NG 512

New game 512 is now available.


Round 1: I E L A S N O M D

I had AISLE, ALIENS, DAEMONS, MELANOID, and rightly avoided MELANOIDS since MELANOID is only an adjective in the Macquarie.  After time I noted ALMONDS as another seven, and SALMONID (any fish of a certain family that includes salmon) as another eight.

The other eights are SEMOLINA / LAMINOSE ("laminate; laminar").

My selection: MELANOID


Round 2: R K O N E U A H R

I had RUNE, KRONE ("the monetary unit of Denmark"), and HANKER / HARKEN.  After time I noted KRONER (plural of KRONE) as another six.

Six is the best to be done here; the others are RANKER, KRÓNUR (plural of KRÓNA: "the monetary unit of Iceland"), HONKER, HORNER (very dodgy, but HORN is listed with an adjective sense -- "made of horn" -- and so the single syllable rule applies), and HUNKER* (only listed as part of the phrase HUNKER DOWN).

My selection: HANKER


Round 3: Target 359 from 75 50 2 6 6 1

I struggled with this one, and wrote down a fallback one off 358 = (6 + 1)*50 + 6 + 2.  When I stopped trying to get there from 350 and instead considered ways to get to 375 I remembered that 5*75 = 375, and that 5 turned out to produce a workable tweak: 359 = (6 - 1)*(75 - 2) - 6.

There is only one other solution: 359 = (50 + 6*2)*(6 + 1) - 75.

My selection: 359 = (6 - 1)*(75 - 2) - 6


Round 4: A S C N E T N G O

I had SCAN, CANES, STANCE, GANNETS, CONSENT, COGNATE (as an adjective: "related in origin"), COGNATES (COGNATE as a noun: "a person or thing cognate with another"), and TONNAGES.

Those are the only eights; the other sevens are TONNAGE, CONGEST, SONANCE / ANCONES (plural of ANCON: "Architecture any projection, as a console, supporting a cornice or the like"), ONSTAGE, CANTONS, NASCENT ("beginning to exist or develop"), OCTANES / COSTEAN ("a trench or pit cut across the conjectured line of outcrop of a seam or ore body to expose the full width"), NONAGES (NONAGE: "any period of immaturity"), and CONNATE ("existing in a person or thing from birth or origin; inborn; congenital").

My selection: TONNAGES


Round 5: R C A T E F A L O

I had CART, TRACE, CRAFT, FALCATE ("curved like a scythe or sickle"), and FLOATER.

The other sevens are FRACTAL, LOCATER, and ACEROLA.

My selection: FLOATER


Round 6: Target 859 from 25 8 1 10 5 9

Another difficult one, at least for me.  I started with the descent from 900, tweaking to get 860 = (5 - 1)*(9*25 - 10).  With the 9 available, one would hope to make the target as 850 + 9, where 850 is 34*25.  Making the 34 was possible, but used up the 9, yielding another one off with 858 = (9*5 - 10 - 1)*25 + 8.  Then I happily noticed that 850 could also be made as 85*10, and 85 is 5*17.  The obvious way to make the 17 is 9 + 8, but there is a less common option that brings reward here: 859 = (25 - 8)*5*10 + 9.

That turns out to be the only solution.

My selection: 859 = (25 - 8)*5*10 + 9


Round 7: C U E T H Y I D F

I had CUTE, wondered about TECHY (valid; it is a variant spelling of TETCHY), EDIFY / DEIFY, noted that an N instead of the H would allow FECUNDITY, wondered about CHUTED (not valid), and FETICH (variant spelling of FETISH).  After time I noted the rather more common six of ITCHED.

Those are the only sixes.

My selection: FETICH


Round 8: Target 525 from 100 25 6 2 1 6

Too easy, particularly when familiar with the 75-times table.  I started with 525 = (6 + 1)*(100 - 25) and then noted an alternative of 525 = (6 + 1)*25*6/2.

My selection: 525 = (6 + 1)*(100 - 25)


Round 9: DUG BYROAD

I was skipping through potential conundrums pretty quick, probably too quickly this time.  I still doubt I'd have solved it within time, though.

My selection: [no answer]
Best: BODYGUARD