NG 555

New game 555 is now available.


Round 1: E P L U T S O I D

I had PULE ("to cry in a thin voice, as a child"), an uncertain TUPLE (not valid), PULSE, DISPUTE, and LOUDEST.  After time I noted other sevens of PILOTED and SPOILED / DESPOIL.

There are eights here, which is not surprising given the quality of the letters.  They are SOLITUDE / TOLUIDES (TOLUIDE being a type of chemical), POSTLUDE, and PISTOLED (American spelling of PISTOLLED, with PISTOL as a verb being listed as obsolete for "to shoot with a pistol").

My selection: DISPUTE
Best: SOLITUDE


Round 2: L F K O E I R D B

I had FOLK, was rightly dubious about FOLKIER, FOILED, and BROILED.

The other sevens are RODLIKE and BLOKIER*.

My selection: BROILED


Round 3: Target 709 from 75 50 25 5 2 2

The offset of 9 (or 16) seemed too difficult, but with 10 easily formed it seemed that 710 might be manageable.  I found my way there with 710 = (75 - 2*50/25)*2*5.  Seen now is that another way of making a 10 would have saved a number with 710 = (50/5)*(75 - 2*2).

The target turns out to be unreachable, so one off is best.

My selection: 710 = (75 - 2*50/25)*2*5  [1 off]


Round 4: P C A A U F I R S

I had CARP and FRACAS.  I also observed FUSARIA, but recalled (from episode 343, it turns out) that the Macquarie failed to list this plural form.

Six is thus the best to be done on this unhelpful mix.  The others are SAFARI, CARPUS ("the wrist, or the group of bones comprising it"), FASCIA ("a band or fillet"), CAPIAS ("a writ commanding an officer to take a specified person into custody"), and ACARUS (a type of mite).

I'll note that FACIAS might have been accepted under the show's rules, since FACIA is listed as a variant spelling of FASCIA.  The plural of FASCIA is given as FASCIAE only, but no plural form for FACIA is given.  Under the revised model that I now use, FACIAS is not valid.

My selection: FRACAS


Round 5: E D S O E T C N T

I had DOES, DOTES, STONED, DETECTS, DOCENTS, and then finally looked at the CON- fragment to get CONTESTED.

There are no eights; the other sevens are CONTEST, ENCODES / SECONDE (a fencing position), DENOTES, SCENTED / DESCENT, DETENTS (DETENT: "a piece of a mechanism which, when disengaged, releases the operating power, or by which the action is prevented or checked"), and CESTODE (any member of a certain class of worms).

My selection: CONTESTED


Round 6: Target 870 from 100 50 8 2 7 5

I spent far too long trying to get up to 870 from 850, then realised that it was much easier if I left out the 50: 870 = 8*100 + 2*5*7.  A little after that I used the factorisation 6*145 to get 870 = (8 - 2)*(100 + 50 - 5).

Seen while writing this up is 870 = 7*(100 + 50/2) - 5.

My selection: 870 = 8*100 + 2*5*7


Round 7: B I E A C T E T M

I had BAIT, TACIT, wondered about MICATE (not valid), and AMBIT.

The best here is seven: TEATIME and TABETIC ("someone affected with tabes", which is "syphilis of the spinal cord [...]").  The sixes are BECAME, EMETIC, AMEBIC (variant spelling of AMOEBIC), and ACMITE (another name for the mineral AEGERITE).

My selection: TACIT
Best: TEATIME


Round 8: Target 120 from 25 100 9 8 5 7

The boring answer was 120 = 100 + 25 - 5.  So I went looking for alternatives, and found 120 = (9 + 8 + 7)*5 and 120 = 8*(100 + 5)/7.

My selection: 120 = (9 + 8 + 7)*5


Round 9: LAND RIDGE

The -ING fragment pops up yet again.  I thought we might have had this before, but it turns out that it showed up in NG 293 during one of the main rounds.

My selection: LADDERING (3.6s)