c4countdown

Fiona T

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Wed Feb 25, 2026 1:02 pm James Martin Ox?

That's the man/legend!

Fiona T

Nice find, but how did you suddenly encounter this now? Jono was trying to learn how to do 4L? ;) Not far off! This is the 3rd Google result for James Martin Countdown. I was wondering how much he knew of what we would call standard 4-large theory in 1997, 5 years before this . I might email him. H...

Fiona T

Says "plural brandies" and labels it a mass noun

But yeah allowing quinoas and disallowing nougats seems daft

Fiona T

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Mon Feb 23, 2026 10:17 am
Jon O'Neill wrote: ↑Sun Feb 22, 2026 8:44 pm Not really the News, and it's also 11 years ago, but at about 10:50 James Martin talks about his epic 952.
Nice find, but how did you suddenly encounter this now?

Jono was trying to learn how to do 4L?

Fiona T

Definitely too far out for me but looks nice! Bring Jono to the event - can't be his wedding anniversary again!

Fiona T

Next thing on the list is the ability to autogenerate cons in some way. (If possible, an ability to have con options onscreen like "easy" "medium" "hard" and "random" would be next level stuff.) Oh, and this is done (choose R for a random conundrum) but the s...

Fiona T

so - I made a change to the numbers on RR, so instead of the host clicking a button to reveal each number, they just click 'Fill' on multi-numbers and the numbers appear 1 per second (just slightly slower than on apterous). The host still chooses when to reveal the target. For single numbers (used f...

Fiona T

Questions I very recently want answered!

Why do the winter olympic athletes from other nations have the name of their country in English rather than their own language on their kit?

Fiona T

Prince Charles (or whatever he styles himself as these days) was at Sandringham parkrun today . I couldn't see him in the results , but I have it on good authority that he's the unknown in position 75. His choice of footwear seems ill-advised given the conditions. I do think that's pretty awesome t...

Fiona T

But not everyone uses it in the same way as you. I was being hosted by a player who didn't routinely enter the selection during the rounds, but just checked occasional words if there was any doubt about them.

Fiona T

I don't know if this is the best place for this but the TCC word checker and the FOCAL one could be simplified by just having a selection checker. It does everything the word checker does and more. And if your word is invalid you probably want to know if it's got any anagrams. Not sure I get what y...

Fiona T

I would in any case be happy to update the PB list and age-graded list from time to time. I've written some code to generate this from a list of barcodes, but it only runs locally and even then gets blocked sometimes requiring me to prove I'm human! Happy to give it a go next time you want to updat...

Fiona T

Mark Deeks wrote: ↑Sun Jan 11, 2026 7:25 pm What's it all about when you go deaf in an ear for a few seconds for no obvious reason and then it's fine?

Does it only happen when Kelly asks you to clean the toilet?

Fiona T

I wondered with things being so tight whether the site outage affected results from the day that only a few people played, but looks like Matt was the only top contender to get his game done scoring 23 points - his lead over Chris in third place is 25 points! https://www.apterous.org/duel_results.ph...

Fiona T

Yeah I stuck him in one of the spoilers threads cos technically they are :) Can't be sure about legitimacy, but they look legit, and as one of the comments said, you try getting a 4 year old to learn a script and recite it that convincingly - easier to do the maths! School will be in for a fun time ...

Fiona T

https://www.tiktok.com/@daddylmg/video/ ... 3641101591

Fiona T

Following from this post ... If I had one small suggestion, it would be that if there are table numbers, it's best to have them explicitly labelled rather than people having to infer them from the set numbers on the lids of the letters/numbers boxes, which are generally harder to find with the lids...

Fiona T

Also, if an event is Bristol-style and you've spent the whole day using a big screen at the front for the round selections and valid words, I think it makes sense to use this in the final, as I think it's easier to follow than playing "manually". The screen can also be used for the scores...

Fiona T

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Sat Dec 06, 2025 6:28 am
Fiona T wrote: ↑Fri Dec 05, 2025 9:04 pm Good stuff - had me chuckling a lot!
Are you tempted to have a go after James and myself ?

No, I can barely speak in public let alone try and be funny!

Fiona T

Good stuff - had me chuckling a lot!

