NG 407

New game 407 is now available.


Round 1: O B D S A R E I R

I had DOBS / BODS, SODA, BROADS, BOARDIES (colloquial for "board shorts") / BROADIES (BROADIE: "a deliberate sideways skid by which a car is turned to travel in the opposite direction"), noted that a final D instead of the R would have allowed SIDEBOARD, BOARDERS, and DISROBER.  After time I noted ADSORBER as another possibility, but it is not listed after all.

The other eights are BRAIDERS and BROIDERS (BROIDER being an archaic form of EMBROIDER).

My selection: BOARDIES


Round 2: N T O M E E C T O

I had TONE, CEMENT, and ECOTONE ("the transition zone between two plant communities, as that between rainforest and sclerophyll forest").

ECOTONE is the only seven.  The other six is COTTON.

My selection: ECOTONE


Round 3: Target 388 from 100 50 8 6 6 2

The standard method would suggest making this as 400 - 2*6, and I started with a tweaked version: 388 = 6*(50 - 2) + 100.  Then I noticed that an untweaked version would do just as well: 388 = 8*50- 6*2.

My selection: 388 = 8*50 - 6*2


Round 4: B I O E O H N R T

I had OBOE, BONE, HEROIN, BONIER, and HORNET / THRONE.

There are sevens to be had, though -- not easy to find, but the first two have been mentioned here before: BORNITE (a certain mineral), HORNITO ("a low oven-shaped mound, common in the volcanic districts of South America, etc., usually emitting hot smoke and vapours from its sides and summit"), and THEORBO ("a medieval musical instrument of the lute class, having two necks, one above the other").

My selection: HORNET
Best: BORNITE


Round 5: C C I L A K R I E

I had CLICK, CRACKLE, and wondered about CLICKIER under the new rules but was right to avoid it.  After time I noted CLICKER as another seven.

Seven is the best to be done, with the others being CACKLER / CLACKER.

My selection: CRACKLE


Round 6: Target 644 from 75 10 10 9 1 7

I started by looked at descent from 9*75, but the offset of 31 did not seem promising.  So I switched to looking at ascent from 7*75, and the offset of 119 proved to be much more amenable: 644 = 7*75 + 10*(10 + 1) + 9.  I also knew that 119 is 7*17, so this guided me to the factorisation 7*92 and so to a solution in small numbers alone: 644 = (10*10 - 9 + 1)*7.

My selection: 644 = (10*10 - 9 + 1)*7


Round 7: L F T S F I A I G

I had STIFF, plus several other fives that I did not write down.

There is a solitary six to be found in this mix: GASLIT.

My selection: STIFF
Best: GASLIT


Round 8: Target 233 from 50 4 10 5 7 3

I started with a simple 233 = 5*50 - 10 - 7, then went looking for solutions using small numbers only.  The offset from 3*7*10 is 23, which is 4*7 - 5, so a tweak with the 7 works: 233 = (3*10 + 4)*7 - 5.  Switching tacks, I considered the option of 10*23 + 3 and the same way to make 23 was useful: 233 = (4*7 - 5)*10 + 3.

My selection: 233 = (3*10 + 4)*7 - 5


Round 9: VILLA YURT

I got distracted for a bit by the almost-appearance of TRIVIALLY, but the -ALLY fragment was always compelling enough to guide me to the right answer.

My selection: VIRTUALLY (5.1s)