New game 551 is now available.
Round 1: O O C L D N R A F
I had COOL, COLD, CONDO, CONDOR, and FALCON. A little after time I saw CORONAL for seven.
The other sevens are CALDRON (variant spelling of CAULDRON) and CARDOON (a type of plant).
My selection: FALCON
Best: CORONAL
Round 2: M H T N S O U E K
I had MOTHS, MONTHS, MOUTHS, and MOUNTS. After time I checked on SMOKEHUT, but as expected there's no such word.
Six is the best to be done here; the others are TOKENS, MUSKET, HONEST / ETHNOS (ETHNO: "Colloquial (derogatory) a migrant"), MONTES (MONTE: "Colloquial a certainty"), KNOUTS (KNOUT: "a kind of whip or scourge formerly used in Russia for flogging criminals"), METHOS (METHO: "someone addicted to drinking methylated spirits"), and maybe HOKUMS.
My selection: MONTHS
Round 3: Target 121 from 75 2 2 9 6 1
The target is the square of 11, so of course my first thoughts were for that. I first found 121 = (6*2 - 1)*(9 + 2), then found a kitchen sink approach of 121 = ((75 + 2)/(6 + 1))*(9 + 2).
My selection: 121 = (6*2 - 1)*(9 + 2)
Round 4: T O R E G W U E N
I had ROTE (just to be different), TOWER, and OUTGREW, rightly rejecting TONGUER.
OUTGREW is the only seven, and the best to be done.
My selection: OUTGREW
Round 5: M A T A I F I P A
I had TAFIA ("a kind of rum made from the lower grades of molasses, refuse sugar, etc., in Haiti") and MAFIA. The only plausibly longer word I could think of is FATIMA, but not surprisingly the only entries for it are as a name.
Those are the only two fives, which again are the best to be done.
My selection: TAFIA
Round 6: Target 189 from 50 25 1 2 10 8
I recognised the target as 7*27 or 9*21, and started with 189 = (10 - 1)*(25 - 8/2). I saved a number with 189 = (8 - 1)*(25 + 2), then noted the simpler 189 = 8*25 - 10 - 1.
My selection: 189 = (8 - 1)*(25 + 2)
Round 7: G R E A I E N S D
I had RAGE, GRAIN, SEARING / ERASING, RESIGNED, rightly rejected GARDENISE, GRENADES, and REGAINED. There was no joy to be had with SEEDGRAIN, so eight looked like the limit.
The Scrabble list does turn up a nine -- GESNERIAD -- but it's not in the Macquarie. The leaves eight as the best, with the others being DISAGREE, DESIGNER / REDESIGN / REEDINGS (REEDING: "a small convex or semicylindrical moulding, resembling a reed"), READINGS / GRADINES (GRADINE being a variant spelling of GRADINE: "one of a series of steps or seats raised one above another") / DERAIGNS (DERAIGN: "to dispose troops for (battle)"), NEARSIDE / ARSENIDE, DERANGES / GRANDEES (GRANDEE: "a Spanish nobleman of the highest rank"), and ANERGIES* (ANERGY: "Pathology deficiency of energy").
My selection: RESIGNED
Round 8: Target 205 from 25 50 100 3 1 8
Getting close with 8*25 seems clear, and I opted for the tweaked solution of 205 = 8*(25 + 1) - 3. Then I saw the untweaked version of 205 = 8*25 + 3 + 100/50.
My selection: 205 = 8*(25 + 1) - 3
Round 9: DULY ALIGN
The -LY ending seemed highly likely, and the option of -ALLY was also there. There was further the -ING fragment, and I optimistically tried LAUDINGLY. Oh, well.
My selection: [invalid -- LAUDINGLY]
Best: LANGUIDLY
3 comments:
DROOL
MOUTHS
6*(9*2+2)+1=121 (went over)
TONGUE (presumed adding an R would not be valid)
FIAT (tempted with the invalid FATIMA)
10*(25-8+2)-1=189 (went over)
SNARED and SANDIER probably just over
100/25*50+8-3=205
x
1. CORONAL
2. MOUTHS
3. 121 = (9+2)*(6*2-1)
4. REGENT
5. MAFIA
6. 189 = 8*25 - 10 - 1
7. READINGS/RESIGNED/DESIGNER/REDESIGN
8. 205 = (25+1)*8 - 3
9. LANGUIDLY - 1.5s
1. falcon
2. months
3. 9x(6-1)+2/2+75=121
4. tongue
5. mat
6. 8/2+50-10-1=189
7. readings
8. out of time with 25x8+100/50+3=205
9. x laudingly (24.3s)
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