NG 254

New game 254 is now available.


Round 1: I I E L W G N M I

This started off poor until the last two consonants.  I had WILE (I was uncertain if it was acceptable in the singular, but it is), WING, MINGLE, and MEWLING (MEWL: "to cry, as a young child").

MEWLING is the only seven; the other sixes are MEWING, LIMING (LIME as a verb: "to treat (soil, etc.) with lime or compounds of calcium"), and WILING (WILE as a verb: "to beguile, entice, or lure (away, from, into, etc.)").

My selection: MEWLING


Round 2: B E S E R A M R E

I had BEES, BEERS, AMBERS, REAMERS, and BEAMERS (in the cricket sense).

Seven appears to be the limit; some sources would allow the nine of BESMEARER but it is not in the Macquarie.  The other sevens are BESMEAR and BEARERS.

My selection: REAMERS


Round 3: Target 199 from 50 75 1 10 5 2

The standard method is clearly the go-to approach; I started with 199 = 2*75 + 50 - 1 then noted an alternative of 199 = 5*(50 - 10) - 1.

My selection: 199 = 2*75 + 50 - 1


Round 4: T I K E N T O E S

I had KITE, KITTEN, the explosive TONITE, KITTENS, and KETONES.

TONITES is probably valid as another seven, which would be the only other one.  There are two eights, though: NOISETTE ("a boned cutlet of lamb, veal, pork, etc.") / TEOSINTE ("a tall annual grass [...] native to Mexico and Central America [...]").

My selection: KITTENS
Best: NOISETTE


Round 5: I U O S H S P T M

I had HISS, SHOPS, and IMPOSTS (IMPOST: "a tax, tribute, or duty"), briefly tempted by SPOUTISH / SHIPOUTS but correctly rejecting them.  I also noted in passing that an A instead of the H would have allowed POTASSIUM.  After time I checked up on STUMPISH, but it also is not valid.

Seven is the limit here; the others are UPSHOTS, ISTHMUS, SOPHISM, and SOPHIST.

My selection: IMPOSTS


Round 6: Target 151 from 75 50 100 25 10 7

The standard method is tempting again, and the numbers work out for it; my first solution was 151 = 100 + 50 + (7 + 75/25)/10.  I looked around for other options, and noted that the target was 161 - 10, and 161 is 7*23.  That gave me the alternative solution 151 = (25 - 100/50)*7 - 10.  Finally I spotted another option to get an offset of 24 as 2*7 + 10, which was a little complicated but worked out with 151 = (100/50)*(75 - 7) + 25 - 10.

My selection: 151 = (25 - 100/50)*7 - 10


Round 7: E E U S D P C F A

I had SUEDE, SPEED, CUSPED, DEUCES, and DEFACES.  I was briefly amused by the idea of a SPACEFEUD along the way.

The other seven is ESCAPED.

My selection: DEFACES


Round 8: Target 900 from 25 50 3 7 9 8

My first instinct was toward 9*100, but 12*75 was easier: 900 = (9 + 3)*(50 + 25).  (Only just now have I seen the simple 900 = (7 - 3)*25*9.)  After time I noted another option of 900 = 9*(7 + 3)*(8 + 50/25).

My selection: 900 = (9 + 3)*(50 + 25)


Round 9: FLED OVENS

I was nowhere in the vicinity of solving this one -- I could not get the V and F to cooperate in a sensible manner.  A tough conundrum!

My selection: [no answer]
Best: SEVENFOLD