NG 515

New game 515 is now available.


Round 1: E A U R T N D O C

I had TRUE, NATURE, was rightly dubious about NATURED, ROTUNDA, UNDERCOAT, and COURANTE (a type of dance).  After time I noted another eight of EDUCATOR.

The other eights are TROUNCED, OUTDANCE / UNCOATED, and UNDERACT / UNTRACED.

My selection: UNDERCOAT


Round 2: I A E S A H S T N

I had SHEA, ASHES, an uncertain ASHIEST (valid), SIESTA, TANSIES, and HESSIAN.  After time I noted another seven of SESTINA (a type of poem), and rather later found the more common seven of HASTENS.

This round also has a full monty, as it turns out: ASTHENIAS (ASTHENIA: "Pathology lack or loss of strength; debility").  The eights are ASTHENIA and SHANTIES / ANTHESIS ("the period or act of expansion in flowers, especially the maturing of the stamens") / STHENIAS (STHENIA: "Pathology strength; excessive vital force").

My selection: HESSIAN
Best: ASTHENIAS


Round 3: Target 135 from 25 2 7 2 7 5

The target is 5*27, leading directly to 135 = (25 + 2)*5.

My selection: 135 = (25 + 2)*5


Round 4: A T S O T M U R R

I had OATS, TOAST, ROSTRUM, and OUTSMART.

OUTSMART is the only eight.  The other sevens are ARMOURS, MORTARS, and STRATUM.

My selection: OUTSMART


Round 5: I K C D P I A G N

I had PICK, PACKING, and PICKING.

The other sevens are DACKING and DICKING* (DICK having a verb sense in the phrase DICK AROUND).  My word list suggested DIGIPACK, but that's not in the Macquarie.

My selection: PACKING


Round 6: Target 391 from 100 1 4 7 2 1

The standard method clearly applies, giving 391 = 4*100 - 7 - 2.

My selection: 391 = 4*100 - 7 - 2


Round 7: A S T E I P R L D

I had SATE, TAPES, PIRATES, wondered about LARDIEST* (valid under the revised rules), and STRIPED.  After time I checked up on SPIRALED (valid) and DIPTERAL (also valid: "Architecture having two rows of columns on all sides").  Oh, well.

The other eights are TRAIPSED, TRIPEDAL, PILASTER ("a square or rectangular pillar, with capital and base, engaged in a wall from which it projects") / PLAISTER (obsolete form of PLASTER), and TALIPEDS (TALIPED as a noun being someone with a club foot).

My selection: PIRATES
Best: TRAIPSED


Round 8: Target 394 from 75 100 25 1 10 9

I struggled for a while, as the offset of 6 did not seem very promising.  I wrote down the fallback 2-off option of 392 = 10*(75 - 25) - 100 - 9 + 1, and kept looking.  Eventually I realised that I could get to 300 with 75*100/25, and then 9*10 got to 390, and a tweak finished it off: 394 = (100/25)*(75 + 1) + 9*10.

One thing I should have considered is that the offset of 19 is at least formable.  Getting to 375 with the rest is manageable, and so such a consideration could have led to the solution 394 = (100/25 + 1)*75 + 10 + 9.

My selection: 394 = (100/25)*(75 + 1) + 9*10


Round 9: CROOK VETS

The OVER- fragment proves its worth again.

My selection: OVERSTOCK (7.6s)