c4countdown

Graeme Cole

Jon Corby wrote:I liked Gareth, but... seven eh? Using the 'S' twice? (Was there one?) Certainly had a whiff of fudge about it...

SALUTES?

Graeme Cole

Jennifer Steadman wrote:and, carrying on the sex note, 'RANDIER' - how is 'RANDIEST' allowed but not its comparative version? OUTRAGEOUS

RANDIER is allowed.

(Edit: looks like you had it disallowed earlier, but that's because there wasn't an N.)

Graeme Cole

Very surprised about DISTILL^ being a US-only spelling.

Also, has anyone else noticed that we're into the fifth week of the series and there hasn't been a female contestant yet?

Graeme Cole

What happened to the incorrect thing with the conundrum? That was good. I'm not sure why they didn't use the Conundral Corbometer this time. Perhaps while it's still a new idea that might not be expected by the contestants they want to avoid using it on crucials. Otherwise Andrew might have thought...

Graeme Cole

What happened to the incorrect thing with the conundrum? That was good. I'm not sure why they didn't use the Conundral Corbometer this time. Perhaps while it's still a new idea that might not be expected by the contestants they want to avoid using it on crucials. Otherwise Andrew might have thought...

Graeme Cole

Open, please. Rating is 1616.

Graeme Cole

Fantastic performance from both contestants today. I'd have been beaten by either of them. Matt and Andrew maxed every round between them. BTW, HEARTING isn't in Lexplorer as being a valid word. I didn't think it was when I heard it said either, but there you go........., or is it :?: HEART is defin...

Graeme Cole

I know the "INCORRECT" thing has been suggested a few times before... But what I want to know is, what are they going to do if the scramble is INTERCROC ? Ahem. Yeah, these were my thoughts too, basically "why have it going the same way both times as that surely requires an edit - wh...

Graeme Cole

I know the "INCORRECT" thing has been suggested a few times before, but it still caught me by surprise. When Jeff said "let's take a look", I thought, "oh, I didn't know you could spell SHREDDING with an A" and then it came up "INCORRECT". The answer flippythi...

Graeme Cole

Thanks everyone. The whole thing was a fantastically enjoyable experience as soon as I entered the studio, even that fifth game where I genuinely thought I'd lost it after R10. As for TROIKA, I think that was the only time I deliberately went for an obscure word over a common one, and it was entirel...

Graeme Cole

RESAMPLE not being good is a travesty, unless it's only hyphenated, and even then most statisticians call it resampling, without the hyphen. It basically means what it sounds -- when you have a small data set, you can "resample" in order to get a better idea of the distribution. It isn't ...

Graeme Cole

Ben Hunter wrote:Second numbers was painful to watch. I can imagine doing something similar if I was on.

He delivered his solution so confidently that for a moment I thought I was the one who'd cocked up.

Graeme Cole

Secondly, in Lexplorer if a word's a conundrum could it please display the difficulty somewhere obvious at the top, rather than having to find it as a conundrum in a game, to find out you spent 28.7 seconds on a gypsum in games without stones awarded? The "conundrum search" feature alread...

Graeme Cole

Is it just me or do people get the word lackadaisical wrong so often that it might as well actually be laxadaisical? You could make the same argument for "perculator", "anenome", "Febuary", "seccetry", "haitch", "goverment" and hundreds mo...

Graeme Cole

I think it must be difficult to concentrate game after game, because Graeme missed a couple of easy spots, but he pulled it around big time. Shame about Graham. He'd have beaten most other competitors. Yes, it does get tiring - this one was in the morning after not much sleep, and the previous day'...

Graeme Cole

Marcus Hares wrote:Graeme - who were you keeping your fingers crossed to during the GRAINIEST round?

Goodness knows. I didn't bring anyone with me. The monitor at the far corner of the studio, I think.

Graeme Cole

FEINTER was also disallowed when Jonathan Coles offered it against Jon Corby in the last CoC, but like Jono I'm not sure why lines shouldn't be FEINTER than other lines either... :? Well done Graeme, good run. Thanks. I think the word FEINT refers to the paper itself, the fact that it's got lines o...

Graeme Cole

Nice one Graeme. Good contest. Glad you got the con and thus won by 19 points too, meaning your opponent's missing GRAINIEST became just a trivial matter rather than a game-changing moment of blindness. Cheers. I nearly didn't spot GRAINIEST myself. I had INGRATES and TASERING, then saw GRAINIEST a...

Graeme Cole

Apterous seems to think FEINTER is fine, who's right? Knew this would come up. :-) I really don't know. FEINT, as well as being a verb, is also an adjective denoting writing paper with lines on it (you might buy a pad of "feint ruled" paper). It's one syllable, which suggests you should a...

Graeme Cole

There must have been a small audience that day, as, yes Ryan, the lady behind the conundrum solver was Yvonne, who helps Saralee usher us around so they must have "doughnutted" as they say in Parliament. The girl on the right is also one of Saralee's little helpers. Yes, there weren't man...

