NG 326

New game 326 is now available.


Round 1: U T C D O R N I R

I had DUCT, COURT, COUNT, correctly rejected DUCTION and DUCTOR, and decided to take a punt on UNTROD.  Alas, that is not valid -- the Macquarie (quite reasonably) only lists UNTRODDEN.  After time I found INDUCT and thus INDUCTOR for eight.  Annoying to consider DUCTOR and miss that.

INDUCTOR is the only eight.  The sevens are CONDUIT / NOCTUID (any of a certain family of moths), RUCTION (given as colloquial for "a disturbance, quarrel or row"; I'd not known it was colloquial), and TRICORN (a style of hat).  The other sixes are TORRID, ROTUND, NORDIC (allowable as lower case when referring to the nordic skiing), CITRON, and DURION (variant spelling of the fruit DURIAN).

My selection: [invalid -- UNTROD]
Best: INDUCTOR


Round 2: R S T D H A H A E

I had SHARD, THRASH, THRASHED, and HARDEST / HATREDS / THREADS.  After time I noted TRASHED / DEARTHS as other sevens.

The remaining seven is HEARTHS.

My selection: THRASHED


Round 3: Target 609 from 75 100 5 9 7 3

Definitely time for the standard method, with the target being 8*75 + 9 or 6*100 + 9.  The first was the more profitable, yielding 609 = (5 + 3)*75 + 9.  (Although just now I have seen the alternative of 609 = 3*(7 - 5)*100 + 9.)

My selection: 609 = (5 + 3)*75 + 9


Round 4: I M F E G E N C D

I had MINGE (I blame QI), FEEDING, DEEMING, and ENDEMIC ("peculiar to a particular people or locality, as a disease").

The other seven is FEIGNED.

My selection: ENDEMIC


Round 5: D C O E I W L O C

I had CODE, COWED, COILED / DOCILE, COWLED, and then was pleased to spot WOODLICE for eight.

WOODLICE looks like the only option longer than six in this mix (Scrabble would allow OCELOID, but it's not in the Macquarie).

My selection: WOODLICE


Round 6: Target 618 from 75 3 7 10 8 1

Starting with 8*75 to get close seems clear, and it's just a question of making the remaining 18.  There's a few ways to do it; I went with the tweak: 618 = 8*(75 + 1) + 10.

My selection: 618 = 8*(75 + 1) + 10


Round 7: S T B R I O E N E

I had RIBS, ORBITS, briefly wondered about OBITERS (not valid; OBITER is only present as part of the term OBITER DICTUM, and in any case the plural form is OBITER DICTA), wanted a final A for BARITONES but did not get it, SEROTINE (a type of bat), and BORNITES (BORNITE being a mineral).

The other eight is EBONITES (EBONITE being another name for VULCANITE: "a hard rubber [...] obtained by vulcanising rubber with a large amount of sulfur").  Although the Macquarie does list the plant BETONY, it failes to give the plural form of BETONIES.

There are many sevens, of which I'll list some of the more common: BONIEST, ENTRIES, ORIENTS, EBONITE, and EBONISE / EBONIES.

My selection: SEROTINE


Round 8: Target 407 from 100 75 25 3 4 8

I wanted to keep the 4 and 3 aside to make the 7, so it was a question of reaching 400 with the other four numbers.  This was possible, yielding 407 = 8*(75 - 25) + 4 + 3.

Just now I've noticed that it was still possible to solve this if starting from 4*100, with 407 = 4*100 + 8 - (3*25)/75.  Although shorter is 407 = 4*(100 + 8) - 25.

My selection: 407 = 8*(75 - 25) + 4 + 3


Round 9: LAZING OIL

I chose this conundrum after being presented with the similar GALLINAZO (apparently Spanish for a turkey buzzard).

My selection: [N/A -- conundrum chosen explicitly]
Best: GAZILLION