NG 419

New game 419 is now available.


Round 1: I O R T S K E N I

I had TRIO, RIOTS, STORK, SORTIE, INKIEST, and IRONIST.  After time I finally saw STINKIER -- I should have seen that after INKIEST.

The other eight is INSTROKE.  The other sevens are STINKER / TINKERS, ORIENTS / STONIER, and NOISIER / IRONIES.

My selection: INKIEST
Best: STINKIER


Round 2: D T A R F S O E H

I had DART, DRAFT, DRAFTS, ROASTED, FATHERS, SHORTED, SHAFTED, and FEDORAS.  After time I noted some other sevens of THREADS / HATREDS / DEARTHS and TORSADE ("a twisted cord").

SOFTHEAD is not listed, so seven is the best to be done.  The others are TRASHED / HARDEST, DEFROST / FROSTED, FROTHED, STRAFED, and EARSHOT*.

My selection: ROASTED


Round 3: Target 699 from 25 9 4 7 1 5

I went with a straightforward 699 = 7*4*25 - 1.

My selection: 699 = 7*4*25 - 1


Round 4: C N U T O A E I W

I had COUNT, ACTION / CATION, and wanted a final D for the EDUCATION / AUCTIONED / CAUTIONED trio.  The W threw me a bit, and it took me a little while to notice that I could still make AUCTION / CAUTION even without the D.

The other sevens are ACONITE and TUNICAE (plural of TUNICA: synonymous with anatomical or similar meanings of TUNIC, such as "any loose membranous skin not formed from the epidermis").

My selection: AUCTION


Round 5: S L O M B D I S O

I had MOBS, MOLDS, BLISS, BLOODS, and BLOSSOM.

BLOSSOM appears to be the only seven, and the best to be done.  Other sources might allow DISBOSOM (to confess), but it's not listed in the Macquarie.

My selection: BLOSSOM


Round 6: Target 616 from 25 50 75 100 5 1

With four large numbers one of the key intermediate values is 625, which can be made a couple of ways since it is the square of 25; often more options present themselves, depending on the small numbers.  In this case it was a clear candidate for getting near, and the question is how to make the remaining offset of 9.  Seen just now, but somehow missed at the time, was to make it as 50/5 - 1 which would lead to the solution 616 = 25*(100 - 75) - 50/5 + 1.  Instead, I spotted that I could make the 625 as 5*125, and a bit of tweaking would make the 9 as 5*1 + 100/25.  The resulting solution is 616 = 5*(75 + 50 - 1) - 100/25.

The other two solutions are 616 = (75 - 1)*(5 + 100/25) - 50 and 616 = (5 - 1)*(50*75 + 100)/25.

My selection: 616 = 5*(75 + 50 - 1) - 100/25


Round 7: A I A H C E S R M

I had ACHE, ACHES, CARIES, CHARMS, MARCHES, a dubious CREAMISH (not valid), and CASHIER.  This was a rare case of wanting more duplication, as an I instead of the E would have allowed MARIACHIS.  A bit after time I spotted the eight of CHARISMA.

There is a nine, though -- CHIMAERA is a variant spelling of CHIMERA, so CHIMAERAS is good.  The other eights are CHIMAERA, CHIMERAS / MARCHESI (plural of MARCHESE, another term for a marquess), MARCHESA (another term for a marchioness), ARCHAISM, and ARCHAISE ("to give an archaic appearance or quality to").

My selection: MARCHES
Best: CHIMAERAS


Round 8: Target 128 from 100 25 50 75 7 8

Getting close with 125 seemed clear, and usually with four large it is better to make 125 as 75 + 50 instead of 100 + 25, leaving the option of 100/25 available.  In this case it certainly helped, yielding a solution of 128 = 75 + 50 + 7 - 100/25.  Then I considered the factorisation of 8*16, and was able to get that to work with 128 = ((100 + 75 + 50)/25 + 7)*8 and 128 = (25 - 7 - 100/50)*8.

My selection: 128 = ((100 + 75 + 50)/25 + 7)*8


Round 9: LARGE PONY

That Y is a bit difficult to use; I spent a little while on -ARY as an ending without success, before considering a starting fragment of PYRO- or GYRO-.  The latter gave the possibility of GYROPLANE, and that seemed too good to pass up.  I gave it a little thought, but decided to chance it, and that was the right decision.

GYROPLANE is another term for an AUTOGYRO ("an aircraft with horizontally rotating blades turned in flight by air forces resulting from its forward motion").

My selection: GYROPLANE (14.2s)