NG 425

New game 425 is now available.


Round 1: A P H M F T G I O

I had MATH, PATH, FIGHT, and FATHOM.

The other six is OPTIMA (plural of OPTIMUM).

My selection: FATHOM


Round 2: A U A S I D N S T

I had SAID, NUDISTS, and ISSUANT.  After time I noted SUSTAIN as another seven.

The other possible seven here is STADIAS (STADIA in this case being "a method of surveying in which distances are read by noting the interval on a graduated rod (stadia rod) intercepted by two parallel crosshairs (stadia hairs or stadia wires) mounted in the telescope of a surveyor's level, the rod being placed at one end of the distance to be measured and the theodolite at the other.

My selection: NUDISTS


Round 3: Target 431 from 50 100 25 75 6 9

This is clearly going to be solvable, since we have the offset of 6.  It was not difficult to get to 425 with the rest, leading to the solution 431 = 9*50 - 25 + 6.

My selection: 431 = 9*50 - 25 + 6


Round 4: O L R N S O A F U

I had LORN (archaic: "forsaken, desolate, wretched, or forlorn"), LOONS, SALOON, FLOORS, and SUNROOF.

The other seven is UNROOFS.

My selection: SUNROOF


Round 5: D E T N R C I A S

I had DENT, TREND, TRAINED, STRAINED, DISTANCE, and contemplated but rightly rejected DISTANCER.  After time I noted CANISTER and DETRAINS as other eights.

Scrabble would apparently allow DICENTRAS as a nine, but it's not in the Macquarie.  The other eights are SCANTIER / CERATINS (CERATIN being a different spelling for the protein KERATIN) and RANDIEST*.

My selection: STRAINED


Round 6: Target 164 from 25 50 75 5 6 10

I struggled at first, missing some in-hindsight-easy options.  I did find a viable approach as 10*17 - 6, although I was perhaps a bit lucky to see how to make a 17 so quickly, leading to 164 = (75/5 + 50/25)*10 - 6.  Then I found an easier way to that 170, getting 164 = (75 + 5)*50/25 + 10 - 6.

Seen while writing this up were two more options: 164 = 2*(75 + 6) + 2, where 2 = 10/5 and 2 = 50/25 in some order, and the descent from 175: 164 = 10*25 - 75 - 6 - 5.

My selection: 164 = (75/5 + 50/25)*10 - 6


Round 7: E E O M D L B E L

I had MODE, MODEL, LOBED, and BELLED (not an adjective, but derived from the verb sense of BELL).

BELLED appears to be the only six, and the best to be done.

My selection: BELLED


Round 8: Target 626 from 50 75 1 6 8 10

625 is a key target figure when working with large numbers, being 25*25, and that lends itself to various techniques.  I went with 626 = 50*75/6 + 1.

My selection: 626 = 50*75/6 + 1


Round 9: INN RANGES

The -ING fragment brought reward here, as it so often does when present.

My selection: ENSNARING (3.4s)