NG 238

New game 238 is now available.


Round 1: T I U M B E T R E

I had IMBUE, TERBIUM / IMBRUTE ("to degrade to the level of a brute"), TRIBUTE, briefly pondered TRIBUTEE (not valid, as it turns out), and then saw EMBITTER as the safe eight.

EMBITTER seems to be the only eight; the other sevens are TERMITE / EMITTER, EMBRUTE (variant form of IMBRUTE), and BURETTE.

My selection: EMBITTER


Round 2: D P E O N S A S E

I hade DOPE, NOSED, SEASONED, and SPONDEES (SPONDEE: "Prosody a metrical foot consisting of two long syllables or two heavy beats").

The other eight is SPADONES (plural of SPADO: "an impotent or castrated man").  The sevens are SPONDEE / DEPONES (DEPONE: "to give testimony") and DEPOSES / SPEEDOS.

My selection: SEASONED


Round 3: Target 431 from 25 75 6 1 2 4

The standard method suggests making this as 425 + 6, and a small tweak finished off that idea: 431 = 6*(75 + 1) + 25.

My selection: 431 = 6*(75 + 1) - 25


Round 4: A L D E I R I C F

I had DEAL, IDEAL, RAILED / DERAIL, RADICEL ("a minute root; a rootlet") / RADICLE ("a radicel or rootlet"), and then the F was extremely helpful, yielding CLARIFIED for nine.

The eight here is AIRFIELD; DEIFIC is listed, but not DEIFICAL.  The other sevens are DECRIAL and DELIRIA.

My selection: CLARIFIED


Round 5: H A O A S D K W I

I had DASH, WHISK, ADIOS, and SHADOW.

SHADOW is, not surprisingly, the only six.

My selection: SHADOW


Round 6: Target 610 from 75 25 4 8 9 5

Getting to 600 first as 8*75 was clearly attractive, and the final adjustment was manageable, giving 610 = 8*75 + 9 + 5 - 4.  Then I considered the factorisation 5*122, which played well with 9*8 and gave me an alternative of 610 = (9*8 + 75 - 25)*5.  Finally I managed a descent from 650 via 610 = 9*75 - 25 - 5*8.

My selection: 610 = 8*75 + 9 + 5 - 4


Round 7: Y G C O A O S N I

I had CAGY, COOS, SAYING, CASINO, and considered COOINGS but correctly rejected it.  After time I checked up on COSIGN (not valid), and while confirming the invalidity of COOINGS I saw an entry for COOGANS ("a child's overalls").

The other seven is SYCONIA (plural of SYCONIUM: "a multiple fruit developed from a hollow fleshy receptacle containing numerous flowers, as in the fig").

My selection: CASINO
Best: COOGANS


Round 8: Target 220 from 25 75 1 9 6 10

Another easy application of the standard method, yielding 220 = 9*25 - (6 - 1).  I was also able to use the factor of 10 with 220 = (25 - (9 - 6))*10.

My selection: 220 = 9*25 - (6 - 1)


Round 9: HAIR GROWN

Pulling out the -ING and adjusting the rest turned up HARROWING soon enough.

My selection: HARROWING (3.0s)