NG 247

New game 247 is now available.


Round 1: D A L I N S E M U

I had DIAL, ISLAND, DENIALS, MISLEAD, and SUNDIAL.  The only plausible eight I could see was UNMAILED, but it did not feel like a very Macquarie word.  Indeed, it is not listed, although it appears to be valid in Scrabble.

Seven is the best to be done; there's a good many others, of which I'll just mention MIAULED and MAUDLIN as two that I like.  The Macquarie does list MAUNDY ("the ceremony of washing the feet of the poor, especially commemorating Jesus' washing of the disciples' feet on Maundy Thursday, the Thursday of Holy Week"), but without a plural form given, so MAUNDIES would not be allowed.

My selection: DENIALS


Round 2: M A S U I R D A T

I had AIMS, RADIUMS, a dubious ATRIUMS (not valid; the plural form is explicitly given as ATRIA only), STADIUM, and DATURAS.  Amusing though it might be to contemplate a DRAMASUIT, seven was the best I could do.

And it is the best to be done, with the others being MUSTARD / DURMAST (a type of oak tree), MARAUDS, TRAUMAS, SAMURAI, AMRITAS, and SUDARIA (plural of SUDARIUM: "a cloth for wiping the face").

My selection: RADIUMS


Round 3: Target 810 from 100 50 2 9 4 1

My first instinct was towards 9*90, and it was not too hard to make work: 810 = 9*(100 - 2*(4 + 1)).  Then I noted one of a few more prosaic options: 810 = 2*4*100 + 9 + 1.

My selection: 810 = 2*4*100 + 9 + 1


Round 4: G O A C O L T E R

I had COAL, LOCATE, LOCATOR, and LOCATER (from past experience I know that both are valid).  Hopefully I was not the only person to get persistently distracted by COLGATE.

The other sevens are LEGATOR / GLOATER and ROOTAGE.

My selection: LOCATOR


Round 5: R O N E G E F E S

I had GONER, GREEN, RENEGES, and a late spot of FORESEEN.  An unexpectedly long word in that mix.

FORESEEN is the only eight, and the other seven is FORESEE.

My selection: FORESEEN


Round 6: Target 889 from 25 100 75 9 5 1

The offset from 900 is 11, which is not overly promising.  The 1 allows the 9 to be effectively reused, however, and with 75/25 providing a 3 that 11 can be made as 9 + 5 - 3.  Putting it all together yielded the solution 889 = 9*(100 - 1) - 5 + 75/25.  Then I looked at working up from 875; the offset is 14, which is 9 + 5, so the 1 allows tweaking.  I went with 889 = 5*(100 + 75 + 1) + 9.

My selection: 889 = 5*(100 + 75 + 1) + 9


Round 7: N A C T E W A B A

I had CANT, ENACT, and ABATE.  I also noted the common Japanese surname WATANABE, but obviously that cannot be used.

My selection: ENACT
Best: CABANA


Round 8: Target 424 from 50 25 75 7 7 4

I started contemplating various offsets, then realised that 7*7 was 49 which effectively gave the desired offset.  The rest was just various ways of using this, with the requisite multiple of 25 being 375.  I started with 424 = 7*(75 + 7) - 4*25 - 50, then noted the more straightforward 424 = 4*75 + 50 + 25 + 7*7.  Finally I kept things short and sweet with 424 = 7*(50 + 7) + 25.

My selection: 424 = 7*(50 + 7) + 25


Round 9: ALIEN VOTE

I got nowhere with this, despite looking at the correct -ATION fragment.  Admittedly, I was also skipping through conundrums relatively quickly, so I've only got myself to blame.  I think I had a best guess of ENVIOLATE at the time I moved on, although I did not believe it.

My selection: [no answer]
Best: ELEVATION