NG 621

New game 621 is now available.

The re-run is episode 351; its rounds are here and its writeup is here.


Round 1: N T H I O S L E O

I had HINT, HOIST, HOLIST, LOTIONS, HISTONE ("any of a class of basic proteins as globin [...]"), SOLITON (not valid), HOLIEST, and LOONIEST.

The other eights are HOTLINES / NEOLITHS (NEOLITH: "a person who lived in the Neolithic period") and OILSTONE.  HOLSTEIN, a type of cow, is considered proper.

My selection: LOONIEST


Round 2: P F T S E C M A I

I had STEP, TEMPS, IMPACTS, CAMPEST, and ACMITES (ACMITE being a mineral, otherwise known as AEGERITE) / SEMATIC ("serving as a sign or warning of danger, as the conspicuous colours or markings of certain poisonous animals").

CAMP SITE is only listed as two words, so seven is the best to be done.  The others are PASTIME / IMPASTE and PACIEST / ASEPTIC / SPICATE ("(of a plant) having spikes").

My selection: IMPACTS


Round 3: Target 377 from 50 2 1 9 10 4

I wanted to make the target as 7*50 + 3*9, but making both a 7 and a 3 did not seem feasible.  Working down from 400 seemed like the better option, with the offset being 23.  I happily realised that 23 was 4*8 - 9, and so tweaked my way to a solution: 377 = (10 - 2)*(50 - 4) + 9.  Then I observed that the offset of 27 (from 350) was 28 - 1, and thus the alternative solution of 377 = (9 - 2)*(50 + 4) - 1.

My selection: 377 = (9 - 2)*(50 + 4) - 1


Round 4: K E R D H E I M S

I had HERD, HIRED, SMIRKED, REMISED, and then was rather pleased to spot SHRIEKED.

SHRIEKED is the only eight.  The other sevens are SHIRKED and MESHIER*.

My selection:


Round 5: N T E T C M A P O

I had real troubles with this mix.  It just never really came together into a useful form.  I had TENT, noted that an E instead of the A would give COMPETENT, and flailed around for a good while before finding TOECAP / CAPOTE.  After time I noted other sixes of PATENT and COMATE.

There was a findable eight here, though: CONTEMPT.  That's the only one, and the only seven is TOMENTA (plural of TOMENTUM: "pubescence consisting of longish, soft, entangled hairs pressed close to the surface").

My selection: TOECAP
Best: CONTEMPT


Round 6: Target 941 from 75 100 8 10 3 5

Starting with 10*100 seemed sensible, and after subtracting the 25 the offset of 16 turned out to be handily formable.  I went with 941 = 10*100 - 75 + 8 + 5 + 3, although one could also use 8*(5 - 3) for the final 16.

My selection: 941 = 10*100 - 75 + 8 + 5 + 3


Round 7: R A R T C I A R U

I had CART, TIARA, hoped for a final E for ERRATIC but was disappointed, and AURIC / CURIA.

The six to be had is CURARI, a variant spelling of CURARE.  If one of those R's had been another I then the nine of URTICARIA (a type of skin condition) would have been available.

My selection: TIARA
Best: CURARI


Round 8: Target 472 from 50 75 100 5 7 4

My first thought was to make this as 475 - 3, with the 3 being 7 - 4.  That works easily enough, but I spotted at just about the same moment that the offset from 500 was 28, and thus 472 = 5*100 - 4*7.  Looking at the factorisation 4*118 gave me another solution: 472 = (75 + 50 - 7)*4.

My selection: 472 = 5*100 - 4*7


Round 9: IONIC TOLL

I chose this one, but made an error -- there's more than one solution.  (The second solution was not found by the anagram generator I used, alas.)  I had intended COTILLION (thinking of the American formal ball, but the Macquarie only lists the French dance sense).  However, as Sam found, there is another answer of OCTILLION (ten to the power of twenty seven).  Bother.

My selection: [N/A -- chosen]
Best: COTILLION, OCTILLION