NG 541

New game 541 is now available.


Round 1: T N T B N A E E L

I had BENT, BEATEN, TENABLE, and wondered about NETTABLE, but rightly avoided it.

NETTABLE is in the Scrabble list I used, but since it is not in the Macquarie TENABLE is the best to be done and the only seven.  There's a reasonable scattering of sixes.

My selection: TENABLE


Round 2: S I D M H E O C C

I had DIMS, HIDES, HOMIES, CHOICES, and wondered about MISCODE (not valid).  After time I noted another seven of MEDICOS.

The remaining sevens are COMEDIC, CODICES (plural of CODEX), and ECHOISM (another term for onomatopoeia).

My selection: CHOICES


Round 3: Target 185 from 25 50 10 3 6 1

I started with a simple 185 = 3*50 + 25 + 10, then considered the option of 210 - 25 to find an alternative of 185 = 3*(6 + 1)*10 - 25.

My selection: 185 = 3*50 + 25 + 10


Round 4: B K U A D O Q E N

I had DAUB, BANKED, DEBUNK, and took a chance on UNBAKED (not valid, alas).  After time I checked up on BUNKOED, but it also was not listed.  Chambers has both (BUNKO: "to rob or swindle [...]").

Without those, six is the best to be done; the others are QuAKED, BUNKED, ABOUND, and BONKED.

My selection: [invalid -- UNBAKED]
Best: BANKED


Round 5: I A T M O O G S C

I had ATOM, ATOMS, MAGICS, SOMATIC ("of the body; bodily; physical"), and OSMOTIC.  After time I noted another seven of ATOMICS.

The other seven is SCOTOMA ("loss of vision in a part of the visual field; a blind spot").

My selection: OSMOTIC


Round 6: Target 118 from 25 50 8 3 5 3

The standard method is clearly attractive, yielding 118 = 5*25 - 8 + 3/3.  Searching for alternative options, I looked for 110 + 8 and eventually found 118 = 3*(50 - 5) - 25 + 8.  Seen just now is the simpler 118 = 5*(25 - 3) + 8.

My selection: 118 = 5*25 - 8 + 3/3


Round 7: R I W A S P U E T

I had AIRS, PAIRS, PRAISE, UPRAISE, PASTURE, and WAITERS.  After time I jotted down PIRATES / PARTIES / PASTIER* / TRAIPSE as other sevens, but could not find longer.

There is one longer word, though: WIRETAPS.  The other sevens are WIRETAP, PIASTRE ("the old Spanish peso or dollar") / PIASTER (variant spelling of PIASTRE) / PRATIES (PRATIE apparently being an Irish term for a potato), WARIEST, and WASPIER*.

My selection: PASTURE
Best: WIRETAPS


Round 8: Target 273 from 100 25 50 2 5 6

The target is 3*91, which is 3*7*13.  Not much of that is useful, and in any case the standard method approach of 275 - 2 must be more tempting.  I started with 273 = 6*50 - 25 - 2 and then shifted to 273 = (6 + 5)*25 - 2.

My selection: 273 = (6 + 5)*25 - 2


Round 9: FLEECE FUN

I chose this conundrum after being presented with the unlisted EFFLUENCY.  The -FUL fragment may be a little bit of a red herring, but the -ENCE one brings reward.

My selection: [N/A -- conundrum chosen explicitly]
Best: EFFLUENCE