NG 776

New game 776 is now available.

The re-run is episode 39; its rounds are here and its writeup is here.


Round 1: O U E W D Z T E N

I had OWED, OUTED, ÉTUDE, rightly rejected UNOWED, similarly for UNTOWED, DOZEN, was too dubious about OUTWEED (not valid, although it is in the Scrablle list), and DENOTE.

Six is the limit here; the others are WONTED and DETUNE ("to adjust a high-performance engine, as in a racing car, so that its performance is reduced but its suitability for general use is increased").

My selection: DENOTE


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

I had TILT, ATILT, LATTICE, CATLIKE, and CLIMATE.  After time, I checked up on METICAL (the monetary unit of Mozambique; it is not listed in the Macquarie).

The other seven is TACTILE.

My selection: LATTICE


Round 3: Target 535 from 25 7 4 8 9 10

The target is 7*75 + 10, as should be familiar from the 75-times tables.  75 is 3*25, and that gave me a solution: 535 = 7*(4 + 8 - 9)*25 + 10.  Then I realised this was equivalent to 21*25 + 10 and saved a number with 535 = (4 + 8 + 9)*25 + 10.  Switching tacks, I then found the pleasantly short 535 = 7*8*10 - 25.

My selection: 535 = 7*8*10 - 25


Round 4: O H I M E S R A G

I had HOME, HOMIES, HOSIER, ORGASM, HEROISM, rightly rejected MOREISH (I've looked at it before; it is only listed in hyphenated form: MORE-ISH), and OGREISH.

The Macquarie does not list HOMAGERS, so seven is the best to be done.  The other sevens are HOMAGES / OHMAGES, MIRAGES / GISARME, MISHEAR, MOHAIRS, and ISOGRAM (another term for ISOPLETH: "a line drawn on a map or chart through all points having the same numerical value of any element, or of the ratio of values of two elements").

My selection: HEROISM


Round 5: R E L A C F P T O

I had REAL, CLEAR, PLACER, ORACLE, POLECAT, and PECTORAL.

PECTORAL is the only eight, and the best to be done.  The other sevens are FLOATER, LOCATER, CALTROP, PLECTRA, and PROLATE.

My selection: PECTORAL


Round 6: Target 543 from 100 75 25 2 3 6

The offset of 7 is not that great, but it is also an offset of 18, which is much more promising.  That gives us tweaking options with the 3 and 6; I started with 543 = 6*(75 + 3) + 100 - 25, then saved a number with 543 = 6*(100 + 3) - 75.

My selection: 543 = 6*(100 + 3) - 75


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

I had SIDE, CODES, CONSIDER, EROSION, DISCERN / CINDERS, and CORDONS.

CONSIDER is the only eight and the best on offer.  There were more potential sevens than I felt like checking on, of which INDOORS was the most common.

My selection: CONSIDER


Round 8: Target 796 from 25 75 50 9 2 8

Ooh, a tough one.  It was easy enough to get close with 797 = 2*8*50 - 75/25, but it took going further afield for me to stumble upon a solution.  I got there by considering working down from 900, but a way to get there is to realise that the offset of 4 is also an offset of 54, which is 9*6.  That leaves us needing to get to 850, and a tweak sorts it out: 796 = 9*(75 + 25 - 8 + 2) - 50.

There are two other solutions.  The first does manage to make it as the more obvious 800 - 8/2, but spotting the right route to the 800 is tricky: 796 = (25 - 9)*50 - 8/2.

The other solution opts for 1592/2 as the approach.  A tough ask, but it can be done: 796 = (25*(75 - 9) - 50 - 8)/2.

My selection: 796 = 9*(75 + 25 - 8 + 2) - 50


Round 9: CEDED LEFT

Both DE- and -ED fragments are available, and -ECT is also often useful.  All of those come into play here.

My selection: DEFLECTED (1.6s)