C R S G E A C U

I had CLEARS and GRACES.  Frankly, that last U threw me a bit; I had hoped for an I for GLACIERS (with the possibility if taken a little earlier for SACRILEGE).

Not the most promising selection, but there were sevens to be had: ACCRUES / ACCUSER, RECUSAL / SECULAR, and SACCULE ("a little sac").

My selection: CLEARS
Best: ACCRUES


Round 6: Target 189 from 50 25 100 2 6 9

The target is 9*21, and that is where my thoughts first turned, finding 189 = (25 - (6 - 2))*9.  A bit later I considered the standard method and found the alternative 189 = 6*25 + 50 - 9 - 2.

My selection: 189 = (25 - (6 - 2))*9


Round 7: I O M S E N E T H

I had SOME, MONIES, HISTONE, recalled that TONEMES was not valid, MOISTEN, and SEMITONE.

The other eight is MONETISE; I expect one day that HOMESITE will make it in, but it's not there yet.  The sevens are HOMIEST, ONETIME (the expected ONE-TIME is listed, but ONETIME gets a separate entry as an Aboriginal English word meaning "once"), THEINES (THEINE: "caffeine found in tea"), and EMETINS (EMETIN being a variant form of EMETINE, a certain alkaloid).

My selection: SEMITONE


Round 8: Target 522 from 50 75 4 5 2 10

The target is near 7*75, but I was unable to turn that into more than one off.  Fortunately when I looked at getting to 500 instead a solution fell out: 522 = 10*50 + 5*4 + 2.  A little later I found an alternative via 4*130 + 2 with 522 = (75 + 50 + 5)*4 + 2.

My selection: 522 = 10*50 + 5*4 + 2


Round 9: HOSES HERO

I often look at the HORSE/SHORE fragment when present, but I think this is only the second time it has been useful.

My selection: HORSESHOE (3.6s)

3 comments:

Mike Backhouse said...

GLORIES
FEAST and after time TOFFIES
5*75-50+4*3+2=339 (went over time)
TAXIED
LAGERS
6*25+50-(9+2)=189
THESE and after time MOISTEN
50*10+4*5+2=522
HORSESHOE (29s)

Geoff Bailey said...

TOFFIES is good vision, but would likely fall afoul of the Macquarie -- the main spelling is TOFFEE, of course, with TOFFY and TAFFY listed as variants. Since the Macquarie does not bother listing the derived forms of variant spellings, neither TOFFIES nor TAFFIES gets an explicit mention.

Congratulations on getting the conundrum!

Unknown said...

1. glowers
2. offset
3. out of time with 5x75-50+3x4+2=339
4. satire, and out of time with radiates
5. lagers
6. 2x100-9-50/25=189
7. moisten
8. 10x50+5x4+2=522
9. x