NG 594

New game 594 is now available.

The re-run is episode 324; its rounds are here and its writeup is here.


Round 1: O A E I S R G L F

I had ARISE, ORGIES, SERAGLIO / GASOLIER, GAOLERS, and FORAGES.

The other eights are FORESAIL, FOLIAGES, and GIRASOLE (variant spelling of GIRASOL: "a variety of opal which reflects a floating luminous glow").  The other sevens are FOLIAGE, GIRASOL / GLORIAS, FRAGILE, GLORIES, GOALIES / SOILAGE, GOLFERS, and LOAFERS / SAFROLE (a certain chemical used in perfumery).

My selection: SERAGLIO


Round 2: C E F S S I D U T

I had CESS, ICES, SIDES, STUDIES, and was a little tempted by SIDECUTS (invalid) but rightly avoided it.

There is an eight here, though: FEUDISTS.  The other sevens are FEUDIST, DISSECT, FICUSES, TISSUED, and CUEISTS / ICTUSES ("Prosody rhythmical or metrical stress") / CUTISES (CUTIS: "the corium or true skin, beneath the epidermis").

My selection: STUDIES


Round 3: Target 865 from 50 6 8 6 9 9

The nearby multiples of 50 are 17*50 and 18*50.  For some reason I first looked at 18*50 but was not able to get that to work.  Then I finally noticed that I could make the 17 as 9 + 8, and the rest was straightforward: 865 = (9 + 8)*50 + 9 + 6.

My selection: 865 = (9 + 8)*50 + 9 + 6


Round 4: D E O H A N S T H

I had HOED, HEAD, ANODE, ANODES, DONATES, wanted a final E for HEADSTONE (fortunately the next vowel was not an E), and was pleased to notice HOTHEADS / HEADSHOT.

Those are the only eights; the other sevens are HOTHEAD and HANDSET.

My selection: HOTHEADS


Round 5: O E W C R N M A E

I had COWER, CROWN, and ROMANCE.  I looked for something plausible using -WOMEN as a fragment, but could not find anything suitable.  (RACEWOMEN?  CAREWOMEN?  CARWOMEN?  None of them are valid in either -WOMAN or -MAN form, so even the Macquarie's reluctance to list -WOMAN forms does not matter.)

The other sevens are CORNEAE and MENACER.  CREWMAN is not listed, alas.

My selection: ROMANCE


Round 6: Target 651 from 25 10 1 4 2 6

The standard method says to make this as 26*25 + 1, and so I started with 651 = (2*10 + 6)*25 + 1.  Then I looked further into the factorisation: 651 is 3*217, and thus 3*7*31.  The various components are all pretty formable; I went with 651 = (2*10 + 1)*(25 + 6).

My selection: 651 = (2*10 + 1)*(25 + 6)


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

I had TINS, MINTS, IMPOST, PIMENTOS / NEPOTISM, IMPOTENT, and wondered if it might have been nounified to yield IMPOTENTS.  Fortunately I did not chance it, as IMPOTENT is only listed as an adjective.

The other eight is NEPOTIST.  The sevens are PIMENTO, MOISTEN / MONTIES*, MITTENS / SMITTEN, TIPTOES / POTTIES, POINTES, PEONISM, TONITES (TONITE being a type of explosive) / TONIEST*, and MOPIEST*.

My selection: NEPOTISM


Round 8: Target 834 from 50 6 7 7 3 5

I flailed around unprofitably for a long time on this.  I really wanted to make it as 840 - 6, since 840 is 7*120.  I just could not manage that, though (and later checking confirmed that there was no such solution).  In my other searchings, I considered working up from 750 -- the offset was 84, which was similarly promising.  It took a bit of work, but I managed to get there within time: 834 = (5*(50 + 7) - 7)*3.  This can, of course, be considered to just be 3*278.

The simpler way to make the target as 750 + 84 was 834 = 3*5*50 + 6*(7 + 7).  And the other option for making it as 3*278 is 834 = (7*50 - 6*(7 + 5))*3.  These are the only three solutions.

My selection: 834 = (5*(50 + 7) - 7)*3


Round 9: THIS CUBEB

A CUBEB, by the way, is a type of plant.  I got completely distracted by BITCHES in this mix, and only eventually found my way to the solution of CHUBBIEST after 30.6s.  So close!

My selection: [no answer]
Best: CHUBBIEST