NG 127

New game 127 is now available.  The writeups are definitely going to be delayed until next week, as the MUMS Puzzle Hunt is proving very difficult for me this year.


Round 1: B N H O A A G O T

Ergh, not a promising mix to start.  I had BANG, wondered about BHANG (it is listed: "the Indian hemp plant; marijuana"), BOOTH, and amused myself with BOTHAN.  After time I noted BONGO as another five.

Five looks like the best on offer, with other examples being TANGO, TABOO, BATON, THONG, and BOGAN.

My selection: BOOTH


Round 2: D N E U R F D A E

Another near-repetition, this time from NG 122.  I had DUNE, UNDER, REFUND, and UNDERFED / REFUNDED.

Those seem to be the only eights (UNFEARED is not listed); the sevens are DEFRAUD, ENDURED, and UNFADED.

My selection: REFUNDED


Round 3: Target 791 from 25 50 7 9 2 2

The immediately tempting option is for 800 - 9, and a touch of tinkering produced 791 = (2*7 + 2)*50 - 9.  Experimenting with another way of making the 16 led me to find a more complicated option of 791 = (9 + 7)*(50 - 2) - 2 + 25.

My selection: 791 = (2*7 + 2)*50 - 9


Round 4: M T B R I O I L H

I had TRIM, ORBIT, BROIL, BROTH, wondered about IMBROIL (since the IN- words are often archaic variants of the EN- ones I wondered if the same might apply to IM-/EM-) but ended up not trying it (this was the correct decision), LIMIT, and wondered about LIMITOR.  That didn't seem likely either, with LIMITER clearly being the right formation for that concept.  So I was left with fives only.

There are two longer options, though.  The six is RHOMBI, one plural form of RHOMBUS.  The seven is the similar THROMBI, the plural of THROMBUS: "a fibrinous clot which forms in and obstructs a blood vessel, or which forms in one of the heart's chambers".

My selection: ORBIT
Best: THROMBI


Round 5: T S D A E I T M O

I had SATED, TASTED, and ATOMISED.

There are a lot of sevens, but the other eight is MATTOIDS (MATTOID: "a person of abnormal mentality bordering on insanity").

My selection: ATOMISED


Round 6: Target 189 from 50 25 75 1 8 2

I struggled with this at first, eventually emerging with the solution 189 = 8*(25 - 1) - 2*75/50.  Then I recalled that the target was 7*27 and found the alternative solution 189 = (25 + 2)*(8 - 1).

My selection: 189 = (25 + 2)*(8 - 1)


Round 7: G S C E A E R S U

I had CAGES, CEASE, CREASE, CREASES, GREASES, and then was very pleased to spot SURCEASE ("to come to an end") for eight.

That is the only eight, and once again there are many sevens.

My selection: SURCEASE


Round 8: Target 221 from 75 50 100 9 7 3

The target is 13*17, but that does not seem of much use.  Instead I applied the standard method, with 7 - 3 forming the needed offset.  There's various ways to get there; I went with 221 = 100 + 75 + 50 - (7 - 3).

My selection: 221 = 100 + 75 + 50 - (7 - 3)


Round 9: STEEL MAIL

I was in tune with this one, somehow avoiding the -IEST fragment and spotting METALLISE quickly.

My selection: METALLISE (2.8s)