NG 298

New game 298 is now available.


Round 1: R S E T R A T F E

I had REST, ARREST, wondered about RATTERS (valid), RAFTERS, FETTERS, and thought that FARTERS would not be valid (I last mentioned this way back in a very similar mix in episode 2, in which I originally stated it was not listed; however, I have just now found FARTER given as an alternative form of FART SACK, colloquial for "a bed or sleeping bag").  I'd hoped for a final U and FRUSTRATE, but was, appropriately enough, frustrated in that desire.  After time I noted SERRATE ("having notches or teeth along the edge") as another seven, and that led me to find FERRATES for eight.

The other eights are RETREATS / TREATERS.

My selection: RAFTERS
Best: RETREATS


Round 2: N C G S D A R O O

I had SAND, CARDS, DRAGONS, CONDORS, and DRAGOONS.

The other eights are CARDOONS (CARDOON being a type of plant) and GADROONS (GADROON: "Architecture an elaborately carved or indented convex moulding").  The other sevens are DRAGOON / GADROON, CARDOON, CORDONS, RACOONS (RACOON being a variant spelling of RACCOON) / CORONAS, CANDORS (CANDOR being a variant spelling of CANDOUR) / DACRONS (possibly; DACRON is a trademarked material), DRONGOS, and GARCONS (GARCON: "a male employee or servant").

My selection: DRAGOONS


Round 3: Target 889 from 25 50 75 1 3 8

The target is 11 away from 900; 8 + 3 can provide the 11, and presence of 1 means that tweaking is possible.  It just works out, fortunately, giving the solution 889 = (8 + 3)*(75 - 1) + 50 + 25.

There's a trivial variation by swapping 75 and 50 + 25, but aside from that this is the only solution.


My selection: 889 = (8 + 3)*(75 - 1) + 50 + 25


Round 4: T A A M B U S L I

I had TUBA, ABUTS, BALSAM, and wondered about but correctly rejected TABULISM  and AMBULIST.  After time I noted SAMBAL as an anagram of BALSAM, and then saw TABULIS.  That is not valid, a mistake I've made before but since I've yet to notice it within time the lesson has not stuck.

There are sevens to be had; one that I had considered but rejected was LAMBAST, but it does turn out to be a valid variant spelling of LAMBASTE.  The other sevens are TIMBALS (TIMBAL being another name for a kettle drum), ULTIMAS (ULTIMA: "the last syllable of a word"), ABLAUTS (ABLAUT: "a regular change in the vowel structure of word roots, particularly in the vowel, showing alteration in function and meaning"), and ABULIAS (ABULIA being a variant spelling of ABOULIA: "the inability, usually pathological, to make or to act on decisions").

BASMATI is only present as part of the term BASMATI RICE, so is not acceptable.

My selection: BALSAM
Best: LAMBAST


Round 5: A A U M P S H I E

I had PUMA, PUMAS, HUMPS, dubious HUMPIES and HAMPIES, amused myself with PUMAISH (not valid, of course), and wondered about MASHUP.  That's not in the Macquarie yet but may well make it to a future version.  Nor is HAMPIES valid, but HUMPIES is (HUMPIE is colloquial for "a humpback whale", and HUMPY is "a temporary bush shelter traditionally used by Aboriginal people").  I ended up sticking with PUMAS for five, though.

There are some sixes here also: MASHIE (a type of golf club), MISHAP, AMUSIA ("the inability, whether congenital or acquired, to discriminate differences in pitch in musical tones; tone-deafness"), and AHIMSA ("the doctrine of refraining from violence to all living things, as held by Jainists, Buddhists and Hindus").

My selection: PUMAS
Best: HUMPIES


Round 6: Target 157 from 100 25 50 2 9 1

Straightforward enough: 157 = 100 + 50 + 9 - 2.

My selection: 157 = 100 + 50 + 9 - 2


Round 7: E N L A N K A O S

I had LANE, ANNEAL, ANNEALS, ANKLES, and lamented that NANOLEAKS was not likely to be listed.

The other seven is ALKANES.

My selection: ANNEALS


Round 8: Target 655 from 50 10 6 2 4 4

An odd target with no odd numbers is generally difficult, and this is no exception.  I wrote down a fallback one off 654 = (4*4 + 50)*10 - 6, and in the end that was the best I could do.  If one of those 4's had been a 2 instead I would have had a solution of ((4*6 + 2)*50 + 10)/2, but no joy there.

The target is unreachable, not surprisingly, so one off is the best to be done.

My selection: 654 = (4*4 + 50)*10 - 6  [1 off]


Round 9: SPLIT CASK

I had a bad failure here, focusing on STACK and taking a punt on the erroneous SLIPSTACK.  Annoying to get that close and miss the actual answer!

My selection: [invalid -- SLIPSTACK]
Best: SLAPSTICK