NG 486

New game 486 is now available.


Round 1: H N C R E C U S I

I had CRUNCH, CRUNCHES, an uncertain CRUNCHIES (valid; CRUNCHIE is colloquial for both "an infantryman" and "a pimple"), and SCRUNCHIE ("an elastic ring for the hair covered by a loose cloth ring, giving the cloth a crumpled effect").

The other eight is CRUNCHIE.  The other sevens are URCHINS, CINCHES, SCRUNCH, CUSHIER, and ECHINUS (a type of sea urchin).

My selection: SCRUNCHIE


Round 2: O F R T U H E O K

I had FORT, FORTH, FOURTH, and HOOKER.

The other sixes are RETOOK, HOOTER, HOOFER ("US Colloquial someone who makes dancing an occupation, as a chorus girl"), FOOTER / FOETOR ("any strong offensive smell"), and FOTHER ("to stop a leak in a wooden hull by covering it with a sail or tarpaulin containing a thrumming of rope yarns and oakum").

But there is a seven here!  It is FUTHORK, variant spelling of FUTHORC: "the runic alphabet".

My selection: FOURTH
Best: FUTHORK


Round 3: Target 162 from 50 100 7 5 10 8

The target is 2*81, and thus has many small factors, but I was not able to do something useful with that within time.  Instead I went for the simple 162 = 100 + 50 + 7 + 5.  After time I did get the factorisation 9*18 to work with 162 = (10 + 8)*(7 + 100/50).

My selection: 162 = 100 + 50 + 7 + 5


Round 4: M S D A A E R Y N

I had DAMS, DAME, DREAMS, wanted a final D for DAYDREAMS, and took a punt on YARDSMAN.  I was confident about YARDMAN and thought that it would be a variation of it -- the Macquarie has a few such.  Fortunately I was correct on both counts (YARDSMAN: "a man emploted to work in the garden or grounds of a house, school, etc.").

The plural form is not explicitly listed, but YARDMEN is, so YARDSMEN* fits under the revised rules.  Those are the only eights, with the Macquarie not listing DAYMARES.

The sevens are YARDMAN / DRAYMAN, YARDMEN / DRAYMEN, REMANDS, MAENADS (MAENAD: "frenzied or raging woman"), and MANSARD (acceptable short form of MANSARD ROOF: "a roof having two pitches, the upper slopes being flatter than the lower ones, usually with rooms in the roof pspace having dormer windows").  DARE SAY is only listed as a two-word phrase, not as a single word.

My selection: YARDSMAN


Round 5: O E I G C E D L M

I had ICED, GEODE, COILED, and MELODIC.

Some sources list LIEGEDOM, but it's not in the Macquarie so MELODIC is the best to be done, and the only seven.

My selection: MELODIC


Round 6: Target 305 from 5 3 3 5 10 6

I first looked at the factorisation 5*61, which was clearly going to work out.  That gave me 305 = (6*10 + 3/3)*5.  Then I realised that sometimes tweaking is not always the simplest option, and found 305 = 5*6*10 + 5.  After time, for good measure, I found a kitchen sink approach using the first factorisation: 305 = ((10 + 3/3)*6 - 5)*5.

My selection: 305 = 5*6*10 + 5


Round 7: O B T R A S I S E

I had ABORT, ABORTS, SISTER, BASTERS / BREASTS, BORATES, wondered about BOARIEST (not even under the revised rules), BOATERS, and BOASTERS.  A U instead othe I would have allowed SABOTEURS.

The other eights are ISOBARES (ISOBARE: "one of two or more atoms of different atomic number, but having the same atomic mass number"), SORBATES, and SORBITES.

My selection: BOASTERS


Round 8: Target 848 from 4 5 10 7 5 3

The target is 8*106, which is 16*53, and that latter was useful: 848 = (7 + 5 + 4)*(5*10 + 3).

My selection: 848 = (7 + 5 + 4)*(5*10 + 3)


Round 9: TIERED TAX

I was skipping through potential conundrums a bit quickly at this point, but probably would not have solved this in any case.

My selection: [no answer]
Best: EXTRADITE