NG 516

New game 516 is now available.


Round 1: C U R I U Z O Q N

I had QUIZ and ZIRCON.

ZIRCON is the only six, and the best to be done.  The fives are RUNIC / INCUR, CURIO, CORNU ("a horn-like process of bone"), QUOIN ("an external solid angle of a wall or the like"), and ORCIN (variant form of ORCINOL, a certain chemical).

My selection: ZIRCON


Round 2: R F M E I S M M A

I had MIRE, FIRES, SIMMER, MAIMERS, was dubious about MISFRAME (not valid), and wondered about MAMMIES (valid).

The Scrabble list has MAMMIFERS (MAMMIFER being an obsolete synonym for "mammal"), but the Macquarie does not (it does have the associated MAMMIFEROUS, though).  That leaves the above sevens as the best to be done, and they are no others.

My selection: MAIMERS


Round 3: Target 972 from 50 25 3 2 10 8

The target is very near 13*75, which was tempting, of course.  Keeping the 3 aside for the final offset meant wanting to make a 13 from 10, 8, and 2.  That turned out to be possible, giving the solution 972 = (8 + 10/2)*(50 + 25) - 3.  After time I noted an alternative of 972 = 2*10*50 - 25 - 3.

My selection: 972 = (8 + 10/2)*(50 + 25) - 3


Round 4: S G E C O I R D U

I had GOES, CORGIS, RIDGES, SOURCED / COURSED / SCOURED, and SCOURGED.

SCOURGED is the only eight.  The other sevens are SCOURGE, CODGERS, CRUISED, GROUSED / DROGUES (DROGUE: "a bucket-like contrivance used as a sea-anchor"), and GUIDERS.

My selection: SCOURGED


Round 5: N E C F E Y O S D

I had FENCE, FENCES, and (appropriately enough given the previous two words) SECONDE (a fencing position).  I also wondered about DEFCONS, but rightly avoided it.

The other seven here is the rather more common ENCODES.  But there is an eight: ECDYSONE (a steroid hormone causing ecdysis in crustaceans and insects"; ECDYSIS is "the shedding or casting off of an outer coat or integument by snakes, arthropods, etc.").

My selection: SECONDE
Best: ECDYSONE


Round 6: Target 632 from 100 75 9 2 3 6

The start of 6*100 is clearly tempting; I had a small mental slip when I thought that the required offset was 33 which I could make as (75 - 9)/2.  I caught it but had lost some time; I wrote it down anyway, as a fallback 633 = 6*100 + (75 - 9)/2.  Late in the piece I saw a solution, but probably did not get it finished within time: 632 = 6*100 + 75/3 + 9 - 2.

My selection: 633 = 6*100 + (75 - 9)/2
Best: 632 = 6*100 + 75/3 + 9 - 2


Round 7: A R N I H S G R O

I had RAIN, RAINS, SHARING, wondered about ROARINGS (valid), and then saw the safer GARRISON.  After time I noted another seven of GARNISH.

That's both eights listed; the other sevens are ROARING, SOARING / SIGNORA / ORIGANS (ORIGAN being another name for marjoram), and SHORING / HORSING.

My selection: GARRISON


Round 8: Target 632 from 100 50 5 3 4 10

Another 632 target, but rather easier this time.  I started with 632 = (100 + 50 + 5 + 3)*4, then noted an alternative of 632 = 10*50 + 100 + (5 + 3)*4.

My selection: 632 = (100 + 50 + 5 + 3)*4


Round 9: LOADS A BOW

Not much to say about this one, since I just went looking for random nine-letter words in the dictionary.

My selection: [N/A -- conundrum chosen explictly]
Best: BALSAWOOD