NG 741

New game 741 is now available.


Round 1: M I H D O V I E P

Not the most auspicious of starts; I had VOID, IDIOM, VIDEO, MOVIE, and MOVED.

There's a few other fives, but the six to be had is HEMOID (variant spelling of HAEMOID: "bloodlike").

My selection: IDIOM
Best: HEMOID


Round 2: D I U R C N P M O

I had CURD, INCUR, CRIMP, and IMPOUND.  After time I checked on CUPROID as a possible other seven, but it is not valid.

IMPOUND is the only seven, and the best to be done.  The sixes are PODIUM, MICRON, NORDIC (acceptable in lowercase form as an adjective related to nordic skiing), DURION (variant spelling of DURIAN), NIMROD ("someone expert in or devoted to hunting"), MUCOID ("any of a group of substances resembling the mucins, occurring in connective tissue, etc."), MUNDIC (an old name for iron pyrite, also known as fool's gold), CORIUM ("the sensitive vascular layer of the skin, beneath the epidermis"), CONIUM (a type of plant), and CRINUM (also a type of plant).

My selection: IMPOUND


Round 3: Target 485 from 75 100 10 8 7 5

Applying the standard method suggests making this as 475 + 10; I went with 485 = 5*75 + 100 + 10, then realised that I could also work down from 500 with 485 = 5*100 - 8 - 7.  And then I observed that 525 was also a reasonable intermediate: 485 = 7*75 - 5*8.

My selection: 485 = 7*75 - 5*8


Round 4: T C I G A T E N R

I had GAIT, ATTIC, INTACT, and REACTING / CREATING.  After time I noted TREATING as another eight.

There are no nines to be had; the other eights are INTERACT and CATERING / ARGENTIC.

My selection: REACTING


Round 5: O T E A I L N C D

I had IOTA, ELATION / TOENAIL, ACTIONED, LOCATED, and DELATION (noun derived from DELATE: "to inform against; denounce or accuse").

That's both eights listed; there's a variety of other sevens.

My selection: ACTIONED


Round 6: Target 811 from 25 75 100 50 7 4

I struggled at first, being distracted by the idea of making this as 11*75 - 2*7.  Then I settled for getting close with 807 = 4*(50/25)*100 + 7.  Fortunately I realised that I could adjust that to get closer with 814 = (50/25)*(4*100 + 7), which is only three away.  That three is 75/25, and we're already dividing by 25 so it must be possible to combine those to make it work.  A little unravelling later I had a solution: 811 = (50*(4*100 + 7) - 75) / 25.  Phew!

There is one other solution: 811 = (7 + 50/25)*(75 + 4) + 100.

My selection: 811 = (50*(4*100 + 7) - 75) / 25


Round 7: R E F L A Y A O B

I had FLARE, EARLY, AREOLA, ARABLE, and BARELY.  After time I noted BELFRY as another six.

Six is the limit here, with the others being BARLEY / BLEARY, FLAYER, LOAFER / FLORAE (acceptable plural form of FLORA, as is FLORAS), FABLER, FORBYE ("Chiefly Scottish close by; near"), and BOREAL ("relating to the north wind").

My selection: ARABLE


Round 8: Target 589 from 75 5 8 5 7 2

My first instinct was to work up from 525; the offset is 64 which I could make, giving 589 = 7*(75 + 5 + 5) - (8 - 2).  Then I realised that it made more sense to work down from 600, getting 589 = 8*(75 - 2) + 5.

My selection: 589 = 8*(75 - 2) + 5


Round 9: HEAR UNCLE

I don't know what made me think of this; it's a tough conundrum, in any case.

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