NG 175

New game 175 is now available.


Round 1: T S E T W O A G N

Huh, very similar to a mix from NG 174.  I had TEST, WASTE, ONSTAGE, and NOTATES.

The other sevens are STOWAGE / TOWAGES.

My selection: ONSTAGE


Round 2: U I A T F H K X S

Oh, my, a rather unpromising selection.  I had TUFA ("a porous mass of mineral calcium carbonate deposited round a spring"), FAITH, and FAITHS.

The other sixes are HAIKUS, HIATUS, and TAKHIS (TAKHI being another name for Przewalski's horse).

My selection: FAITHS


Round 3: Target 291 from 25 100 75 10 6 1

I started with 300 - 9 via 291 = 100*75/25 - 10 + 1, then found the alternative 3*97 as 291 = (75/25)*(100 - 10 + 6 + 1).

My selection: 291 = 100*75/25 - 10 + 1


Round 4: M N T R O E O P A

I had MORN, MENTOR, PROMOTE, and wondered about TROOPMAN but ultimately rejected it.  After time I noted other sevens of OPERANT / PRONATE and MANROPE ("a rope placed at the side of a ship's gangway, ladder, or the like, to serve as a rail").

The eight here is ANTEROOM, but there is a nine: PROTONEMA ("a primary, usually filamentous structure produced by the germination of the spore in mosses and certain related plants, and upon which the leafy plant which bears the sexual organs arises as a lateral or terminal shoot").

(Some sources would allow another nine of MONOPTERA, plural of MONOPTERON, but it's not in the Macquarie.)

My selection: PROMOTE
Best: PROTONEMA


Round 5: S S I P L I E R E

I had SIPS, SLIPS, PLIERS, and REPLIES.  After time I noted PRESSIE as another seven.

One of the sevens available here is SPIELER ("someone who delivers or is proficient at delivering a spiel"), and that leads to the only eight of SPIELERS.

The other sevens are ESPIERS, LISPERS, IRELESS / RESILES (RESILE: "to spring back; rebound"), and PELISSE ("an outer garment lined or trimmed with fur").

My selection: REPLIES
Best: SPIELERS


Round 6: Target 273 from 25 100 4 2 3 10

The standard method applies fairly easily, giving 273 = 3*100 - 25 - 2.  There's other ways to use this approach, but I noticed the factorisation 13*21 and found the alternative solution of 273 = (25 - 4)*(10 + 3).

My selection: 273 = (25 - 4)*(10 + 3)


Round 7: A A H O S D C C U

I had SHAD / DASH, a dubious CHADS (thanks to American elections, of course, but the Macquarie does not list CHAD), COUCH, COACH, and DACHAS (DACHA: "a country villa (in Russia)").

The other sixes are CACAOS and CACHOU ("a pill or pastille for sweetening the breath").  This last is pluralisable, yielding the only seven of CACHOUS.

My selection: DACHAS
Best: CACHOUS


Round 8: Target 709 from 25 75 10 10 8 3

Offsets of 9 and 16 are difficult to come by, but one away is easy enough.  I wrote down 710 = 10*(75 - 3) - 10 and 710 = (10 - 3)*(75 + 25) + 10, but could not do better within time.

It took a while afterwards, but eventually I considered the option of 784 - 75, and 784 is the square of 28.  The resulting solution is 709 = (25 + 3)*(10 + 10 + 8) - 75.

There are three other solutions: 709 = (25*10 + 8)*3 + 10 - 75, 709 = 75*10 + 10 - (25 - 8)*3, and the rather difficult to spot 709 = ((75 + 10)*25 + 10 - 8)/3.

My selection: 710 = 10*(75 - 3) - 10  [1 off]
Best: 709 = (25 + 3)*(10 + 10 + 8) - 75


Round 9: FLUME FUND

I chose this conundrum explicitly after being presented with the similar but not valid UNMUDDLED, so I have no time to declare.

My selection: [N/A -- conundrum chosen explicitly]
Best: UNMUFFLED