Fiona T

Back in the 80s there was a game show called Ultra Quiz - each episode had 1000 players. The concept was basically multiple choice questions and the players had to go and stand in the area where they thought the right answer was, and were eliminated once they were wrong. https://youtu.be/3fmM7VPj2Ms...

Fiona T

Why are you able to buy flight tickets months in advance but, depending on the airline, you are only able to check in and print boarding passes within 48 hours? I know most people just use their phones now but I prefer to print off the boarding pass and I would like to be able to print the return f...

Fiona T

Delete if not allowed. We shook hands when we met in the green room during the recording of the 2019 Champion of Champions and the first thing said to me was, “Nice to meet you in person.” He was eccentric, but did not seem dangerous in any way shape or form at the time. I wasn’t aware he had schiz...

Fiona T

Lots of Proclaimers stuff is better than 500 miles. If you've not listened to much, try their greatest hits.

Fiona T

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Wed Nov 19, 2025 2:29 pm Jon Stammers.

No he doesn't.

Fiona T

It is a requirement that schools have daily collective worship.

https://humanists.uk/2025/11/19/supreme ... ed-urgent/

Fiona T

When Del Boy in Only Fools and Horses is misusing French sayings, "Bonnet De Douche" means shower cap. I mean, I've put this in the "obvious" thread, but I'd say it's pretty niche. I'm not sure why anyone would know this without quite good French knowledge or looking it up. Both...

Fiona T

Bit of both I think WAISTED has it's own sub-heading under derivatives, althought the dictionary says "in combination" https://i.ibb.co/4gsKM6Sy/waisted.png Something like formic is only there under a single heading formic acid (similar to mistle thrush). The countdown rules state under NO...

Fiona T

You can also follow here https://wespacevent.ghanascrabble.com/ - looks more up-to-date perhaps

Fiona T

What happened in round 3 with loads of players playing whatever the scrabble equivalent is of prune? I think the tech is struggling to keep up - scores way behind, so presumably it'll catch up! Editx2: Maus is 4-3 up at the end of day 1, which is an awesome start! (He was ranked 119/128 to any fini...

Fiona T

I imagine people who want to watch it will have by now. Lots of comments about a difficulty discrepancy between the walls. I might be biased but I'm not seeing it - they got all the connections, but failed to find the groups - that's down to not taking a methodical approach to cycling possibilites (...

Fiona T

Progress can be followed here https://wespac.ghanascrabble.com/tsh/wespac2025/html/

Fiona T

Not necessary to swap order, as the declarations were not the same, so no copying would be risked.

All good!

Fiona T

Maus and I tentatively planning trip to Bletchley Park on Sunday after MK if anyone fancies it - you'll need transport though - my car is full!

Fiona T

Philip A wrote: ↑Sun Nov 02, 2025 8:58 pm The 5ks will return on 10th November in a rematch against the Showstoppers.

mebbes aye, mebbes naw - they seem to have lost a game (Whitley Baes v Pear Trees). Guess we'll find out...!

Fiona T

As Gavin's revisiting puzzles

Anyone done nandgame?

https://nandgame.com/

Did it years ago, but looks like they added some further steps since I completed it.

Challenging but logical, educational and fun! (YMMV)

Fiona T

(I realise some people might not consider c4c to be a relevant place any more but while event threads still exist on it I think they should be followed through on.) Aw, does someone need a hug? I still like c4c, but I think you and I are getting old and have fond memories of lively forums of bygone...

Fiona T

Tom S wrote: ↑Sat Nov 01, 2025 10:36 pm (thanks to Fiona for noting these)

RR creates game logs for all the games - can send you them if you like

Fiona T

Four of us at Worcester Pitchcroft - me, Sam, Maus and co-event newbie, Stephen Harding

Fiona T

Bradley Horrocks wrote: ↑Wed Oct 29, 2025 11:43 am I'm planning to do Rushmere parkrun for my R - it's a 20 min drive from the event venue

Think Maus has got his eye on Jubilee Bedford!

Fiona T

Stewart Gordon wrote: ↑Mon Oct 27, 2025 9:18 am So a PUNSTER is someone who frequently makes good puns.

What's someone who frequently makes bad puns (I'm sure many of us remember such a person) called?

Dad

Fiona T

Bumpers protected cars but damaged things (people) they hit because they don't give.

