NG 576

New game 576 is now available.

The re-run is episode 304; its rounds are here, and its writeup is here.


Round 1: N C A I E N S O F

I had CANE, wondered about NANCIES (not valid), CONFINES, FIANCÉS, and FINANCES.  After time I noted other sevens of FANNIES and ANCONES (plural of ANCON: "Architecture any projection, as a console, suppoting a cornice or the like").

The other eight here is CANONISE.  The other sevens are CONFINE, FINANCE, FANCIES / FASCINE ("a long bundle of sticks bound together [...]"), CANINES, SONANCE (an obsolete term for "a sound; a tune"), FANIONS (FANION: "a small flag used to mark surveying stations"), ACINOSE ("consisting of acini", which are (in one definition) the small parts of a compound fruit like a blackberry or mulberry), and CONNIES (CONNIE: "Chiefly Victoria Colloquial a tram conductor") / CONINES (CONINE being a variant spelling of CONIINE, an alkaloid that is the deadly part of hemlock).

My selection: CONFINES


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

I had SITES, STONES, POINTS, POINTES (POINTE: "(in ballet) the tip of the toe"), and PISTONS.  After time I noted SPINETS (SPINET being an early instrument of the piano family) as another seven.

Seven is the limit here.  The others are FITNESS / INFESTS, SOFTENS, SOFTIES, INSTEPS, NOSIEST, STEPSON, POSTIES, SPINOSE ("full of spines")

My selection: PISTONS


Round 3: Target 756 from 50 3 7 9 10 4

I noticed that the target was 7*108, and then that 108 was 9*12, and the net result was a pleasingly simple 756 = 3*4*9*7.

My selection: 756 = 3*4*9*7


Round 4: T R N H O E C O X

I had THORN, THRONE, CORNET, CORONET, and COHORT.

The other sevens are CHEROOT ("a cigar having open, unpointed ends") and TORCHON (a type of lace).

My selection: CORONET


Round 5: M T A T E E N U B

I had MATTE, MUTATE, MUTANT, and was a bit surprised (and pleased) to see the eight of ABUTMENT.  After time I noted BUTANE as another six.

The other eight is ABETMENT.  There are no sevens, since NUTMEAT is not listed.

My selection: ABUTMENT


Round 6: Target 824 from 50 9 8 7 6 3

The target is 8*103, and it took me far longer than it should have to make that work with 824 = ((9 - 7)*50 + 3)*8.

My selection: 824 = ((9 - 7)*50 + 3)*8


Round 7: I S R E C K D E M

I had RISE, CRIES, SICKER, and DICKERS (DICKER: "to trade by barter or by petty bargaining; haggle").  I also noted that an N instead of that M would have allowed SNICKERED.  After time I noted another seven of REMISED (REMISE: "Law to give up a claim to; surrender by deed").

SMICKERED is valid according to Wiktionary, but it's not in the Macquarie.  That leaves seven as the best to be done, with the others being DECRIES, MERCIES, DECKERS, SMIRKED, and MEDICKS (MEDICK being a variant spelling of MEDIC in the herb sense).

My selection: DICKERS


Round 8: Target 117 from 50 10 2 8 9 9

I recognised the target as 9*13, and thus found 117 = (9 + 8/2)*9.  Then I looked for more pedestrian solutions, and found 117 = 2*50 + 9 + 8.  Oh, well.

My selection: 117 = (9 + 8/2)*9


Round 9: LEMUR BANE

I chose this conundrum after being presented with the similar MANURABLE.  It is NUMERABLE ("that may be numbered or countered").

My selection: [N/A -- chosen]
Best; NUMERABLE