NG 171

New game 171 is now available.


Round 1: O S T A T E R O B

I had OATS, TOAST, ROTATES, was a bit disappointed at no second A for AEROSTAT, BOASTER, BOOSTER / REBOOTS, and SORBATE.  After time I checked up on BOATSTER, which as expected was not valid.

There are eights, though: ABETTORS / TABORETS (TABORET: "a low seat without back or arms, for one person; a stool").

My selection: ROTATES
Best: ABETTORS


Round 2: K T W B I A S O D

I had WAIT, WAIST, knew to avoid WASTOID this time, recalled from past checking that DAKOITS is not valid (could be a trap for the Scrabble players), BATIKS, and rejected SKIBOAT, rightly concluding that it would require the hyphen.

It seems that BATIKS is the best on offer, with the other six being BIOTAS.

Update: Commenter Victor points out another six of TOWAIS (TOWAI: "a New Zealand forest tree [...]").

My selection: BATIKS


Round 3: Target 826 from 25 75 100 5 3 8

It was tempting to make this as 825 + 1, but I could not see how within time.  (Seen just now: 826 = (8 + 3)*75 + 5 - 100/25; looks like I needed to remember my 75-times tables!)  Instead I went for the tweaking option and found 826 = 8*(100 + 75/25) + 5 - 3, then thought about the target as 850 - 24 and saved a number with 826 = 8*(100 - 3) + 75 - 25.

My selection: 826 = 8*(100 - 3) + 75 - 25


Round 4: P C T U M E R O F

I had PUCE and COMPUTER.

COMPUTER is the only eight; the sevens are COMPUTE, CRUMPET, and POMFRET (a type of fish).

My selection: COMPUTER


Round 5: E M E H S M A I T

Argh, this round hurts, although I almost saved it.  I had HEME (chiefly American spelling of HAEM: "[...] the non-protein portion [...] of haemoglobin"), MESH, SAMITE ("a heavy silk fabric, sometimes interwoven with gold, worn in the Middle Ages"), THEMES, and MASHIE (a type of golf club).  I was sure there was a seven from the non-repeated letters but could not see it, resorting in the last seconds to HAMMIES for my seven.  I was confident in the Macquarie's colloquialisms, but I had not bargained on it omitted to list the plural form of HAMMY (colloquial for a hamstring) explicitly.  Doh!

After time I checked up on HAMMIEST, but that also is not explicitly listed.  And then I spotted ATHEISM as the seven I had been searching for.  Ouch.

The other sevens are MISMATE / TAMMIES (TAMMY being a variant spelling of TAMIS: "a cloth sieve or strainer"; the plural form is listed, for a change) and MAIHEMS (MAIHEM being a variant spelling of MAYHEM).

My selection: [invalid -- HAMMIES]
Best: ATHEISM


Round 6: Target 696 from 50 100 9 6 2 7

The usual approximate-and-adjust approach works handily here, giving 696 = 7*100 - (6 - 2).  I also looked at the factor of 6 to find the alternative 696 = 6*(100 + 9 + 7).

My selection: 696 = 7*100 - (6 - 2)


Round 7: I D I G N P T I E

Gah, too many I's.  I had DING, TIDING, and IGNITED / DIETING.

The other seven is EDITING.

My selection: IGNITED


Round 8: Target 167 from 75 100 25 3 10 8

The target was a bit too low to be challenging, although I did spend a while unsuccessfully trying to make it as 501/3.  Instead I had to go with the simple 167 = 100 + 75 - 8, although I also noted 167 = 10*(25 - 8) - 3.

My selection: 167 = 100 + 75 - 8


Round 9: SIR SNORES

With so many S's the -NESS fragment is compelling, and although I dithered for a bit over whether SORRINESS felt right it was always the only serious contender.

My selection: SORRINESS (3.5s)