Five Letter Logic

[The Bandit]

ADIPOSE

adjective - composed of animal fat; "adipose tissue constitutes the fat of meat"

 

You certainly learn stuff playing this game :)

[siniri]

ADIPOSE is correct! I apparently have immersed myself in science too long; things that I think are common words aren't. Oops. I'll pick a non-science word next time it rolls back around to me.

 

Just out of curiosity, what are others' strategies for solving? These are my notes for solving GAMZEE, if anyone's curious (hidden to keep this post short):

 

 

SPEEDY (0, 2, 4)

ENLIST (0, 1, 5)

EASTER (2, 1, 3)

BANDIT (1, 0, 5)

DRAGON (0, 2, 4)

TAYLOR (1, 0, 5)

3 of AEERST (EE, A or R, no ST) {I started off knowing there was max. only 1 of EST from ENLIST, which meant there must be at least 2 of AER -- but it could only be 1 of A or R from TAYLOR, so there must be at least 1 E -- which meant that the E was the only correct from ENLIST, which meant there was no S and no T, which meant that, since I now knew that there were only 2 correct from AER -- the E and either the A or R -- there must be 1 correct from EST, which must be the second E since it wasn't S or T; note that I keep a running list of definite letters and excluded letters under my rewriting and notes for each word, which I use to further narrow down the letters of each word; I work back and forth until I've gotten all the info I can from all the guesses so far, then I try to figure out the word, or make a guess based on what I know so far, using the "correct placement" info to further narrow things down}

1 of EILNST (E, no ILNST)

2 of ADGNOR (A or R, G, no DNO from others)

2 of DEEPSY (EE, no DPSY)

1 of ABDINT (A or B )

1 of ALORTY (A or R, no LOTY)

A or R, EEG, (if R, must also have B; if A, no B ), no DILNOPSTY

REEGB no ADILNOPSTY

BEG-ER bcfhjkmqruvwxz

AEEG no BDILNOPRSTY

EA---E G cfgjkmquvwz

-A--EE G cfgjkmquvwz

 

Are your methods similar? Easier? More methodical?

[The Bandit]

Okay six letters this time :)

_ _ _ _ _ _

 

Strategies for solving - Much the same as you, siniri. I use this site which helps a lot: http://www.crosswordsolver.org/

 

I paste the info into Word and use various colours to highlight letters - green is correct and in the right place, yellow correct and in the wrong place, red is incorrect.

 

First I eliminate the impossible and then make an assumption. If the assumption leads to a contradiction or no possible word, I make another assumption and start again, until I get to a word that works.

 

The only times I get really stuck are when the word isn't a dictionary word - then it gets really tough!

[Duskitty]

VIDEOS

[siniri]

LETTER

 

Yes, I do the testing of a hypothesis sometimes, too. I usually write the letter I'm testing at the beginning so I can keep track. I try to start with one of two possibilities, so if I end up with a contradiction, I know the other is correct.

[Wildbreeze]

LISTEN

 

When I really get into guessing, I write down all the letters that I know are/could be right, and all that I know aren't in the word.

Also, when I think of adipose, I think of Doctor Who. xD

[The Bandit]

_ _ _ _ _ _

VIDEOS (1,1,4)

LETTER (0,2,4)

LISTEN (1,2,3)

 

Should probably point out I'm continuing the current tradition of difficult words. Hints to come if necessary.

[siniri]

Hints? Hints?!? We don't need no stinkin' hints. (At least not yet...)

 

GIFTEE

[The Bandit]

_ _ _ _ _ _

VIDEOS (1,1,4)

LETTER (0,2,4)

LISTEN (1,2,3)

GIFTEE (0,2,4)

[Welcome Back Apathy]

TAVERN

[The Bandit]

_ _ _ _ _ _

VIDEOS (1,1,4)

LETTER (0,2,4)

LISTEN (1,2,3)

GIFTEE (0,2,4)

TAVERN (2,1,3)

[Welcome Back Apathy]

STREWN

[The Bandit]

_ _ _ _ _ _

VIDEOS (1,1,4)

LETTER (0,2,4)

LISTEN (1,2,3)

GIFTEE (0,2,4)

TAVERN (2,1,3)

STREWN (2,1,3)

Hint:

It's a name.