Graeme Cole

For vital and important reasons of immature humour I wanted to find the game from ages ago where my opponent had STAINED and I had PANTIES. When I searched for STAINED and PANTIES in Lexplorer to get it to show me games where they'd been offered, the list of games it returned didn't go back far enou...

Graeme Cole

I think it's about time the rules for unlimited were changed, or at least remove the "aegilops" rules from the rules page on unlimited. Yet again for a duel I've clicked on rules, realise I have to find a 9 letter word then fail to find it. Then the answer tells me it was just a 7 and I'v...

Graeme Cole

The decision to disallow OUTSETS wasn't made on a whim. Susie and Damian discussed it during the cut before the last numbers round, and again just before the next game. Basically, OUTSET is listed in the dictionary as a noun "in singular". At the front of the dictionary it says this means ...

Graeme Cole

Thanks for all the comments, everyone. Nerves probably didn't show because I was just enjoying the experience of doing something I'd wanted to do for years. Also I'm proud to have got a record (even an esoteric one that takes a while to say), thanks Marcus. :-) Things I've learned: I sound like *tha...

Graeme Cole

Douglas Wilson wrote:Kirk, Chris, Oliver, Jack, Ed, plus 65 winner would presumebly be dead certs. Leaving 11 positions left.

A 17-player tournament? Now there's a novel idea.

[/pedant]

Graeme Cole

I'm pretty sure they said that since everyone is now so good, a 15-episode CoC is too long. I can see them doing a shorter one though. Maybe have a week-long one (like CoC X) featuring just the winners from Series 60 through 65? It's an interesting idea, but a week-long tournament containing only t...

Graeme Cole

Congratulations Ed, and commiserations Adam; both outstanding players. Really had no idea who was going to win this one, you'd both performed so well in previous games.

I had MATINESS in R7. Somehow overlooked MEATINESS.

Graeme Cole

I think they're both given a few seconds to write it down. Then they do a retake so you never see that bit.

Graeme Cole

INSOFAR was accepted, not for the first time, on yesterday's show. I'm made to wonder: How exactly does the ODE list this word? I wonder because it seems to me that it exists only as "insofar as", not as a word in its own right. Generally, pseudowords like this haven't been accepted - for...

Graeme Cole

Rhys Benjamin wrote:IS EVERYBODY HAPPY NOW
Christ above, it's bad enough with no subtitles and wikicapping all this week as well in the absence of James!

Not quite. Ned did 75*10-(3-100/50) in the first numbers round. And DOTAGE has got an O in it.

Graeme Cole

Round 9: G O H A E X D K T NP: oathed AM: HOAXED (6) DC: GOATED (6) OT: KATHODE (7) DOM: 6 Score: 55–47 (max 66, DC Max 62) Pretty sure they said DOTAGE Nah, I watched it with some friends. They all got GOATED and were over the moon when DC said GOATED. Nope. I've just watched that bit again, and G...

Graeme Cole

JR style: Just ROSETTED and TETRODES in Round 13 today. :D :) ;) :o :shock: :ugeek: :mrgreen: :geek: Pre-game stats: Firstly, No.3 Seed Tom Barnes - 8 Wins, 822 Points Highest Score: 123 vs. Stuart Pecksen (3rd Game) Lowest Score: 86 vs. Brian Gale (7th Game) 9's Achieved: 0/3 Total Points/Max/%: 8...

Graeme Cole

Steve Balog wrote:THENEXIST or QUITESOUR

(in before "I got both of those in under a second each", I just know it's going to happen)

I got the first one in 0.0625 seconds.

Graeme Cole

Well played Adam, unlucky on the conundrum.

In R12, FASCISM was considered but dismissed because it's capitalised. Actually it's perfectly valid. However, you couldn't have it in that round because there was only one S.

Graeme Cole

Johnny Canuck wrote:Could he win 4 games, get a total over 366 points and choose to enter the finals unbeaten? This has happened a bunch of times before (in the 9-round era), although he would have to get an average of over 101 points tomorrow and Wednesday.

No.

Graeme Cole

Wrapping this mumbo jumbo up: Liam wins for a second time and should he win tomorrow but then lose on Wednesday he might qualify in 8th place for the finals if his cumulative score is high enough. Alternatively he might lose tomorrow and sink into the Series 64 abyss. Or even he might go on and win...

Graeme Cole

Assuming it's not some kind of spoiler to say so, Graham Hill couldn't make it. So we're going to see Michelle Nevitt in the finals? Not necessarily. This thing with Graham makes things interesting in that, at least for now, the finals are NOT set. It is entirely possible that Liam Herringshaw coul...

Graeme Cole

Innis Carson wrote:Assuming it's not some kind of spoiler to say so, Graham Hill couldn't make it.

So we're going to see Michelle Nevitt in the finals?

Graeme Cole

Well played, Tom.

