NG 483

New game 483 is now available.


Round 1: U M I N L B O N H

I had LIMN, wanted a final E for NOBELIUM, was a little uncertain about MOULIN (valid: "a nearly vertical shaft or cavity worn in a glacier by surface water falling through a crack in the ice"), and rightly rejected UNBOIL.  After time I noted UNION as a five, and then BUNION as another six.

MOULIN and BUNION are the only sixes.  The other fives are LIMBO, HIMBO, and HILUM ("the mark or scar on a seed produced by separation from its funicle or placenta").

My selection: MOULIN


Round 2: A O D E T N S I K

I had TOAD, ATONED, DONATES, SEDATION, and DANKEST.

SEDATION is the only eight, and there are lots of sevens.  The others are DETAINS / INSTEAD / STAINED / SAINTED / NIDATES (NIDATE: "to implant in a uterus"), KINDEST, ANODISE, INTAKES, IODATES / TOADIES, DAIKONS, DOESKIN, KATIONS (KATION being a variant spelling of CATION), STANKED (STANK: "to make watertight, especially with clay, as the banks of a stream"), STONKD (STONK: "to shell or bombard heavily"), and OAKIEST*.

My selection: SEDATION


Round 3: Target 866 from 100 1 4 4 2 5

Applying the standard method and the usual tweaking approach soon led to 866 = (5 + 4)*(100 - 4) + 2.

My selection: 866 = (5 + 4)*(100 - 4) + 2


Round 4: E I H P C L N G E

I had CHIP, EPIC, PINCH, and wanted a final A for PLEACHING (PLEACH: "to plash or interweave (growing branches, vines, etc.), as for a hedge or arbour"), CHEEPING, LEECHING, LECHING, and HELPING.

The other sevens are HEELING, PEELING, ELENCHI (plural of ELENCHUS: "a logical refutation; an argument which refutes another argument by proving the contrary of its conclusion"), and CLEPING (CLEPE being an archaic verb meaning "to call; name").

My selection: LEECHING


Round 5: F D I R E O R P E

I had FRIED, PERIOD, didn't like PREFRIED or PREFIRED (neither valid), and REFRIED.  Somewhat to my surprised this latter is not valid, so I ended up with an incorrect answer.  Bother.  After time I saw the possibility of FERRIDE instead, but the Macquarie lacks that also.  Oh, well.

The safe seven is FERRIED, and it seems to be the only seven available.

My selection: [invalid -- REFRIED]
Best: FERRIED


Round 6: Target 463 from 75 100 50 25 7 10

With the 10 and 7 available, my first thought was to make this as 10*47 - 7.  That is easily achievable, yielding 463 = (50 - 75/25)*10 - 7.

My selection: 463 = (50 - 75/25)*10 - 7


Round 7: A G D S O T U M A

I had DAGS, GONADS, OUTGAS (surprisingly, not valid; it is a backformed verb from OUTGASSING -- also not listed -- which Chambers defines as "loss of, or removal of, occluded or adsorbed gas from a solid under vacuum conditions; also removal of gas from a liquid"), and GAMUTS.

The sevens are DOGMATA (one plural form of DOGMA), AGAMOUS (synonymous with AGAMIC: "asexual"), and possible AMADOUS (AMADOU: "a spongy substance prepared from fungi [...] used as tinder and in surgery").

The other sixes are AMADOU and DOGMAS.

My selection: GAMUTS
Best: DOGMATA


Round 8: Target 111 from 100 9 4 1 5 2

I started with 111 = 100 + 2*5 + 1 (somehow overlooking the obvious 111 = 100 + 9 + 2), then looked for a way to use the factorisation 3*37.  I found it, giving my preferred solution of 111 = (9*4 + 1)*(5 - 2).

My selection: 111 = (9*4 + 1)*(5 - 2)


Round 9: CUT SPEEDS

After pulling out the -ED ending, the rest arranged itself conveniently to make the answer clear.

My selection: SUSPECTED (1.6s)