NG 406

New game 406 is now available.


Round 1: I S O G P F P I C

I had PIGS and COIFS.  Tough mix!

COIFS appears to be the only five, and the best to be done.

Update: Sam pointed out that PIPIS is also there.  Nice find, Sam!

My selection: COIFS


Round 2: E N T C L I I B L

I had CENT, CLIENT, INCITE, BILLET, and ELICIT.  I also observed that a U instead of the second I would have allowed the eight of BULLETIN.

Six is the limit this time around; the others are LENTIL / LINTEL, LECTIN ("a naturally occurring protein found in legumes and grains") / LENTIC ("of, relating to, or inhabiting still waters, as lakes, ponds, etc."), and NIELLI (one plural form of NIELLO: "a black metallic composition, consisting of silver, copper, lead, and sulfur, with which an incised design is filled in to produce an ornamental effect").

My selection: CLIENT


Round 3: Target 446 from 100 3 10 4 7 6

I started with a simple 446 = 4*(100 + 10) + 6, then wondered if I could use the small numbers alone to make the target via 10*44 + 6 or 10*45 - 4.  The latter turned out to work, yielding 446 = (7*6 + 3)*10 - 4.

My selection: 446 = (7*6 + 3)*10 - 4


Round 4: T D A S A I M A R

I had an unsure TADS* (TAD being listed as only part of the phrase A TAD), DATA, STAID, DRAMAS, and lamented that one of those A's had not been an E for DRAMATISE.  After time I noted other sixes of TIARAS / RAITAS and DISARM, and checked up on RADIATAS.  However, RADIATA only gets a mention as part of the compound noun RADIATA PINE, so no joy there.

There are some sevens to be had: ARMADAS, ARAMIDS (ARAMID: "any of a group of strong, lightweight, heat-resistant, synthetic materials, formed into fibres and used in plastics, bulletproof vests, etc."), possibly AMRITAS (AMRITA: "Hindu Mythology the ambrosial drink of immortality"), and arguably TAMARAS (TAMARA: "a mixture of spices, especially cinnamon and cloves, used in Italian cooking").

My selection: DRAMAS
Best: ARMADAS


Round 5: F S R E I W K O T

I had FIRES, wanted a final N for FORESKIN (but I should have wanted a final R for FIREWORKS), FOREST, WORKSITE, and FORTIES.  Unfortunately, I talked myself into thinking that WORKSITE would be two words, and stayed with the seven.

WORKSITE looks like the only eight; the other sevens are SWIFTER and FRISKET ("an iron frame to hold in place a sheet of paper to be printed").

My selection: FORTIES
Best: WORKSITE


Round 6: Target 376 from 100 75 2 6 10 5

It was hard to go past a start of 5*75, and I was able to make the final adjustment via 376 = 5*75 + 6 - 10/2.  Switching tacks, I found an alternative solution of 376 = (100 + 75 + 10)*2 + 6.

My selection: 376 = 5*75 + 6 - 10/2


Round 7: H N U A L O Y M O

I had HAUL, UNHOLY, and HUMANLY.

HUMANLY looks like the only seven; the other sixes are HYMNAL and MOOLAH.

My selection: HUMANLY


Round 8: Target 949 from 100 10 7 5 3 1

Descent from 10*100 seemed the way to go, and a tweak soon finished it off: 949 = 10*(100 - 5) - 1.

My selection: 949 = 10*(100 - 5) - 1


Round 9: DOWN HAVEN

I chose this conundrum, after first being presented with HAVENWARD.  I first thought of HANDWAVED, which is not listed, but while checking that I saw the nearby HANDWOVEN and decided to use that.

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