Wednesday 20 May 2015

NG 598

New game 598 is now available.

The re-run is episode 328; its rounds are here and its writeup is here.


Round 1: S E A G O L E A D

I had SAGE, was unsure about OSAGE (not valid; the only matching entry is "Osage orange", so that's no good), GOALS, GAOLED, DOSAGE, SEALED, and ELODEAS (ELODEA: "any species of the submerged water plant genus Elodea [...]").  After time I noted another six of EAGLES.

The other seven in this mix is GELADAS (GELADA being a type of baboon).

My selection: ELODEAS


Round 2: E O I S N E N M R

I had NOISE, NOSIER, MERINOS, and EMERSION ("the act or fact of emerging").  Unfortunately, I then talked myself out of EMERSION.  Bother.

The other eights are NOMINEES and REINSMEN (REINSMAN: "(in trotting and pacing) a man who drives a gig").  The other sevens are NOMINEE, ERMINES, MOREENS (MOREEN: "a heavy fabric of wool, or wool and cotton, commonly watered, used for curtains, petticoats, etc."), NERINES (NERINE being a type of plant), and RONNIES (RONNIE is a South Australian term for "a small stone that can be thrown; pebble").

Although IRONMAN is listed with a one-word sense ("a contestant in a sporting event in which male competitors swim, ride bikes and run in succession"), no explicit plural is listed and so IRONMEN* is not valid under a strict reading.  I'm not even sure it matches the revised rules I work with, hence its separate grouping.

My selection: MERINOS
Best: EMERSION


Round 3: Target 703 from 75 7 3 8 6 4

The simplest nearby multiple of 75 is 8*75 = 600.  The offset is 103, and I recognised that as one away from 104, which is 8*13.  The tweak works out and the remaining offset can be made, giving me 703 = 8*(75 + 7 + 6) - (4 - 3).  Then I looked at the nearer value of 9*75 = 675, and the offset of 28 was conveniently makeable.  That gave me the shorter solution 703 = (6 + 3)*75 + 4*7.

My selection: 703 = (6 + 3)*75 + 4*7


Round 4: K B T A A E U P D

I had ABATE, UPDATE, and UPTAKE.

Not very promising letters, but there is a seven: PUKATEA (a type of tree found in New Zealand).

My selection: UPTAKE
Best: PUKATEA


Round 5: A A O L M F E T S

I had LAMA, FLAME, MEATLOAF (not valid -- it is only listed as two words), was tempted by MEATLOAFS, FOLATES, MALTOSE, and MALTASE / MALATES.

The valid eight here is OATMEALS.  The other sevens are OATMEAL, FLOTSAM, and TAMALES.

My selection: [invalid -- MEATLOAF]
Best: OATMEALS


Round 6: Target 554 from 100 75 50 2 1 1

It's not a helpful mix, which is generally the case when the small numbers are that small.  I'd hoped to get to 550 with the help of a 3 for multiplying, but it just does not work.  (If that 50 had been a 25, though, then (2 + 1)*(100 + 75) + 25 would have done the job.)  That would have left a 1 over to get nearer, but without it 550 was the best I could do with 550 = 2*((1 + 1)*75 + 100) + 50.

It turns out that 550 is the best that can be done on this mix.

My selection: 550 = 2*((1 + 1)*75 + 100) + 50


Round 7: I I G T R F C O S

I had GRIT, wondered about GRIFT (invalid; GRIFTER is listed, but not the backformed verb), CROFT, CROFTS, CORGIS, and SORITIC (not in the Macquarie, but in some sources it is given as the adjective derived from SORITES; instead, the Macquarie prefers SORITICAL).


Six is the best to be done; the others are FORTIS ("pronounced with considerable muscular tension and breath pressure, resulting in a strong fricative or explosive sound; f and p are fortis, as compared to lenis v and b") and FISTIC ("of boxing; pugilistic").

My selection: [invalid -- SORITIC]
Best: CORGIS


Round 8: Target 991 from 75 8 5 6 2 9

My first go at the standard method got me to one away with 990 = (8 + 5)*75 + 9 + 6.  Switching tacks to the further-away multiple of 75 gave me lots of tweaking opportunities, and I managed to get that to work with 991 = 6*2*(75 + 8) - 5.

My selection: 991 = 6*2*(75 + 8) - 5


Round 9: TOTAL CORN

I was completely lost on this one.  AT CONTROL was the best I could do, and that was not very useful.  It had the right CONTR- fragment, but I missed the adjustment.

My selection: [no answer]
Best: CONTRALTO

5 comments:

Anand said...

1. SEALED
2. EMERSION
3. 703=8*(75+7+6)+4-3
4. UPBEAT
5. OATMEALS
6. Nowhere near...botched this one
7. SORITIC
8. 991=(75+8)*6*2-5
9. CONTRALTO (1.1 secs)

Mike Backhouse said...

Well done Anand, particularly on that quick conundrum.

SEALED
SINNER
(6+4)*(75-8+3)=700 (3 off)
ABATED
FLOATS
out of range - I also found this one hard Anand!
GRITS
(8+5)*75+9+6+2=992 (1 off)
x

Sam G said...

1. SLEDGE
2. MERINOS
3. 703 = (75 + 3*4)*8 + 7
4. UPDATE/UPTAKE/ABATED
5. FOLATES
6. probably late with four off: 550 = ((100-75-1)/2-1)*50.
7. FROGS
8. 991 = 75*2/6*5*8 - 9
9. -

Geoff Bailey said...

EMERSION and OATMEALS are excellent. Unfortunately for me, I talked myself out of EMERSION and then got stuck on MEATLOAF (which is only listed as two words). I also tried SORITIC, but it's not in the Macquarie -- it only allows SORITICAL. This has come up before, but I'd forgotten.

That's an impressive route to 550, Sam! It does turn out to be the best to be done.

Anand said...

Thanks Mike and Geoff