NG 583

New game 583 is now available.

The re-run is episode 311; its rounds are here and its writeup is here.


Round 1: H A S T N E I A R

I had HAST, ANTS, THANES (THANE: "English History a member of any of several classes of men in Anglo-Saxon England, ranking between earls and ordinary freemen and holding lands of the king or lord by military service"), TISANE ("a herbal tea"), ARTISAN, HASTIER, HAIRNETS, ARTESIAN, and ASTHENIA ("Pathology lack or loss of strength; debility").

The other eights are ANTISERA / SANTERIA ("the high form of voodoo practised in the Caribbean islands, having its origin in the west African worship of nature gods who were transformed into the saints of Catholicism").

But there turns out to be a nine here: RHATANIES (RHATANY being a type of shrub).

My selection: HAIRNETS
Best: RHATANIES


Round 2: D T K A S S E W E

I had TASK, TASKS, SWEATED, and WEAKEST.  After time I noted TWEAKED as another seven.

The remaining sevens are SEDATES and SKEWEST.

My selection: WEAKEST


Round 3: Target 320 from 100 7 8 1 9 4

It was hard to go past 32*10 as an initial approach, and the 10 was formable; that gave the solution 320 = 4*8*(9 + 1).

My selection: 320 = 4*8*(9 + 1)


Round 4: N C A T A F E S O

I had CANT, STANCE, and OCTANES.

The other sevens are CAFTANS and COSTEAN ("a trench or pit cut across the conjectured line of outcrop of a seam or ore body to expose the full width").

My selection: OCTANES


Round 5: R S U A N E D F T

I had URNS, NURSE, ASUNDER, NATURES, rightly rejected DAUNTERS based on past experience and then recalled its safe anagram of TRANSUDE ("to pass or ooze through pores or interstices, as a fluid").

TRANSUDE is the only eight to be had here.

My selection: TRANSUDE


Round 6: Target 647 from 100 50 10 8 2 7

Applying the standard method, my first thought was to get to 650 via 7*100 - 50.  That left me needing 3 from 10, 8, 2; once I figured that part out I had my solution: 647 = 7*100 - 50 - (8 - 10/2).  Then I considered the possibility of 640 + 7, finding 647 = (100 - 2*10)*8 + 7.

Seen while writing this up is that getting to 650 via 600 is a bit easier: 647 = (8 - 2)*100 + 50 - (10 - 7).

My selection: 647 = 7*100 - 50 - (8 - 10/2).


Round 7: L P H O P C S I E

I had PLOP, CHOP, CHOPS, and POLICES.  After time I noted some sixes of POLICE and ISOHEL ("a line drawn on a map, etc., connecting places which receive equal amounts of sunshine").

The other sevens are HOSPICE, HOPPLES (HOPPLE appears to be a variation of HOBBLE), and LOPPIES* (LOPPY as a noun is listed as synonymous with ROUSEABOUT: "a person employed to do odd jobs on a station [...], in a hotel, etc.").  Although the Macquarie does list SCHLEP ("to carry; cart or lug") it does not list the variant SCHLEPP.

There is an eight to be had here, however: POPSICLE.

My selection: POLICES
Best: POPSICLE


Round 8: Target 448 from 50 75 3 6 4 2

The standard method is clearly the way to go; I wrote down 448 = 6*75 - 2 and 448 = (6 + 3)*50 - 2 in short order.  Looking at factorisations, I then found an alternative of 448 = 2*4*(50 + 6).

My selection: 448 = 6*75 - 2


Round 9: TWO DHOTIS

What set me on the right path was considering -WOOD as a fragment; it was not quite right, but the -OOD ending still proved useful and I was able to adjust and so find WITHSTOOD.

My selection: WITHSTOOD (9.1s)