NG 160

New game 160 is now available.


Round 1: K H A A H E G M S

I had HAKA, HAKE, MAKES, GAMES, SHAKE, and flirted with ASHAME but had to reject it.  The right decision (only ASHAMED is listed), but still disappointing.

The six here is HAKEAS (HAKEA being one of various shrubs or trees).

My selection: GAMES
Best: HAKEAS


Round 2: E U E O T N N P R

I had TONE, TENON, PUNNET, and NEUTRON.

The other sevens are ENTERON ("the alimentary canal; the digestive tract") and NEURONE (variant form of NEURON).

My selection: NEUTRON


Round 3: Target 398 from 100 75 10 6 3 9

I had rather more difficulty with this than I thought I would; making the 4 for the obvious approach to get near uses up the 6 and the remaining offset of 2 cannot be made.  Then I thought of working down from 6*75 = 450, but the offset of 52 proved likewise troublesome.  (Adding 10 to the 75, though, would have worked: 398 = 6*(75 + 10) - 100 - 9 - 3.)

So I tried conserving numbers and working up from 375; the remaining 23 was manageable with a tweak, and I found the solution 398 = 3*(100 + 9) + 75 - (10 - 6).

My selection: 398 = 3*(100 + 9) + 75 - (10 - 6)


Round 4: T S M A O A O N C

I had MAST, ATOMS, COAST, and SONATA.  If only one of those A's had been a U then COSMONAUT would have been available.

There's other sixes, such as MASCOT or MASCON ("any of several local concentrations of mass below the surface of the moon"), but the seven (that has been mentioned a couple of times in the last few weeks) is SCOTOMA ("a blind spot").

My selection: SONATA
Best: SCOTOMA


Round 5: T R M I O I D N C

I had TRIM, INDICT, correctly rejected INDICTOR, and DICTION.

The other seven is CRINOID ("lily-like"), which inevitably makes me think of this.

There's a few other sixes, of which I'll just mention IRONIC, MICRON, CITRON, and NITRIC.

My selection: DICTION


Round 6: Target 988 from 75 100 25 50 8 8

The nearby 1000 is 8*125, and I started off on slightly the wrong foot by making that 125 as 100 + 25 (as is natural to do).  Still, the other numbers leant themselves to the required offset and I found the solution 988 = 8*(100 + 25) - 8*75/50.  Then I tried the other way of making the 125 and found the easier 988 = 8*(75 + 50) - 8 - 100/25.

My selection: 988 = 8*(100 + 25) - 8*75/50


Round 7: L R O A F E A F B

I had ORAL, FLORA, FLORAE, AREOLA, RAFFLE, wondered about BAFFLER (it is allowed), and then AFFABLE as a safe seven.  Sticking with three vowels would have held out the hope of AFFORDABLE, but it was not to be.

BAFFLER and AFFABLE seem to be the only sevens.

My selection: AFFABLE


Round 8: Target 493 from 25 50 100 75 4 7

My first instinct was to use the standard method, of course, with the offset of 7 already there.  I went with 493 = 4*(75 + 50) - 7, overlooking my four-large knowledge that might have had me find 493 = 100*(75 + 50)/25 - 7.  I also saw that the target was near 7*70, and so found the alternative solution 493 = 7*(75 - 4) - 4), where one of those 4's is 100/25.

My selection: 493 = 4*(75 + 50) - 7


Round 9: RAISE TAIL

Nope, I couldn't unravel the possibilities in these common letters.  Despite the excess of vowels that should have been a hit towards an AIR- or AER- fragment, I only considered the former and so was not able to find AERIALIST.

My selection: [no answer]
Best: AERIALIST