I did exactly the same thing on the first numbers game, arriving at 328 and failing to find another 3. But then, I'm also the only person in the world other than Daniel Pati and Brenda Bagust to miss 912 from 100 25 9 9 6 6.

My excuse today is that I was blinded by Tom's shirt.

Graeme Cole

This might be of particular interest to the series finalists waiting around in their hotel rooms over the next few days. Literally minutes of fun.

Hide the Bible

Graeme Cole

I'm prepared to give Cameron the benefit of the doubt on this, and assume that he genuinely doesn't understand how AV works. If so, it's a pity Humphrys made his slip when he did. Rather proving the NO campaign's point :lol: "Alternative Vote: so complicated even the Prime Minister doesn't und...

Graeme Cole

I had to laugh on Tuesday morning listening to me, sorry I mean David Cameron on Today (around 8.20pm if you want to listen to it on i-player) being interviewed by John Humpreys where he put the exact points you were collectively making to Cameron about multi-votes to get the response "You are...

Graeme Cole

Today's conundrum STORMFIRE has an alternative, somewhat easier, solution as well as the intended one.

Graeme Cole

At the end of the current series, can we have an update of Classic Games to include Series 62-64 and also Watchword items for Series 63-64? Any suggestions for Watchwords for S63 and S64 contestants? (If the Classic Games thing will take forever to do, I don't mind helping out a bit). You just want...

Graeme Cole

For those who still think AV gives some people more votes than others, here's a little cartoon which hopefully clears things up (click for bigger)...

Graeme Cole

It should be 45 seconds per round to start with; the games will automatically be set up with the correct parameters once the tournament is actually scheduled to start, which is 1 May (tomorrow). I wasn't expecting you keenos to start already... Heh, I just thought this one didn't use the tournament...

Graeme Cole

Jim Bentley 129 - 96 Graeme Cole

We weren't sure whether were supposed to start at 45 seconds or use the default of 30, so we left it at the default. Might be worth clarifying which is correct for the purpose of future games.

Graeme Cole

Looks like most people don't want to play your tourney.

Graeme Cole

Okay, I'll bite. Martin Bishop - The word occasionally is not applicable here. In fact, the Yes campaign admitted that we would be more likely to get a person who did not come first being Member of Parliament! An election should be most votes wins, it's like saying, (excuse the racing terms) "L...

Graeme Cole

James Robinson wrote:Did anyone else notice the upside-down M's used as W's in the conundru too

Yes, I noticed that. In the scramble and the solution, so at least they were consistent.

Graeme Cole

PROPELLORS should be allowed, but isn't.

(While I'm here, I might as well mention that the same goes for OPTICALS. Also PAGANI[Z|S]E (and inflections) and WINCHER are allowed but shouldn't be.)

Graeme Cole

James Robinson wrote:Can anyone double-check WINCHER in the ODE3 I only ask as the recap writer gives it as OK.

Not in.

Graeme Cole

...you see "4.32MB" on your screen at work and immediately think "9 x 8 x 6".

Graeme Cole

Well I thought it was an excellent idea. Seconded. Please can we have it back? I think the idea had plenty of potential, but there are so many edge cases to deal with that don't really have any right answers. Or at least, answers that people can't argue about for the rest of eternity. I've already ...

Graeme Cole

Dan McColm wrote:Am I the only one who thought the challenger looked a lot like Chris Davies?

No. The resemblance struck me on the sidelong shot of the contestants while Mary was talking, before Aidan had even been introduced.

Graeme Cole

Jojo Apollo wrote:OPTICALS from round 2 seems to be invaild on apterous.

apterous is wrong this time. ODE3 gives OPTICAL as a noun but only in the plural OPTICALS, which is apparently an Indian term for a pair of glasses.

Graeme Cole

Mike Brown has mentioned time and time again that SENHORA^ is no longer in. No he hasn't. SENOR^, SENORA^ and SENORITA^ are no longer in (go with SNORE, REASON or NOTARISE instead), but SENHOR, SENHORA and SENHORITA are. Even though Firefox's wiggly-red-line spell checker seems to think it's the ot...

Graeme Cole

DC's offering of ACETIC^ in R4 is invalid; it only occurs in the term "acetic acid" and doesn't have an entry on its own.

ASCETIC was there for 7, though.

Graeme Cole

If Tourney Owl is so that you can play a tournament game separately from your opponent, then pencils from Tourney Owl games shouldn't be announced in chat. So that's what Tourney Owl is... didn't know exactly how it worked. I didn't even know slightly how she worked! Played her today - ended quite ...

Graeme Cole

James Bradley wrote:Round 13: Z S W T C A E O A

AM: WASTE (5)
GS: SWEAT (5)
DC: ASCOT (5)
OT: COSTAE (6) WECAST (6)
Score: 74–20 (max 99)

I spotted WECAST^ too, but only because it's been mentioned before as an error in apterous's word list, probably a typo of WEBCAST. It isn't in the dictionary.

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