NG 202

New game 202 is now available.


Round 1: N F E I C T O S O

I had FINE, INFECT, INFECTS, and SECTION / NOTICES.  I also amused myself with FONETICS, but it was not a contender, of course.

There is an eight, though; there is a type of arrowroot plant called a COONTIE, and thus COONTIES is the eight.

The other sevens are COONTIE, COOTIES, CONFITS (CONFIT: "salted meat, cooked in its own fat, and then packed into a crock or pot and sealed with its own fat"), FESTOON, FOOTIES, and ISOTONE ("one of two or more atoms whose nuclei contain the same number of neutrons although they have different atomic numbers") / TOONIES (TOONIE being the Canadian two dollar coin).

My selection: INFECTS
Best: COONTIES


Round 2: I I N N U E D K O

Almost spelled out INNUENDO there, although a third N would have been required.  I had ENNUI, UNDINE ("one of a class of mythological female water-sprites"), UNKIND, and UNDONE.

The other sixes are ONDINE (variant spelling of UNDINE), IODINE, and OINKED.

My selection: UNKIND


Round 3: Target 338 from 75 25 4 2 6 9

Working up from 300 as a starting point seemed clear, and the offset of 38 can be made in a few ways; I went for the tweak at first with 338 = 4*(75 + 9) + 2, then noted also the untweaked version of 338 = 4*75 + 25 + 9 + 6 - 2.

While writing this up I noted that the target is near half a multiple of 25.  Indeed, it is 676/2, which is provocative, and a little work gives another solution: 338 = (9*75 + 25 - 6*4)/2.

My selection: 338 = 4*(75 + 9) + 2


Round 4: A O B T E E G T R

I had BOAT and GAROTTE.  Just as well that R turned up as I was a bit lost (although I like to think I would have found BEGET).

The other sevens are ABETTER and ABETTOR / TABORET ("a low seat without back or arms, for one person; a stool").

My selection: GAROTTE


Round 5: C S L A E A T E H

I had LACS (LAC: "a resinous substance deposited on the twigs of various trees in southern Asia by the lac insect, and used in the manufacture of varnishes, sealing wax, etc., and in the production of a red colouring matter"), SCALE, CASTLE, LACTASE ("an enzyme capable of hydrolysing lactose into glucose and galactose"), CHALETS / LATCHES, TEACHES, and ACETALS ("a class of compounds of aldehydes or ketones with alcohols").

A moderate amount after time I found the eight of CHELATES (CHELATE: "a molecular structure in which a central polyvalent metal ion is combined into one or more rings by a chelating agent").

The other eights are ESCALATE, ALCAHEST (I've mentioned this before, and wish I had seen it; it is a variant spelling of ALKAHEST: "the universal solvent sought by the alchemists"), and LEACHATE ("water carrying impurities which has percolated through the earth, a rubbish tip, mine waste, etc.; liquid sullage").  My interpretation is that this last is pluralisable, so LEACHATES is the full monty in this mix.

My selection: CHALETS
Best: LEACHATES


Round 6: Target 877 from 75 5 2 2 8 4

I immediately wanted to make this as 875 + 2, but the 75 does not lend itself well to that.  The limited quantity of odd numbers makes this quite challenging, and the best I could do was tweak my way to one off with 876 = (8 + 4)*(75 - 2).

It turns out that the target is unreachable (as some after-time efforts led me to believe) and one off is the best to be done.

My selection: 876 = (8 + 4)*(75 - 2)  [1 off]


Round 7: P R M I I E N C T

I had PRIM, PRIME, PRINCE / PINCER, and IMPRINT.  After time I noted MINTIER, but it turns out not to be valid.  I think this has been mentioned before, but only in comments.

Seven is the best to be done here; the others are INTERIM / TERMINI (the safe anagrams of MINTIER), EMPIRIC, CITRINE / INCITER / CRINITE ("hairy") / NERITIC ("of or relating to the shallow waters near land"), and PICRITE (an igneous rock).

My selection: IMPRINT


Round 8: Target 546 from 25 100 8 10 6 10

I could not get past trying to make this as 6*91, and for some reason had a bit of a mental block on making the 9 from 8, 10, 10.  I wrote down a fallback one away 547 = 6*(100 - 10) + 25 - 10 - 8, and for a long while that is where I stayed.  Fortunately I realised what I was missing with the earlier approach and found the solution of 546 = 6*(100 - 8 - 10/10).

There are three other solutions; two of them make the target as 550 - (10 - 6); I somehow missed the possibility of making the offset of 4 from 10 and 6, or I would have looked at this.  Those solutions are 546 = 8*100 - 10*25 - (10 - 6) and 546 = 25*(10 + 8) + 100 - (10 - 6).  The other solution makes it as 540 + 6 via 546 = (100 + 8)*(25 - 10 - 10) + 6.

My selection: 546 = 6*(100 - 8 - 10/10)


Round 9: LET A NUN BE

I chose this conundrum explicitly after seeing it nearby while checking up on UNTEETHED (not listed).

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