NG 632

New game 632 is now available.


Round 1: T E I B A O S F R

I had BITE, BOATIE ("a person who owns and runs a small craft"), BOATIES, BOASTER, and FIREBOATS (FIREBOAT: "a powered vessel equipped for fighting fires").  I also noted down FIREBOAT after time.

The other eight is FIBRATES (FIBRATE: "a derivative of fibric acid, used as a medical drug to prevent heart disease by lowering cholesterol and removing triglycerides").  The other sevens are FIBRATE, FAIREST, FORTIES, BAITERS / BARITES (BARITE is listed as another name for the mineral BARYTES) / TERBIAS (TERBIA being an oxide of terbium), BOATERS / BORATES / SORBATE, FIBSTER (another term for a fibber), FIBROSE ("to form fibrous tissue"), ISOBARE ("one of two or more atoms of different atomic number, but having the same atomic mass number"), and SORBITE ("a steel microstructure consisting of ferrite and finely divided cementite, which is produced when martensite is tempered above 450° C") / ORBIEST*.

As an aside, I find it a little interesting that a FIREBOAT puts out fires, but a FIRE SHIP starts them (FIRE SHIP: "(especially formerly) a vessel loaded with combustibles and explosives and set adrift to destroy an enemy's ships, etc.").

My selection: FIREBOATS


Round 2: D E S A E W R L I

I had EASED, SEWED, ERASED, DERAILS, LEADERS / DEALERS, and WELDERS.  After time I noted RESILED as another seven.  It really felt like there was an eight here, but I could not find it.

And, of course, there were eights to be found here: REALISED / RESAILED / SIDEREAL ("of or relating to the stars"), WIELDERS, and LEEWARDS (not an adjective -- only LEEWARD is listed in that case -- but the plural of LEEWARD as a noun: "the leeside; the point or quarter towards which the wind blows").

My selection: LEADERS
Best: REALISED


Round 3: Target 695 from 25 100 75 4 10 3

This felt tough, but perhaps I made heavy weather of it.  For some reason I overlooked the reasonable first approach of (10 - 3)*100 - 4 = 696 for one off, and instead wrote down a two off 697 = (10 - 4)*100 + 75 + 25 - 3.  Fortunately a little more thought had me realise that 700 was 4*175, and the task of getting 5 from the remaining numbers was achievable: 695 = 4*(100 + 75) - (25 - 10)/3.  Phew!

There turn out to be a great many solutions to this.  Perhaps the simplest is 695 = 10*(75 - 3) - 25, but the approach which seems most findable to me is to think of making the target as 625 + 70.  Once that is done, it is a reasonably short step to 695 = 25*(100 - 75) + (4 + 3)*10.

My selection: 695 = 4*(100 + 75) - (25 - 10)/3


Round 4: O B P R H N E I R

I had BORN, PROBE, HORNIER, and PHONIER.  I had hoped for a final P for HORNPIPE, but no such luck.

The other seven in this mix is HIPBONE.

My selection: HORNIER


Round 5: Z M E G A T O R G

I had GAME, MORTGAGE, MAGGOT, and GORGET ("a piece of armour for the throat").

Aside from MORTGAGE, six is the best to be done.  The others are TOERAG / ORGEAT ("a syrup or drink made from almonds (originally from barley), sugar, and a water prepared from orange flowers"), TAGGER / GARGET ("inflammation of the udder of cows, etc., caused by bacteria; mastitis"), and OMERTA ("the code of silence adhered to by members of the Mafia").

My selection: MORTGAGE


Round 6: Target 602 from 100 50 75 1 8 10

Easy enough with the 75-times table at ones command.  I started with 602 = 8*75 + 100/50, then noted an alternative of 602 = 8*(75 - 1) + 10.

My selection: 602 = 8*75 + 100/50


Round 7: O I C E S I N D C

I had ICES, COSINE, DECISION, and was feeling pretty pleased about that.  Then the final C gave me COINCIDES and I was even happier -- two full monties in the same game!

The other eights are COINCIDE and SCINCOID ("resembling the skinks, as certain lizards"; it can also be a noun referring to such lizards).  Although ICONISED gets a certain amount of usage in computing, ICONISE has not made it into the Macquarie.

The other sevens are IONISED / IODINES, INDICES / INCISED, CONCISE, CODICES (plural of CODEX), SCONCED, SECONDI (plural of SECONDO: "the second or lower part in a duet, especially in piano duets") / CODEINS, and NIÇOISE ("(of a salad) prepared with lettuce, olives, anchovies, tuna, tomatoes, orange, hard-boiled eggs, potatoes, etc., and French dressing").

My selection: COINCIDES


Round 8: Target 124 from 25 50 10 4 8 6

I went straight to the factorisation 4*31 to get 124 = 4*(25 + 6).  There's also a few solutions as 100 + 4*6, for instance, which is the untweaked version of that answer.

My selection: 124 = 4*(25 + 6).


Round 9: POINT DICE

I chose this conundrum after being presented with the similar DECEPTION and jumping in with this answer.  Fortunately for me, DECEPTION has already been used on the show (where I had the same issue, amusingly), so I avoid having to declare an invalid answer.

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