NG 794

New game 794 is now available.

The re-run is episode 57; its rounds are here and its writeup is here.


Round 1: L S A C D B N O E

I had LACS (LAC being a type of resin; the perhaps more familiar word 'shellac' is derived from it), SCALD, BLAND, CANDLES, and SOLACED.  After time I added another seven of BLONDES and then saw the eight of CELADONS (CELADON being a shade of green).  I also noted BEACONS, DEACONS and ABSCOND, and checked up on DECANOLS (not valid).

CELADONS is the only eight.  The other sevens are CELADON, ALBEDOS (ALBEDO: "the ratio of the light reflected by a planet or satellite to that received by it"), CALENDS (variant spelling of KALENDS, the first of the month in the Roman calendar), and ACNODES (ACNODE: "Geometry a node [...] at which the tangents to two curves are imaginary and distinct").

My selection: CANDLES
Best: CELADONS


Round 2: M N N S A O G U L

I had MANS, MOANS, AMONG, MULGAS, an uncertain SONGMAN (valid: "an Aboriginal man who knows and performs the traditional songs of the community"), and ANNULS.   I decided to chance SONGMAN and fortunately that was the right decision.  After time I noted MOGULS as another six.

The other sevens are SOLANUM (a type of plant), LONGANS (LONGAN being a fruit somewhat similar to the lychee), LUNGANS (LUNGAN being a variant form of LONGAN),and LANUGOS (LANUGO: "a coat of delicate, downy hairs, especially that with which the human foetus or newborn infant is covered").

My selection: SONGMAN


Round 3: Target 983 from 100 10 7 5 6 1

The target is near 10*100, and the difference is clearing 10 + 7.  That makes the tweak fairly easy to find, giving 983 = 10*(100 - 1) - 7.

My selection: 983 = 10*(100 - 1) - 7


Round 4: R U S I M D T R O

I had DRUMS, SODIUM, and flailed around for a bit before finding TOURISM for seven.  After time I checked up on DIMOUTS, confirming that it requires the hyphen as I sort of recalled (DIM-OUT: "US a reduction or concealment of night lighting, as of a city, a ship, etc., to make it less visible from the air or sea"), then noted TORRID as another six and ROSTRUM as another seven.

The other seven is STRIDOR ("a harsh, grating, or creaking sound").  The other sixes are STUDIO, SUITOR, TRUISM, TUMORS, RUMORS, ODIUMS, DROITS (DROIT: "a legal right or claim"), MORRIS (an acceptable shortened form of MORRIS DANCE), and DORSUM ("the back, as of the body").

My selection: TOURISM


Round 5: B E O T O G H E P

I had BOOT, BOOTH, PHOTO (an amusing combination of PHOTO and BOOTH), BEGOT, and amused myself with the idea of a GEOPHOBE (not valid, although GEOPHONE is a word: "an instrument used to pick up vibrations passing through soil, rocks, or ice").

The six here is BOOTEE ("a baby's knitted shoe"), which I'd expected to be spelled as BOOTIE.  The other fives are BEGET and TOPEE ("(in India) a helmet of sola pith").

My selection: PHOTO
Best: BOOTEE


Round 6: Target 476 from 75 6 6 1 2 2

Obviously 6*75 is a good starting point, and the offset is 26.  The temptation is to tweak that as 6*2*2 for 24, but that does not give a solution.  Instead I went with 30 - 4 = 26, getting 476 = 6*(75 + 6 - 1) - 2*2.  (Note that the alternative that I mised for that 24 approach is 476 = 6*(75 + 6 - 2) + 2.)

Seen while writing this up is another option, working down from 7*75.  The offset of 49 is also divisible by 7, highlighting the factorisation 7*68.  That leads to the solution 476 = 7*(75 - 7), where one 7 is 6 + 1 and the other is 6 + 2/2.

My selection: 476 = 6*(75 + 6 - 1) - 2*2


Round 7: S M F N D A O S A

I had SAND, MOANS, NOMADS, wondered if SAMSON had a lowercase sense (it does not, although the terms SAMSON FISH and SAMSON POST are lowercase), MASONS, and FANDOMS.  After time I found SAMOSA as another six.

The other seven is DAMSONS (DAMSON being a type of plum).  The other sixes are DAMSON, FANDOM, MONADS, ADMASS ("the consumers who make up the audience of advertising via the mass media"), and DAMANS (DAMAN: "any hyrax").

My selection: FANDOMS


Round 8: Target 268 from 50 4 1 8 5 9

The target is 4*67, which soon leads to 268 = 4*(50 + 8 + 9).  That can be considered as working up from 4*50 via a tweak; I also noted down ways to get there from 5*50 with 268 = 5*50 + 9 + 8 + 1 and 6*50 with 268 = (5 + 1)*50 - 4*8.

My selection: 268 = 4*(50 + 8 + 9)


Round 9: BLEARY MOM

The -LY ending extends easily to -ABLY, and thus to the solutin.

My selection: MEMORABLY (2.8s)