NG 748

New game 748 is now available.

The re-run is episode 11; its rounds are here and its writeup is here.


Round 1: D E S N S D I B U

I had SEND, SENDS, SUBSIDED, BUDDIES, and DISUSED.  After time I confirmed that BUDDINESS was not a word.

SUBSIDED is the only eight.  The other sevens are SUBSIDE, DISBUDS (DISBUD: "to remove leaf or flower buds from (a plant, etc.), to improve the quality or shape of what remains"), BUNDIES* (BUNDY is a type of eucalyptus), and BUNDIED* (BUNDY is listed as a verb as part of the phrase BUNDY OFF: "to finish work by putting one's card into a bundy"; here a BUNDY refers to a time clock).

My selection: SUBSIDED


Round 2: E T D M K I A E L

I had TIMED and MEDIATE.  After time I checked up on MATLIKE, which is not valid.

The other sevens are METALED and EMAILED.  Its anagram LIMEADE is not valid.

My selection: MEDIATE


Round 3: Target 265 from 100 8 7 2 4 1

Starting from 200, I managed to tweak my way to an answer: 265 = 2*(100 + 4) + 7*8 + 1.  Then I looked at working down from 300 and found an alternative of 265 = (4 - 1)*(100 - 7 - 2) - 8.  After time I found a shorted solution of 265 = 2*(100 + 4*8) + 1.

My selection: 265 = 2*(100 + 4) + 7*8 + 1


Round 4: T E C R O F A W R

I had CERT, CROFT, FACTOR, saw REFACTOR -- a term from computer science -- but was dubious about the likelihood of the Macquarie listing it.  I was considering risking it anyway since I did not like declaring a six, but then saw that I could drop a letter to get REACTOR and thus CREATOR.  I was much happier with that, and it turned out that avoiding REFACTOR was the right decision.

After time I noted REFRACT as another seven, and confirmed that REFACTOR and WARFORCE were not valid.  Surprisingly to me, neither is CRAFTER; the only other seven is CROFTER.

My selection: REACTOR


Round 5: I T A M N O R G I

I had MAIN, MATIN ("relating to the morning or to matins"), RATION, MIGRATION, and MIGRANT.

The potential plural form IGNORAMI is not listed, so the only eight to be had is RIGATONI.  The other sevens are ROAMING, RIOTING, ORATING, MOATING, MITRING, MARTINI, and ORIGAMI.

My selection: MIGRATION


Round 6: Target 373 from 75 5 6 3 7 2

This one is very easy with the standard method: 373 = 5*75 - 2.

My selection: 373 = 5*75 - 2


Round 7: S C N T I L O E E

I had TINS, LINTS, wrote down a speculative STENCIL, then when the E arrived it gave LECTIONS (LECTION: "a reading or version of a passage in a particular copy of a text") instead.  The second E extended that trivially to ELECTIONS for the second full monty of the game.  Woohoo!  Then I noted the alternative of SELECTION, which was my choice so that I could say below that my selection is SELECTION.

The other eights are ELECTION, CINEOLES, and SEICENTO ("the 17th century, with reference to the Italian art or literature of that period").

My selection: SELECTION


Round 8: Target 708 from 75 5 1 6 9 2

I started with 9*75; the offset is 33, which could have been made as 5*6 + 1 + 2, but I went with the tweak of 708 = 9*(75 + 5) - 2*6.  After time I used the factor of 6 to get an alternative solution of 708 = (75 + 5*9 - 2)*6.

My selection: 708 = 9*(75 + 5) - 2*6


Round 9: BUSH BRIDE

The pair of B's go well together, and the -ISH and -ED fragments are useful also.

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