NG 582

New game 582 is now available.

The re-run is episode 310; its rounds are here and its writeup is here.


Round 1: E O M S P O N J I

I had SOME, POEMS, IMPOSE, and MONIES.

The eight in this mix is EMPOISON.  The sevens are NOISOME and PEONISM (another term for PEONAGE: "the practice of holding persons in servitude or partial slavery, as to work off debt or (under a convict lease system) a penal sentence").

My selection: IMPOSE
Best: EMPOISON


Round 2: K R L T E A F D I

I had ALTER, TALKER, RATLIKE (not valid, as it turns out; fortunately I did not select it), FLIRTED, TRAILED, FLAKIER, and rightly rejected DRAFTLIKE.

Seven is the best on offer here, with the others being TRIFLED and KIRTLED.

My selection: FLIRTED


Round 3: Target 842 from 25 5 6 1 9 8

The standard method would suggest making this as 34*25 - 8.  It took me a little while, but I did manage to make the 34 and so get a solution: 842 = ((9 - 1)*5 - 6)*25 - 8.  (Seen while writing this up is the alternative of 842 = ((6 - 1)*5 + 9)*25 - 8.)  Switching tacks a little I tried working up from 800, and found that a tweak sorted things out: 842 = (5 - 1)*(8*25 + 9) + 6.

My selection: 842 = ((9 - 1)*5 - 6)*25 - 8


Round 4: S O E X R C D L E

I had ROSE, SCORE, SCORED, SCOLDER, and wondered about RECLOSED (not valid).  I did not like it enough, so seven was my limit.

Seven is the best to be done, with the others being RESOLED, CREOLES (CREOLE: "a language which has developed from a pidgin to become the primary language of a community"), and REDOXES.

My selection: SCOLDER


Round 5: E O U T R A C N B

I had OUTER, COURANTE (a type of dance), and BARONET.

COURANTE is the only eight.  The other sevens are COURANT (variant spelling of COURANTE), COUNTER / RECOUNT / TROUNCE, BOUNCER, ENACTOR, UNBRACE, BACONER (a type of pig), CENTAUR, and REBOANT.

My selection: COURANTE


Round 6: Target 777 from 9 8 7 3 10 7

All the sevens!  Obviously the idea of 7*111 was tempting, but I had difficulties making the 111.  Fortunately there were two sevens, so 110 served just as well: 777 = (8 + 3)*10*7 + 7.  Then I went back to trying to make 111; it is 3*37, and eventually I managed to make that work with 777 = (8*7 - 10 - 9)*3*7.

My selection: 777 = (8*7 - 10 - 9)*3*7


Round 7: I N A W M B E U N

I had WAIN, MAIN, INANE, ENNUI, and saw NUBIAN but correctly assumed it would be capitalised only.

There is a six here, though: NUMINA (plural of NUMEN: "a deity; a divine power or spirit").

My selection: ENNUI
Best: NUMINA


Round 8: Target 930 from 50 75 5 2 2 10

I took a rather roundabout approach to this one, it seems.  The idea of making it as 10*93 was pretty clear, but I somehow avoided the obvious 930 = (2*50 - 5 - 2)*10.  Instead, I flailed around until I found 930 = (75 + 2*50/5 - 2)*10.  Then I considered the option of 925 + 5 and found a couple of other solutions: 930 = (10 + 2)*75 + 50/2 + 5 and 930 = 2*10*50 - 75 + 5.

My selection: 930 = (75 + 2*50/5 - 2)*10


Round 9: SHY TICKLE

I got hung up on the -LIKE fragment, and that was not possible.  My best guess was SCYTHLIKE, which required misspelling SCYTHE, so that wasn't very useful (for that matter, SCYTHELIKE is not listed).  Other than that I tried to do things with STICK and SLICK, but nothing worked.  Too hard for me!

My selection: [no answer]
Best: SKETCHILY