NG 307

New game 307 is now available.


Round 1: A N A T E A N M R

I had NEAT, MARTEN, MANTRA, and REMNANT.

REMNANT appears to be the only seven.  The other sixes are MANNER, TANNER, MAÑANA ("tomorrow; the indefinite future"), and ATAMAN ("a chief of Cossacks, elected by the whole group, serving as a chairman in peace and a leader in war").

My selection: REMNANT


Round 2: R P B S F E E O I

I had BEER, FREES, PROBES, and FRISBEE.  I also noted that an H (the next consonant, it turns out) instead of the F would have allowed BIOSPHERE, so in some sense this was almost a full monty round.

FRISBEE looks like the only seven; the other sixes are BRIEFS / FIBRES / FIBERS, BEFORE, REPOSE, SOIREE, REBOPS (REBOP being a variant form of BEBOP), and RIBOSE ("a pentose sugar [...]").

My selection: FRISBEE


Round 3: Target 807 from 25 50 100 9 7 10

The desire to keep the 7 aside to make this as 800 + 7 was clear.  I perhaps made heavy weather of getting to 800, though; fortunately I got there in the end with 807 = (9*50/25 - 10)*100 + 7.

There's quite a few ways to make the target, actually.  Perhaps the easiest is 807 = (100 - 25)*10 + 50 + 7, while the technique I keep forgetting gives the shortest solution: 807 = (25 - 9)*50 + 7.

My selection: 807 = (9*50/25 - 10)*100 + 7


Round 4: U O O H C C C L T

I had OUCH, COUCH, CLOTH, COUTH, CLUTCH, and OCCULT.

Six seems to be the limit here; the other is CULTCH (variant spelling of CULCH: "the stones, old shells, etc., forming an oyster bed and furnishing points of attachment for the spawn of oysters"; it also has a verb sense, incidentally).

My selection: CLUTCH


Round 5: P A E S D Q R M A

I had APES, SPADE, SPARED, and DAMPERS.

The other seven here is PARADES.

My selection: DAMPERS


Round 6: Target 408 from 100 25 50 7 5 8

The factorisation 8*51 is pretty clear, and I soon had 408 = 8*(50 + 5 - 100/25).  Then I considered the option of 400 + 8 and eventually emerged with 408 = (7 + 5)*25 + 100 + 8.

My selection: 408 = 8*(50 + 5 - 100/25)


Round 7: D U E U L A G H S

I had DUEL, LAUD, LAUGHED, and briefly pondered but correctly rejected LUGHEADS.

LAUGHED is the only seven; the sixes are LAUGHS, LASHED, GASHED, GUSHED, HAULED, SLUDGE, GLADES, and LUSHED (LUSH as a verb: "to drink liquor").

My selection: LAUGHED


Round 8: Target 396 from 100 8 1 4 3 7

It was hard to go past 4*100 - 4, which could be formed that way but I went with the tweak of 396 = 4*(100 - 1).

My selection: 396 = 4*(100 - 1)


Round 9: INEPT RICK

I skipped over this one too quickly, alas.

My selection: [no answer]
Best: NITPICKER