NG 413

New game 413 is now available.


Round 1: I U O H S T I B D

I had SOUTH, a dubious OUTISH (not valid), STUDIO, and OUTBIDS.

The other sevens are BUSHIDO ("a code of behaviour attributed to the warriors of feudal Japan, actually a development at the end of the feudal period, tinged with Confucian influences") and HISTOID ("denoting a tumour composed of connective tissue or its equivalent").

My selection: OUTBIDS


Round 2: R C N E U L I R D

I had CURE, UNCLE, and CURLIER.

The eight in this mix is INCURRED.  The other sevens are INCLUDE / NUCLIDE ("an atomic species which is characterised by its mass number, atomic number, and energy state"), CURRIED / CURDIER*, and INDUCER.

My selection: CURLIER
Best: INCURRED


Round 3: Target 185 from 100 25 6 5 10 1

Applying the standard method works easily enough: 185 = (6 + 1)*25 + 10.  After time I noted a couple of other options: 185 = 100 + (10 + 6 + 1)*5 and 185 = 100 + 6*10 + 25.

My selection: 185 = (6 + 1)*25 + 10


Round 4: E F N W A S S S I

I had WANE, WANES, WAIFS, wondered if SWINES might be valid if referring to people (it is not), SINEWS (the safe anagram of SWINES), SWAINS, and SAWFINS.  Unfortunately, SAWFIN (a type of fish) is not listed in the Macquarie -- bother.

There is a seven, though: FANWISE ("in the shape of an open fan").  I was a little surprised that WISEASS did not get a mention.  The other sixes are ANISES / SANIES ("a thin serous fluid, often greenish, discharged from ulcers, wounds, etc."), and SASINS (SASIN being another name for a BLACKBUCK, a type of antelope).

My selection: [invalid -- SAWFINS]
Best: FANWISE


Round 5: D T L O G A E N I

I had TOLD, GLOAT, GLOATED, TANGLED, DELATING (DELATE: "to inform against; denounce or accuse"), and DELATION.  For a moment I thought that GELATINOID was there, but that needs an extra I.  After time I noted LEGATION as another eight.

The other eight is GELATION ("solidification by cold; freezing").

My selection: DELATING


Round 6: Target 335 from 50 100 8 6 1 6

There's only one odd number available, so it seems likely that we should make the target as 334 + 1 or 336 - 1.  The latter is much more approachable (since I recognised 336 as 6*7*8), and soon led to 336 = 6*(50 + 6) - 1.

My selection: 335 = 6*(50 + 6) - 1


Round 7: E E I O T C D T T

I had CITE, CITED, TOTTED, and DETECT.  I considered OCTETTED but that seemed too much of a stretch.  It is, indeed, invalid, but while checking on that I found out that OCTETTE is an alternative form of OCTET.  Huh.

OCTETTE is the only seven (some sources would allow TECTITE as a variant form of TEKTITE, but not the Macquarie).  The other sixes are DECEIT and COEDIT.

My selection: DETECT
Best: OCTETTE


Round 8: Target 515 from 7 10 1 6 1 4

The target is 5*103, but I approached the solution slightly differently.  I noted that the target was near a multiple of 17 (since 510 is 17*30), leading to an approximate solution of 510 = (10 + 7)*(4 + 1)*6.  And the offset of 515 from that is 5, which is a subcomponent of the previous expression.  So a tweak finishes it off: 515 = ((10 + 7)*6 + 1)*(4 + 1).

My selection: 515 = ((10 + 7)*6 + 1)*(4 + 1)


Round 9: RANKS SETS

It took me a while to try the -NESS ending, but once I did the solution fell out.

My selection: STARKNESS (8.1s)