NG 348

New game 348 is now available.


Round 1: N O N D T E F P E

I had TONED, DENOTE, and PENNED.  I also saw ENDNOTE, but knew from past checking that it was not listed.  A little after time I found the seven of PENTODE ("a radio valve containing five electrodes").

The other sevens are PENDENT ("hanging or suspended") and TENONED (TENON: "to shape so as to fit into a mortice").  But there is even an eight here, taking me back to my high school Latin classes: DEPONENT ("(of a verb, in Greek and Latin grammar) appearing only in the passive (or Greek middle) voice forms, but with active meaning, as Latin loqui to talk").

My selection: DENOTE
Best: DEPONENT


Round 2: S I D F S I E C E

I had an uncertain DISS (although I was a bit surprised when later checking showed that it was not valid), SIDES, noted that changing the F to an H would have allowed DEHISCES (DEHISCE: "to gape; burst open, as capsules of plants"), DEIFIC, and DEIFIES.  After time I noted DEFIES as another six.

Again there is an eight to be had: EDIFICES.  The other sevens are EDIFICE and EDIFIES.

My selection: DEIFIES
Best: EDIFICES


Round 3: Target 675 from 50 25 8 7 10 4

A multiple of 25 is rarely a challenge when a 25 is present, and this was no exception.  I wanted an odd multiple of 25 which made the 7 the obvious multiplier; that left 500 or 850 as alternative targets, and the former was clearly the easiest option: 675 = 10*50 + 7*25.  Then I considered the option of 9*75 and found another solution of 675 = (10 + 7 - 8)*(50 + 25).

My selection: 675 = 10*50 + 7*25


Round 4: O E N M I Q S S I

I had MINE, MONIES, MISSION, and -- a mildly embarrassingly several seconds later -- EMISSION.

EMISSION is the only eight; although SIMONY is listed ("the act of making profit out of sacred things") the plural form SIMONIES is not.  Nor is the option of SIMONISE, which in some sources is given as a British variation of SIMONIZE, an American term meaning "to polish (a motor vehicle)" arising from the SIMONIZ trademark.

The other sevens are IONISES, MEIOSIS ("the cell division process in the production of gametes [...]"), and perhaps EONISMS (EONISM: "the adoption of female clothing, mannerisms, etc., by a man; transvestitism").

My selection: EMISSION


Round 5: O D S A L M T T I

I had SODA, LOADS, was dubious about MISLOAD (not valid), observed that an N instead of the second T would have allowed DALTONISM (another term for colour blindness), DISMAL, amused myself with ALTOIDS, SOMITAL (adjective derived from SOMITE: "any of the longitudinal series of segments or parts into which the body of certain animals is divided"), and MATTOIDS (MATTOID: "a person of abnormal mentality bordering on insanity").  After time I noted MATTOID as another seven.

MATTOIDS looks like the only eight; the other sevens are DIATOMS / MASTOID ("resembling a breast or nipple"), ATOMIST, and probably AMIDOLS (AMIDOL being a certain chemical used for developing photographs).

My selection: MATTOIDS


Round 6: Target 451 from 75 25 10 7 6 5

The target is 41*11 but that seemed hard to use.  Getting to one away with 6*75 was easy, though, and fortunately I spent enough time looking at the other numbers to realise that I could make a 1 from them after all.  The resulting solution was 451 = 6*75 + 7*5/(25 + 10).

There's a lot of solutions, as it turns out.  One option to solving this that feels easiest to find is to note that an offset of 1 is also an offset of 76, which can be made.  Viewed that way, it is not too much further to the solution of 451 = 5*75 + 7*10 + 6.

My selection: 451 = 6*75 + 7*5/(25 + 10)


Round 7: R E T E H G U A R

I had TREE, THERE, GRATER, GREATER, and REGATHER / GATHERER.

The other eight is URETHRAE (one plural form of URETHRA).  The other sevens are URETHRA and REGRATE ("to buy up (grain, provisions, etc.) in order to sell again at a profit in or near the same market").

My selection: GATHERER


Round 8: Target 108 from 75 100 4 9 8 10

The solution 108 = 100 + 8 was immediately obvious, but I also knew the target was 9*12 and wanted to use that.  It was not much more difficult, of course, yielding 108 = (8 + 4)*9.  Then I looked at the alternative factorisation 4*27 and also made that work in the small numbers with 108 = (10 + 9 + 8)*4.

My selection: 108 = (8 + 4)*9


Round 9: RATE CREAM

For a long time I was stuck on CREMATE, but consideration of -ERATE as an ending got me to MACERATE ("to soften or break up (food) by action of a solvent") and thus to MACERATER.

My selection: MACERATER (22.3s)