NG 291

New game 291 is now available.


Round 1: I O R S A C A X S

I had SOAR, wondered if CAIROS would be valid (it is not), CRASS, SCORIA ("a clinker-like cellular lava"), pondered SCORIAS but was pretty sure (correctly, as it turns out) that the only plural form was SCORIAE, and ACROSS.

The other sixes are CASSIA (a type of tree, also the cinnamon that it produces) and CRISSA (plural of CRISSUM: "the region surrounding the cloacal opening beneath the tail of a bird") / CRASIS ("Grammar the mingling or combination of two vowels").

My selection: SCORIA


Round 2: S D H D E H E A G

I had SHED, HEEDS, SHADED, amused myself briefly with the idea of SHEDDAGE, HEADED, and GASHED.  After time I noted HEDGES / HEDGED as other sixes.

Six is the best on offer (DEASHED is not listed) with the others being DASHED and HASHED.

My selection: SHADED


Round 3: Target 720 from 100 5 6 7 10 10

I started straightforwardly with 720 = 7*100 + 10 + 10, then used factorisations for 720 = 6*(100 + 10 + 10) and 720 = (7 + 5)*6*10.

My selection: 720 = (7 + 5)*6*10


Round 4: M M R W U R I E E

Ergh, what a mix, and the duplication just keeps on coming -- a theme of the day.  I had IMMURE ("to enclose within walls") and wondered about IMMURER / RUMMIER but did not like either of them.

IMMURER is not valid, but it turns out that RUMMIER is (for RUMMY in the colloquial sense of "odd; queer").  That is the only seven; the other sixes are REWIRE and RUMMER ("a large drinking glass or cup typically of a heavy goblet shape").  RIMMER is not listed.

My selection: IMMURE
Best: RUMMIER


Round 5: S P P O A B M I L

I had SOAP, PIMPS, and BLIMPS.

There is an eight here: BIOPLASM.  A lovely word lurking in an unpromising day's mix, and congratulations to anyone who spotted it.  There's also the seven of LIPOMAS (LIPOMA: "a tumour made up of fat tissue") and possibly APLOMBS (not sure about this last, but one could defend it).

The other sixes are APLOMB, LIPOMA, LIMBOS, PAPISM, and PIPALS (PIPAL being a type of fig tree).

My selection: BLIMPS
Best: BIOPLASM


Round 6: Target 547 from 75 7 3 6 8 6

I futzed around at first trying to make this from 450 or 600, I'm not sure why.  Then better sense asserted itself and I worked up from 7*75; the offset is 22 and a tweak took care of the rest with 547 = 7*(75 + 3) + 6/6.  I also considered the option of 540 + 7, with 540 being 6*90.  That wasn't immediately useful, but a little before time ran out I spotted 547 = 6*6*75/(8 - 3) + 7.

My selection: 547 = 7*(75 + 3) + 6/6


Round 7: D A K A C B C I E

I had BACK, ABACK, BACKED, and wondered if BACCIE could be a colloquialism for tobacco.  As I suspected, though, only the form BACCY is listed.

There are two sevens here, one of them appropriate to the time of year: CICADAE (one plural form of CICADA, and they were certainly loud at Christmas time) and DIEBACK ("a condition of plants, shrubs, etc., which starts at the tips of the shoots and works downwards causing progressive lifelessness [...]").

The other sixes are CICADA and ACEDIA ("sloth; spiritual apathy").  I'm more familiar with the latter under the alternative spelling ACCIDIE, which is almost available in this mix.

My selection: BACKED
Best: CICADAE


Round 8: 594 from 50 100 25 3 7 10

I got hung up a bit too long on trying to make this as either 6*100 - 6 or 6*99, neither of which I was able to get to work.  I wrote down a fallback one away as a result for 593 = 3*(50/25)*100 - 7, and then fortunately spotted the working option of 2*297 to get 594 = (3*100 - (10 - 7))*50/25.

I'd noted the factorisation 11*54 but not been able to get it to work.  If I had focused on using the big numbers to make 54 I might have found the solution of 594 = (50 + 100/25)*(3*7 - 10).

There are a few other solutions, but another I like is 594 = 50*10 + 100 - (25 - 7)/3.  I wish I had seen either part of that (how to get to 600 that way, and how to make the 6).

My selection: 594 = (3*100 - (10 - 7))*50/25


Round 9: SPERM TEST

Oh, dear, I was moving too quickly through the possible conundrums at this stage and guessed at TEMPSTERS and moved on.  So close!

My selection: [invalid -- TEMPSTERS]
Best: TEMPTRESS