NG 279

New game 279 is now available.


Round 1: E U G E R T I D T

I had GRUE (surprisingly, not valid; Chambers defines it as a Scottish term for "a creeping of the flesh; a shiver"), GREET, TURGID, and GUTTERED.  I noted that changing an E to an A would allow GRATITUDE.

GUTTERED is the only eight; the sevens are GRITTED, ERUDITE, UTTERED, and TERGITE ("a dorsal sclerite of an arthropod").

My selection: GUTTERED


Round 2: M E A B N B P O E

I had BEAM and BEMOAN.

BEMOAN is the only six; the fives are BOMBE, BEBOP, ENEMA, NABOB ("(formerly, during the time of  British colonial rule) an Englishman grown rich in India"), PAEON ("a metrical foot of four syllables, one long (in any position) and three short"), and BEANO (shortening of BEANFEAST: "a festivity; celebration; a lavish feast").

My selection: BEMOAN


Round 3: Target 834 from 25 3 4 7 10 7

The target is near 11*75, which is to say 33*25.  The offset is 9, and a small tweak sorts that out: 834 = ((7 + 4)*25 + 10 - 7)*3.

My selection: 834 = ((7 + 4)*25 + 10 - 7)*3


Round 4: O H R T N I O S D

I had NORTH, NORTHS (might still be valid; I was thinking I had heard of a verb sense in the context of sailing, but it is not listed), INTROS, and TOROIDS.  I wondered about TOONISH, but later checking confirms that it is not valid.

There are two eights here: DISHONOR and HORNITOS (HORNITO: "a low oven-shaped mound, common in the volcanic districts of South America, etc., usually emitting hot smoke and vapours from its sides and summit").

The other sevens are HORNITO, INDOORS / SORDINO (another term for a mute in the sense of "a mechanical device of various shapes and materials for muffling the tone of a musical instrument"), DRONISH, TORSION / NITROSO ("containing the group NO-"), THORONS (THORON: "a radioactive isotope of radon, produced by the disintegration of thorium"), and DHOOTIS (DHOOTI being a variant spelling of DHOTI: "a traditional Indian garment for the lower part of the body [...]").

My selection: TOROIDS
Best: DISHONOR


Round 5: C E C W R E I S C

I had CREW, RECCE (colloquial for "reconnoitre"), SCREW, WIRES, SEWER, and wondered about RECCIES.  I didn't chance it, but somehow I overlooked the option of RECCES which would have been all right.  RECCY is listed as an alternative form of RECCE, but without an explicit plural mentioned it falls into that gap in the rules that might rule out RECCIES.

The other sixes are CERISE and ECESIS ("the establishment of an immigrant plant in a new environment").

My selection: SCREW
Best: CERISE


Round 6: Target 789 from 25 1 2 8 1 3

The target is 11 away from 800, but the small numbers don't quite cooperate.  I was able to get to one away with 788 = (3 + 1)*(8*25 - 2 - 1) and that was the best I could manage.

With good reason, it turns out, as the target is not achievable so one away is the best to be done.

My selection: 788 = (3 + 1)*(8*25 - 2 - 1)  [1 off]


Round 7: P E K T Y R O N A

I had KEPT, TYPE, PERKY, POETRY, and PRONATE / OPERANT.  After time I noted the element KRYPTON as another seven.

The other sevens are ENTROPY and PROTEAN ("readily assuming different forms or characters; exceedingly variable").

My selection: PRONATE


Round 8: Target 272 from 50 10 3 4 8 1

I noted the factor of 8 with cofactor 34, and that led quickly to 272 = (3*10 + 4)*8.  The factorisation is also 4*68, and I also had 272 = (50 + 10 + 8)*4.

My selection: 272 = (3*10 + 4)*8


Round 9: CRUDE BABE

I was nowhere near solving this one, alas.  The patterns of BARBECUED are perhaps a little unusual, but I'd have hoped to find it on a better day.

My selection: [no answer]
Best: BARBECUED