NG 340

New game 340 is now available.


Round 1: H C L L H B I A O

I had CHILL, COBIA (a type of fish), and LOCAL.

There is a six to be found in this mix, though: LOCHIA ("the liquid discharge from the uterus after childbirth").  In fact, that leads to the only seven of LOCHIAL.

My selection: CHILL
Best: LOCHIAL


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

I had ONCE, CRONE, CORNEA, CORNEAS, DEACONS, CENSORED, and REASONED.

The other eights are ASCENDER, SECONDER / NECROSED, and ENDOSARC ("the endoplasm of a protozoan (opposed to ectosarc)").  But there is a nine to be had here: COARSENED.

My selection: CENSORED
Best: COARSENED


Round 3: Target 772 from 50 25 100 2 3 7

The standard method is very hard to go past here, and soon leads to a solution of 772 = 7*100 + 50 + 25 - 3.  I also jumped at the opportunity to make 875 and turned that into an alternative solution of 772 = 7*(100 + 25) - 2*50 - 3.

My selection: 772 = 7*100 + 50 + 25 - 3


Round 4: D A T O I N T A T

I had TOAD, IOTA, DITTO, and ATTAINT ("Law History to condemn by a sentence or a bill or act of attainder").  If only that second A had been an E then ANTIDOTE would have been an option.

ATTAINT seems to be the only seven.  The sixes are ATTAIN and ANATTO (variant spelling of ANNATTO, a type of tree).

My selection: ATTAINT


Round 5: L D S S P U O M E

I had PUSS, PLUS, SOUPS, rightly rejected DUMPLESS, MUSSED, MUSSEL, PLUMES, POSSUM, and MODULES.  Considerably after time I considered the option of POSSUMED, and checking confirmed its validity (POSSUM as a verb: "to go hunting possums").

POSSUMED is the only eight.  The other sevens are SLUMPED, SPOUSED / PSEUDOS (PSEUDO: "a person who pretends to be what he or she is not, especially one who affecs a knowledge of cultural matters or superiority in general"), and PLUMOSE ("having feathers or plumes; feathered") / PUMELOS (PUMELO being a variant spelling of POMELO).

My selection: MODULES
Best: POSSUMED


Round 6: Target 592 from 50 4 4 8 7 1

Again we have the required offset for the standard method.  Unfortunately using up that 8 removes the most obvious way of making the 12 that we want, but it is easily worked around: 592 = 4*(7 - 4)*50 - 8.  (Or, of course, 592 = (7 + 4 + 1)*50 - 8.)  The target could also be approachas as 8*74, and that can be made to work: 592 = ((7 - 1)*4 + 50)*8.

My selection: 592 = 4*(7 - 4)*50 - 8


Round 7: R U C I R T S E E

I had CURT, CITRUS / RICTUS, CURRIES, and CRUSTIER / RECRUITS.

The other eights are RECITERS and URETERIC (adjective derived from URETER: "a muscular duct or tube conveying the urine from a kidney to the bladder or cloaca").

My selection: CRUSTIER


Round 8: Target 691 from 100 25 4 5 9 1

I wanted to keep the 9 aside for this one, but the 700 was less easy to come by.  But a hybrid approach got me to it, and so to the solution 691 = (5 + 1)*100 + 4*25 - 9.  Then I contemplated the option of 675 + 16 and was also able to get that to work with 691 = 9*(100 - 25) + 4*(5 - 1).

My selection: 691 = (5 + 1)*100 + 4*25 - 9


Round 9: TAROT CODE

I was completely lost on this one.  Interestingly, in the presentation I chose above, the partial solution DOCTOR can be read backwards.

My selection: [no answer]
Best: DOCTORATE