 

[siniri]

ESKEAN

[Welcome Back Apathy]

ORCEIN

[The Bandit]

_ _ _ _ _ _

VIDEOS (1,1,4)

LETTER (0,2,4)

LISTEN (1,2,3)

GIFTEE (0,2,4)

TAVERN (2,1,3)

STREWN (2,1,3)

ESKEAN (1,0,5)

ORCEIN (1,3,2)

Hint:

There's no 'E'. Just in case anyone still thought there was :P

 

[Welcome Back Apathy]

TYRION

[siniri]

TURION

Obviously there are no E's. If there was one, there must have been two. Since there aren't two, there must not even be one. :P

 

Haha, I didn't even see FtA's guess. I suspect we're on the right track... and he's probably right, since it's a Game of Thrones character. Can we clarify the rules? Either require that it's a real word, or at least give a warning at the beginning that it's not next time? Otherwise I probably wouldn't have participated in this one. What do you guys think? Even if it's a real word that you've never heard of, you can at least use an anagram finder to learn it, but with names, etc., it can be impossible if you've never heard of it and it's not in an anagram finder.

[The Bandit]

TYRION is correct, wd Karina :)

 

One of my fave characters from my fave TV programme.

 

I'm quite happy to have a rule that says no proper names if people think we should - I was just carrying on the theme of fiendishly hard words :p However, as long as people say if it's a name I don't think it matters - we do tend to guess words pretty quick if they're simple... I do think words shouldn't be longer than 7 letters.

 

(I also think XYLITOL was harder than TYRION!)

[Welcome Back Apathy]

Personally, I think anagram finders are cheating, so I don't mind if it's a word that can't be found in one. I mean, if you're using one just to test certain letters, that's one thing...but if you're using a program to find the exact right word, that's not in the spirit of the game.

 

I would prefer to use words that people will have heard of, even if they're not in the dictionary. Or WELL-KNOWN anagrams. I would, for example, accept PEBKAC as a word :P But names that are not well-known all over the world--or at least all over the English-speaking countries--give an unfair disadvantage to people who don't play whatever game it is.

 

However...if you're ever close to the end and you can't figure out the exact right word, I see no problem with a) guessing non-words, and b) googling non-words to see what comes up. Sometimes, when I know it's a word I don't know, I google a guess and see if anything comes up in the "Did you mean..."

 

 

Anyway, seven letters, and it's a common enough word. Word, not name.

[Wildbreeze]

TERRORS

[Welcome Back Apathy]

TERRORS (1, 1, 5)

[siniri]

COMMENT

 

I only used an anagram finder on the last one once I had it narrowed down pretty specifically and could not find a word that I knew that matched (I actually used it to confirm that there were no words that matched based on my assumptions, not to "find" the matching word). And then I checked the spoiler and saw that it wasn't a "real" word, anyway. And I found "Turion" by googling since I didn't know any names that fit "T-rion." Anagram finders don't usually help, anyway, since the hard part is figuring out the letters, which the solvers can't really do. But the fun of the game is figuring it out on your own.

 

Again, my apologies for 'xylitol' -- I really thought people would have heard/seen it before since I've heard it on the radio and seen it on the front of bags of candy and gum. PEBKAC is not something I would solve. It just shows that people have a wide range of experiences, and what's too hard for one might seem easy for someone else. I did mention that xylitol was from my nutrition class, I think, and elbandito warned us that his was a name. So I guess the best thing is to at least mention it in a spoiler if you're trying to be tricky, so people can choose to read it or not, and choose to play or not.

[Wildbreeze]

VIOLINS

 

I know what xylitol is. Having been to several dental conventions with my dentist dad, I've heard lots of people giving away gum talking about it. Then of course there are commercials... But I think I was away when you were doing that word.

[The Bandit]

MONSTER

So I guess the best thing is to at least mention it in a spoiler if you're trying to be tricky, so people can choose to read it or not, and choose to play or not.

I agree!

 

(No need to apologise for XYLITOL - I like it when it's hard!)