Better to have dinted bodywork than dinted toddler I guess, depending on your persepctive.

Fiona T

Sorry I can't be at Edinburgh tomorrow - hope you all have a great time! Just a note that the focal word checker, and by associaton TCC's co-host tool has been updated with the latest ODP update as on this ticket https://www.apterous.org/ticket_view.php?ticket=7316#p104396 This more accurately refle...

Fiona T

Quite a few parkrun names contain notable* countdowner surnames Ashington Community Woodland (or any other Wood) Ashton Court Bevendean Down Brockenhurst (Sandhurst/Wakehurst) Brockwell Chalkwell Beach (or any other beach) Chilton fields Cleethorpes/Fleetwood promenade (or any other Lee) Corby Dartf...

Fiona T

I Swear biopic of John Davidson sufferer of Tourettes. One of the best films of the year very sad but also very funny. People of a certain age may remember John from the documentary John's Not Mad If it's that one we greatly enjoyed at school, then yes. Finest entertainment since Joey Deacon, at le...

Fiona T

The current guidelines don't include any examples, but I don't think minerals were included. The last time granites was allowable on apterous was 2013. OPLALINE has a definition that is not milk-glass 1.1. translucent glass of a colour other than white There's nothing to say that these different col...

Fiona T

opaline
Pronunciation: /ˈəʊpəlʌɪn/
adjective
opalescent.
Example sentencesSynonyms
noun
1
another term for milk-glass

1.1
translucent glass of a colour other than white.

Arguably, the 1.1 definition is countable.

Fiona T

Pretty sure heating sparkling water removes the sparkle. You'd be better to eat large quantities of beans for the jacuzzi (not valid in countdown) effect

Fiona T

Why don't lions get scurvy? It's a great question! Google says... Lions do not need vitamin C in their diet because, like most mammals, they can synthesize their own vitamin C in their bodies, unlike humans and other primates who require it from food. A lion's diet of whole, fresh prey, which inclu...

Fiona T

Rowland Reeves wrote: ↑Fri Sep 12, 2025 9:38 pm I am also the most socially awkward person you will ever meet

Not even close!

Fiona T

It's all done. Not a trial as such. BBC article here https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj072jg59m0o "Judge Guy Mathieson said he had ruled Cowen unfit to stand trial and told jurors to instead determine the facts of what had happened. They found he had committed assault and had been in posses...

Fiona T

Ben Wilson wrote: ↑Thu Sep 04, 2025 4:40 pm A very brief one a few nigh*s ago where Fiona * banned *he res* of *he world from using *he le**er '*.'

FTFY

Fiona T

Looks like Charlie logged in at lunchtime, so hopefully is now aware of the issue if he wasn't before.

Fiona T

A discussion of what Charlie should do with Apterous probably won't be that fruitful without Charlie's involvement. But since we're here, I don't think higher prices will help. It's unlikely to be a money thing. It's just down to priorities people have at different stages of their life, and Apterou...

Fiona T

CDB seems to be having problems when I am doing recaps and you use the other words option ,it gives the message Oops, it broke. So when you enter other words by copying and pasting off other games it is laborious and very time conusuming, I am wondering if Charlie is updating CDB ? CDB uses the apt...

Fiona T

We used a supernundrum for the CO:REA 2025 grand final!
T-Cap solved it in around 20 seconds

See how you get on

Solution at https://ibb.co/6cvZfY4B

Fiona T

Full results from CO:REA 2025 Christ Church Woodley 30 August 2025 PODIUM 1st place: Thomas Cappleman (Won final 151 - 126 against Matthew Brockwell) 2nd place: Matthew Brockwell (Lost final) 3rd place: Ronan Higginson STANDINGS Players are ranked by number of wins then total points scored. P W Pts ...

Fiona T

For co:Rea, Maus and I ran at Woodley, Mike ran at Reigate Priory and Sam ran at Wycombe Rye. Think that was it!

Fiona T

Thanks so much Tony - venue and facilities were spot on! Delighted that we raised £320 for the leprosy mission, and DAPSONE even came up as a max in game 1 :) Thanks to everyone who came along to make the day a success, and many congratulations to T-Cap on a very impressive winning score, and for ma...

Fiona T

Just three days till co:Rea and we're up to 30 players! Looking forward to seeing you all on Saturday!

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