Tuesday, 16 April 2013

NG 107

New game 107 is now available.


Round 1: C R I E S N A O M

I had RICE, CRIES (of course), REASON, CRIMSON, and INCOMERS.  After time I also noted down SEMINAR / MARINES, MICRONS, ROMANCES, and CARMINES.

Good letters, but there is not a nine.  The other eights are SCENARIO, ROMANISE ("to put into Roman type") / ROMAINES (ROMAINE: "a fine woven fabric in plain dyes used as a lining or, when printed, used for dress goods") / MORAINES (MORAINE: "a ridge, mound, or irregular mass of boulders, gravel, sand and clay, transported in or on a glacier"), SERMONIC, and CREMAINS ("the remains of a cremated body; ashes").

My selection: INCOMERS


Round 2: N T C E O D E I O

I had CENT, DOCENT ("a guide, as in a zoo, museum, etc., often a volunteer with some training"), DENOTE, ENTICED, NOTICED, and correctly rejected DECITONE.  After time I noted another seven of ECOTONE ("the transition zone between two plant communities, as that between rainforest and sclerophyll forest").

Seven looks like the best on offer, with the others being CODEINE, COONTIE ("an arrowroot plant [...] of Florida"), and CTENOID ("comb-like or pectinate; rough-edged").

My selection: NOTICED


Round 3: Target 457 from 50 75 25 100 5 2

This should be an easy one for people who have studied the four large numbers, as if 450 can be made from them alone then a solution will follow.  Unfortunately I got a bit confused about that and wrote down a fallback one-away 456 = 5*100 - 50 + 2*75/25 at first.  Then better sense reasserted itself and I found the solution: 457 = (100 + 50)*75/25 + 5 + 2.

There are only two other solutions: 457 = (100 + 50)*(75 + 2)/25 - 5 and 457 = (100 + 2)*5 - 50 - 75/25.

My selection: 457 = (100 + 50)*75/25 + 5 + 2


Round 4: M D R P E E T U H

I had DEPTH, THUMPED, rejected RETHUMPED (correctly, but with a little regret), THUMPER, and TRUMPED.  I also observed that changing an E to an I would have allowed TRIUMPHED.

There turns out to be an eight in this mix, though: PERMUTED (PERMUTE: "to alter").  The other sevens are PERMUTE and ERUPTED / REPUTED.

My selection: THUMPED
Best: PERMUTED


Round 5: Q L D B O A O G A

A small nod to Sam in Queensland with the starting letters, perhaps, but the mix is pretty disappointing.  I had BOLD and BLOOD, and that was it (although I amused myself with OBLADA).

The other five is ADOBO ("a Philippine dish of pork or chicken stew cooked in soy sauce, vinegar, and garlic").

My selection: BLOOD


Round 6: Target 251 from 25 10 3 7 10 6

Rather straightforward: 251 = 25*10 + 7 - 6.  Although I also wrote down a different solution of 251 = 7*(25 + 10) + 6, just to be different.

My selection: 251 = 25*10 + 7 - 6


Round 7: N T F L E I A L T

Oh, dear, I fell to pieces on this round.  I had LENT, FLINT, and FALLEN.  I also noted that if that I had been a U then FLATULENT would have been there, but such observations may have wasted my time as I could not find longer than six.

Inevitably, after time ran out I saw a longer word: FLATLINE.  And then the shorter INFLATE, which was highly findable.  Oh, well.

FLATLINE is the only eight; the other sevens are FLATTEN and FLATLET.

My selection: FALLEN
Best: FLATLINE


Round 8: Target 280 from 100 25 6 4 3 1

The target is 4*70, so I soon had 280 = (100 - 25 - 6 + 1)*4.  Then I used the standard method for another solution: 280 = 3*100 - 25 + 6 - 1.

My selection: 280 = (100 - 25 - 6 + 1)*4


Round 9: SEE SIMMER

A case of the two M's not staying together, which was a mild holdup.  The MIS- fragment was not useful, nor was -ISM, but looking at the latter led me to consider -ISE and so find MESMERISE.

My selection: MESMERISE (5.4s)

5 comments:

Victor said...

1. ROMANISE
2. ENTICED
3. 457 = 75/25*(100 + 50) + 5 + 2
4. THUMPED
5. BLOOD
6. 251 = 10*25 + 7 - 6
7. INFLATE
8. 280 = 3*100 - 25 + 4 + 1
9. MESMERISE - 5.1s

Sam Gaffney said...

Very similar answers to Victor.

1. SCENARIO - such good letters, but no possible nine, I believe.
2. NOTICED/CODEINE
3. 457 = 75/25*(100 + 50) + 5 + 2
4. THUMPED - only one letter different from several nines here.
5. BLOOD
6. 251 = 10*25 + 7 - 6
7. FLATTEN
8. 280 = (100-25-6+1)*4
9. MESMERISE - 1.2s

Jan said...

I am home from my hols.

CINEMAS
DECENT
1 off. 5*100 - 50 + (75/25*2) = 456
THUMPED
BLOOD
10*25 + (7-6) = 251
FLATTEN
3*100 - 25 + (6-1) = 280
MESMERISE - about 2 mins

Geoff Bailey said...

Excellent results from both Victor and Sam, but as usual Sam's conundrum speed sees him home.

Welcome back, Jan! I hope you had a lovely time away.

Mike Backhouse said...

Another catch up game, although catch up does not reflect comparative results!

COMERS
TONED
Jan's way (1 off)
BLOG
Everyone's way
TALENT
3*(100-6)+1=281 (1 off)
MESMERISE 23.5s (at least I got it in time)