New game 445 is now available.
Round 1: A C I R G O O T K
I had CRAG, CIGAR, CARGO, TRACK, RATIO, briefly wondered about ARGOTIC (valid, it turns out), and TRAGIC. After time I noted TROIKA as another six.
ARGOTIC (adjective derived from ARGOT) is the only seven. The other six is AORTIC.
My selection: TRAGIC
Best: ARGOTIC
Round 2: U A A D S O W R N
I had SODA, AWARDS, ONWARDS, and SUNWARD.
Those are the only sevens, and the best to be done.
My selection: ONWARDS
Round 3: Target 792 from 100 50 25 75 9 1
The targer is 72*11, which splits a few ways. My first instinct was to try 9*88 due to the 9, but making an 88 was too hard for me. The alternative of 8*99 worked much better, giving 792 = (9 - 1)*(100 - (50 + 25)/75). There's several variants of that same basic idea.
My selection: 792 = (9 - 1)*(100 - (50 + 25)/75)
Round 4: I F O B E D C N E
I had BIDE, NIECE, speculated about BIOFEED (not valid, although there is BIOFEEDBACK), FENCED, and DEFINE. Not long after time I saw CODEINE for seven.
The other seven is CONFIDE.
My selection: FENCED
Best: CONFIDE
Round 5: A E M L M E S L A
I had MEAL, MEALS, MALLEE, LLAMAS, and MALLEES.
MALLEES is the only seven. MAMSELLE is not in the Macquarie, so seven is the best to be done.
My selection: MALLEES
Round 6: Target 181 from 10 3 6 8 1 5
Hard to go past a starting approach of 10*18 + 1, and it's then a short step to 181 = 3*6*10 + 1.
My selection: 181 = 3*6*10 + 1
Round 7: C I E R I U O F M
I had RICE, ICIER, CURIE (a unit of radioactivity), FORCE, CERIUM, and FUMIER. I also noted that an N instead of one of those I's would have allowed CUNEIFORM (wedge-shaped). After time I noted FORMIC as another six, but checked showed that this is not valid -- it only appears as part of FORMIC ACID.
The sevens here are ORIFICE and COMFIER*.
My selection: CERIUM
Best: ORIFICE
Round 8: Target 718 from 100 75 5 10 7 4
I started with 7*100 but then realised that the 7 was also the offset from 725 so switched tacks to try and use that approach. A little experimentation turned up 718 = 4*(10/5)*100 - 75 - 7, then shortly afterward 718 = 10*75 - 100/4 - 7. Returning to my original approach, I saw that a tweak gave a shorter solution again: 718 = 7*(100 + 4) - 10.
My selection: 718 = 7*(100 + 4) - 10
Round 9: THAT DRAPE
I wasn't at all close to solving this. A tough one, I think.
My selection: [no answer]
Best: DEATHTRAP
6 comments:
Mostly five letter words, 1 of 3 numbers and no conundrum. Grrr.
TRACK
SWORN
(75+100/25)*(9+1)=790 (2 off)
FENCED
MEALS
6*3*10+1=181 (easy for a ratpack)
CRIME
7*100+5+10+4=719 (1 off)
x
1. track
2. ? sunward
3. (9-1)x(100-50/75-25)=792
4. confide
5. small
6. 10x(3x6)+1=181
7. ? formice
8. 7x(100+4)-10=718
9. deathtrap (5.3s)
Yeah Mike, always a bit demoralising for me too - not to even get a 6 letter word... Enjoy your holiday!
Wow, great conundrum solving, Louise! SUNWARD is good, incidentally, although FORMICE is not (nor would FORMIC have been, appearing as it does only in the term FORMIC ACID).
Thanks for the feedback, Geoff - I freeze a bit when the conundrum comes up so that time for (ironically!) 'deathtrap' was good for me!
Bad word choices this time.
1. AORTIC
2. DROWNS, rejected the valid SUNWARD.
3. 792 = (9-1)*(100-(75-50)/25) or 9*(75 + 50/25) + 100 - 1
4. CODEINE
5. x MEASLE
6. 181 = 3*6*10 + 1
7. x FORMIC
8. 718 = 10*75 - 100/4 - 7
9. 100s - DEATHTRAP
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