NG 408

New game 408 is now available.


Round 1: R N C D E O I W D

I had REND, CORNED, wondered about NODDIER (not valid -- only noun senses of NODDY are listed), and CROWNED.  After time I noted CROWDED as another seven.

Seven is the best on offer; the others are DROWNED, DOWDIER, and DOWNIER.

My selection: CROWNED


Round 2: S E R A P G R O I

I had SEAR, SPARE, GRAPES, GROPERS, SOAPIER, and PARRIES / ASPIRER / PRAISER.  After time I noted other sevens of PROSIER and RASPIER*, and checked on the possibility of GRASPIER (not valid).

The other sevens are REPAIRS / RAPIERS, GRIPERS, GRASPER / SPARGER (agent noun derived from SPARGE: "to scatter or sprinkle"), GORSIER*, GRAPIER*, and SERPIGO ("a creeping or spreading skin disease, as tinea").

But speaking of afflictions, there is an eight here: PROGERIA ("a generic condition causing a person to age rapidly, usually resulting in a rapid physical deterioration resembling old age, and death before the age of fifteen").  And it's probable that the plural form is acceptable, making PROGERIAS the full monty in this mix.

My selection: PARRIES
Best: PROGERIAS


Round 3: Target 920 from 100 50 6 7 9 4

Starting with 9*100 seemed sensible, and the remaining offset is 20.  Tweaking with the 4 produced 36, which could then be adjusted to 30, and the 50 could turn that into 20.  Unravelling the various twists produced the solution 920 = 9*(100 - 4) + 6 + 50.  Then I considered an alternative way of getting to 900 and found the simpler 920 = 6*(100 + 50) + 9 + 7 + 4.

My selection: 920 = 9*(100 - 4) + 6 + 50


Round 4: O E A E M N E S H

I had MOAN and SEAMEN.  If only this had limited itself to four vowels, the next consonant was an L and so would have allowed MANHOLES for eight.

As it is, six looks like the limit.  The other sixes are ENMESH, ENEMAS, HANSOM, and MAHOES (MAHOE being a type of tree).

My selection: SEAMEN


Round 5: I L A P X M R G E

I had PAIL, wondered about REMAIL (not valid), PRIMAL, PRIMAGE ("a small allowance formerly paid by a shipper to the master and crew of a vessel for the loading and care of the goods [...]"), and PALMIER.

The other sevens are IMPEARL ("to form into pearl-like drops"), EPIGRAM, and GREMIAL ("a cloth placed on a bishop's lap while sitting during celebration of mass or conferring orders").  Perhaps surprisingly, IMPALER is not valid.

My selection: PRIMAGE


Round 6: Target 379 from 75 25 2 7 2 10

This felt tough, with various ways of getting to 375 but some difficulty getting an offset of 4 thereafter.  I had to go with the fallback one off 380 = (10/2)*75 + 7 - 2.

There are a few solutions, as it turns out.  The one that I wish I had seen, since it is a combination I have managed to use in the past, is 379 = ((25 + 10)/7)*75 + 2*2.  After putting aside the 2, 2, and 75, the question of making 5 from 7, 10, 25 is one I've seen before, but it's still easily overlooked (as I did in this case).

The other solutions are 379 = ((75 + 10)*2 + 7)*2 + 25, and the related pair 379 = (75*25 + 10)/(7 - 2) + 2 and 379 = (75*25 + 2*10)/(7 - 2).

My selection: 380 = (10/2)*75 + 7 - 2  [1 off]
Best: 379 = ((25 + 10)/7)*75 + 2*2


Round 7: E N I M E T I C N

I had MINE, EMETIN (variant form of EMETINE, a certain alkaloid), CEMENT, and EMINENT.

The other seven is CENTIME ("one hundredth of a franc").  The other sixes are INCITE, ENTICE, EMETIC, and ICEMEN.

My selection: EMINENT


Round 8: Target 929 from 25 75 100 7 6 4

The idea of making the target as 925 + 4 seems clear, but I got lost trying to find my way to a solution.  I wrote down a couple of things, but they were miscalculations; although I caught the errors, I was not able to get anything close down in time as a result.  After time I got to one off straightforwardly with 930 = (100 - 7)*(6 + 4).

The simple solution that I missed is 929 = 7*100 + 6*25 + 75 + 4.  A cute alternative is 929 = (75 - 7*6)*25 + 100 + 4.  The remaining solution is the nice 929 = (6 + 75/25)*(100 + 4) - 7.

My selection: [no answer]
Best: 929 = 7*100 + 6*25 + 75 + 4


Round 9: GULPED HAM

An unusual word, perhaps, but familiar due to Jabberwocky.

My selection: GALUMPHED (5.8s)