NG 557

New game 557 is now available.


Round 1: S E H Z N O F I U

I had HENS, ZONES, was briefly tempted by HONIES (invalid), and HEINOUS.  After time I noted FUSION as a six.

HEINOUS is the only seven.  The other sixes are INFUSE and FOEHNS (FOEHN being a variant form of FÖHN: "a hot, dry wind descending a mountain [...]").

My selection: HEINOUS


Round 2: E C S L B A E D I

I had CELS, CABLES, DISABLE, flirted with DECALISE (not valid), and then found DECIBELS.

The other eights are ABSEILED and DEBACLES.  The other sevens are DECIBEL, DEBACLE, EDIBLES, DECILES, BALDIES, BEADLES (BEADLE: "Ecclesiastical a parish officer having various subordinate duties"), and BAILEES.

My selection: DECIBELS


Round 3: Target 219 from 75 7 1 5 4 10

The factorisation 3*73 is clear, but I first used the standard method to get 219 = (7 - 4)*75 - 5 - 1.  Then I went back to the factorisation to get 219 = (4 - 1)*(75 - 10/5).

My selection: 219 = (4 - 1)*(75 - 10/5)


Round 4: C S A I A O N C R

I had an uncertain CASA (not valid), CASINO, AIRCONS, and OCARINAS.  I'd also noticed CORSICAN, but that is proper, of course.

The other eight is CARIOCAS (CARIOCA: "a Brazilian dance", or the music for such a dance).  The other sevens are CARIOCA, OCARINA, ARNICAS (ARNICA being a type of plant), and COCAINS (COCAIN being a variant spelling of COCAINE).

My selection: OCARINAS


Round 5: E H N M A R U O L

I had MANE, MANURE, knew from past checking that ENAMOUR is not listed, MANHOLE, HUMERAL, and ARMHOLE.

The other sevens are NUMERAL, ALMONER, MENORAH, UNMORAL, NEUROMA, and MORULAE (plural of MORULA: "the mass of cells, supposedly resembling a mulberry, resulting from the cleavage of the ovum before the formation of a blastula").

My selection: MANHOLE


Round 6: Target 121 from 100 4 3 7 2 5

The target is the square of 11, and the small numbers cooperated just enough to make it feasible: 121 = (3*2 + 5)*(7 + 4).  Then I also noted the alternative option of 121 = 100 + 3*7.

My selection: 121 = (3*2 + 5)*(7 + 4)


Round 7: T A I P M D O G O

I had PITA and DIATOM.  After time I checked up on GOATDOM, which is, of course, not valid.

The other sixes are OPTIMA / MATIPO (a type of tree).

My selection: DIATOM


Round 8: Target 260 from 25 50 100 75 2 7

I struggled with this one, and wrote down a fallback one-off by just adding up all the numbers: 259 = 100 + 75 + 50 + 25 + 7 + 2.  I could not better that within time.  It took quite a while afterwards for me to find a solution: 260 = (7 - 2)*(50 + 100/(75 - 25)).

There's many variations on that solution, swapping 50's and 2's around.  But the simple solution I should have seen is 260 = 2*100 + 50 + 7 + 75/25.

My selection: 259 = 100 + 75 + 50 + 25 + 7 + 2  [1 off]
Best: 260 = 2*100 + 50 + 7 + 75/25


Round 9: KHAKI ELMS

I chose this conundrum, having mentioned milkshakes in conversation recently.

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