NG 342

New game 342 is now available.


Round 1: I O L R E L O S H

I had ROIL, OILER, and ORIOLES.

Seven is the best to be done, although Scrabble would allow OILHOLES for eight.  The other sevens are HOLLIES, HOLLERS, and HILLERS (agent noun derived from HILL as a verb: "to form into a hill or heap").

My selection: ORIOLES


Round 2: H E A E E N O C P

I had ACHE, NACHO, PEAHEN, PANOCHE (variant spelling of PANOCHA: "a coarse grade of sugar made in Mexico"), and CHEAPEN.

PANOCHE and CHEAPEN look like the only sevens; the other six is ACHENE ("a small, dry, hard, one-seeded, indehiscent fruit").  I was a little surprised that CHEAPO was not listed.

My selection: CHEAPEN


Round 3: Target 179 from 25 9 3 2 3 1

A large target could have been very challenging with this mix, but fortunately the target was small.  The standard method leads fairly quickly to a solution of 179 = (9 - 2)*25 + 3 + 1.  I also considered the option of 180 - 1 and found an alternative of 179 = 9*(25 - 3 - 2) - 1.

My selection: 179 = (9 - 2)*25 + 3 + 1


Round 4: C S T G O I U R E

I had COST, STOIC, GROUTS, OUTRIGS, CITROUS, and OUTCRIES.  After time I noted other sevens of SCOURGE and GOUTIER.

The other eight is CITREOUS ("lemon yellow; greenish yellow").  The other sevens are GOITERS / GOITRES / GORIEST, EROTICS (EROTIC as a noun: "an erotic poem"), GUSTIER (but not GUTSIER), SCOUTER / CROUTES (CROUTE: "a piece of fried or toasted bread on which meat dishes or small savouries may be served"), and ICTERUS (another name for jaundice).

My selection: OUTCRIES


Round 5: A S W D N O A R B

I had WADS, WANDS, DROWNS, BOARDS, and reluctantly -- but correctly -- rejected BANDORAS.  (Scrabble lists BANDORAS, with BANDORA presumably being one of the spellings of the musical instrument BANDORE.  But I know from past checking that the Macquarie only has the spellings BANDORE, PANDORE, and PANDORA.)

There are sevens to be had: ONWARDS, BANDSAW, SANDBAR, and ROBANDS (ROBAND: "a short piece of spun yarn or other material, used to secure a sail to a yard, gaff, or the like").

My selection: DROWNS
Best: ONWARDS


Round 6: Target 248 from 50 75 5 10 5 7

Another clear-cut case for the standard method.  I went with 248 = 5*50 - (7 - 5), then a little later observed the minor variation 248 = 5*50 - 10/5.

My selection: 248 = 5*50 - (7 - 5)


Round 7: U P I O M N N S O

I had OPIUM, OPIUMS, and POISON.  A second I instead of that U would have allowed OPINIONS for eight, but if I'd spent less time thinking about that and more time looking for genuine options, I might have found within time what I did afterwards: OMINOUS.

The other sevens are SPUMONI (variant spelling of SPUMONE: "Italian ice cream of a very fine and smooth texture, usually containing chopped fruit or nuts") and OPSONIN ("a constituent of normal or immune blood serum which makes invading bacteria more susceptible to the destructive action of the phagocytes").

The other sixes are ONIONS, UNIONS / UNISON, UNPINS, and SIMOON (variant spelling of SIMOOM: "a hot, suffocating sand-laden wind of the deserts of Arabia, Syria, Africa, etc.").

My selection: POISON
Best: OMINOUS


Round 8: Target 376 from 25 9 4 10 4 9

The target is one away from 15*25, but getting both a 15 and a 1 proved beyond me.  The alternative of 16*25 - 24 was also provocative, but likewise elusive.  So I switched to considering 10*38 - 4, and that led me to the solution of 376 = (25 + 9 + 4)*10 - 4.  Late in the piece I looked at the factor of 4; the cofactor is 94, and a solution in small numbers alone followed directly: 376 = (9*10 + 4)*4.

My selection: 376 = (9*10 + 4)*4


Round 9: ITCHY MOOD

I got lost in the MYTH- fragment this time, with occasional digressions to CYTO- and -ITY.  In the end I had nothing more plausible than the highly unlikely ODOMYTHIC.  The -OTOMY fragment is not one that I see easily.

My selection: [no answer]
Best: DICHOTOMY