NG 629

New game 629 is now available.

The re-run is episode 359; its rounds are here and its writeup is here.


Round 1: O S F M A T F R E

I had FOAMS, ATOMS, FORMATES, and wondered about OFFSTREAM.  I knew that ONSTREAM was listed, but OFFSTREAM seemed a stretch too far; as it turns out, I was right to avoid it.  After time I noted MAESTRO as a seven.

The other eights are FOREMAST and AFFOREST.  The other sevens are FORMATE, FORMATS, EFFORTS, RESTAFF / STAFFER, and OMERTAS (OMERTA: "the code of silence adhered to by members of the Mafia").

My selection: FORMATES


Round 2: C N U I L A P S B

I had LAIN, was unsure about UNCLIP (not valid) and UNCLIPS (still not valid), PUBLIC, PUBLICANS, PUBLICAN, and PUBLICS.

After those, only sevens are left: UNCLASP, UNCIALS (UNCIAL: "an uncial letter", where UNCIAL as an adjective is "designating, written in, or relating to ancient majuscule letters distinguished from capital majuscules by relatively great roundness, inclination, and inequality in height"), SPICULA (variant form of SPICULE: "a small or minute, slender, sharp-pointed body or part"), and SCULPIN (a type of fish).

My selection: PUBLICANS


Round 3: Target 817 from 25 50 100 8 5 3

Applying the standard method says to make this as 825 - 8.  Fortunately we have two ways of getting an 8, and I soon found 817 = 8*100 + 25 - 5 - 3.  For good measure I noted an alternative option of 817 = 5*(100 + 50) + 3*75 - 8.

My selection: 817 = 8*100 + 25 - 5 - 3


Round 4: S B I E A D D C G

I had BASE, BASED, CADDIES, BADDIES, and pondered DISCAGED but rightly avoided it.  (It does show up in my Scrabble list, though.)

CADDIES and BADDIES are the only sevens, and the best to be done.

My selection: CADDIES


Round 5: L G E T R T A W I

I had ALTER, RATTLE / LATTER, and a late spot of GLITTER.  Inevitably, after time I saw that I could have extended that to AGLITTER.

AGLITTER is the only eight.  The other seven is TERTIAL (both an adjective and a noun, referring to certain feathers of a bird's wing).  I was a bit disappointed that TWIGLET is not listed.

My selection: GLITTER
Best: AGLITTER


Round 6: Target 670 from 75 100 6 5 9 3

An exercise in the 75-times table: 670 = 9*75 - 5.  For those not familiar with the multiples of 75 there was an easy alternative: 670 = 6*100 + 75 - 5.

My selection: 670 = 9*75 - 5


Round 7: U E O S R L E N H

I had ROUSE, wanted a final C for ENCLOSURE, HEREON, rightly rejected ENHOUSE, HOUSER (technically allowed under the single-syllable rule since HOUSE can be used as an adjective), LUSHER, and ENROLS.

I'm annoyed at missing the sevens here, as they were findable (and I have found two of them in the past): UNREELS, UNHORSE, and REHOUSE.

My selection: LUSHER
Best: UNHORSE


Round 8: Target 941 from 25 100 75 9 10 8

I almost made a mess of this by trying to work up from 900, but then realised that going down from 1000 preserved the 9 that I wanted: 941 = 10*100 - 75 + 25 - 9.

My selection: 941 = 10*100 - 75 + 25 - 9


Round 9: THIS GROVE

I chose this conundrum after being presented with the similar OVERRIGHT.  The OVER- and -IGHT fragments are both worth a look when they appear, and both were at play here.

My selection: [N/A -- chosen]
Best: OVERSIGHT