c4countdown

Steve Hyde

To be honest, I find it surprising that Oxford doesn't have a simple list of all the words in the dictionary Would that even help? Since Countdown only allows a subset of them (e.g. no American spellings) and also allows some stuff that isn't in there (e.g. plurals of some but not all mass nouns, u...

Steve Hyde

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Tue Feb 21, 2023 9:27 pm Should be on the Co events thread but what dictionary is used there?

Depends. At my one Co-event we used a combination ODO Premium, Lexplorer and Taking Tim Down's Word For It depending on what people had access to at each table

Steve Hyde

If Lexico still existed I don't think there would be much of a problem tbh. Mostly I miss there being a free way to check whether or not I've just made up a word that dictionary corner missed

Steve Hyde

EMULSIFY in R10

Steve Hyde

Philip A wrote: ↑Sun Feb 05, 2023 7:11 pm Now good home players who’d average centuries will at some point run into a long-time Apterite and lose 140-40.

It was 117-77, I'll have you know

Steve Hyde

Ian Fitzpatrick wrote: ↑Fri Jan 27, 2023 10:30 am Best I had was ALSATION

It's spelled ALSATIAN unfortunately. STATIONAL and ATONALIST were alternative 9s in that round

Steve Hyde

Thinking of adding a "Category:Wrong 'Uns" page to the wiki for ease of reference

Steve Hyde · Re: Spoilers for Monday 23 January 2023 (Series 87, Heat 1) R7: PISHOGUE

R7: PISHOGUE

Steve Hyde

25th Feb is my birthday weekend, which my family promise me they've got something planned for. And while it's *possible* that what they have planned is a trip to CO:Man, I don't think it's likely. It's probably safe to remove me from the Possible Attendees list

Steve Hyde

Really entertaining match, every bit as back and forth as the CoC final even if the standard wasn't *quite* as high. Unlucky on the defeat Marc, at least you'll always be able to say you beat Dictionary Corner!

Steve Hyde

I suspect loadsa people will want to see a Conor/Ahmed special now. Certainly they're two of the greatest players in the modern (post-RW) era. Are special episodes a thing any more? I thought they mostly existed to fill gaps in the schedule caused by C4 televising sporting events, which they don't ...

Steve Hyde

Best CoC ever for my money, though admittedly I haven't watched one since Graham Nash won. Honoured to have been a small part of it

Steve Hyde

JackHurst wrote: ↑Thu Jan 19, 2023 9:55 pm Adam must be the most successful player to never get a 9.

Don Reid? Won series 25 and CoCVII with no nines. Adam is undoubtedly the best of the 15 round era though

Steve Hyde

Philip A wrote: ↑Thu Jan 19, 2023 7:51 pm I guessed popillate x at the conundrum, so at least I got the first 3 letters right.

I was 100% sure it was papillote, as in "en papillote", but it isn't in the dictionary separately. Beat Ahmed to the buzzer and everything

Steve Hyde

Only the second 15-rounder in history where both players have scored in the first 14 rounds, and one point off a max for Ahmed. Magic Countdowning from both

Steve Hyde

Countdown Team wrote: ↑Sat Jan 14, 2023 7:49 pm Also, i get married in April, so i'll need to keep working to help towards the plastic surgery bills.

Congratulations!

Steve Hyde

It seems rather unusual for a CoC, and particularly one containing players of this calibre, that the closest any player has gotten to a max game is -11 (Luke). I'd have expected at least one of the 8 games to be within 5pts. The -11 was 13 max rounds and an unsolved conundrum, I'd say that's pretty...

Steve Hyde

In non-leap years, January 1 and December 31 fall on the same day of the week. In any given year, 4/4, 6/6, 8/8 and 10/10 fall on the same day as eachother (as do Halloween, 4th July and Boxing Day). Knowing *what* day this is for any given year is typically how people learn to quickly tell you wha...

Steve Hyde

I don't recall there being a place on the form to mention it, but the interviewer did ask whether I'd been on before (and had no problems at all once they realised how long ago it was). So yeah, you'll be fine to apply. And best of luck!

Steve Hyde

Mark James wrote: ↑Wed Jan 04, 2023 10:47 am Can yis put name of the song in your post not just the link.

Anyway, I'd go with Hammer Smashed Face by Cannibal Corpse.

Anyone who just posts a link with no name can be assumed to want Never Gonna Give You Up as their walk-on music

Steve Hyde

Johnny Canuck wrote: ↑Wed Jan 04, 2023 4:25 pm
Philip A wrote: ↑Wed Jan 04, 2023 2:53 pm Ed sets a new record: 5 bids on a nine-letter word.
Was it not 4?

SANATIVES (invalid), NUTTERIES, DEROGATOR (invalid), COARSENER (invalid)... maybe a record for most invalid 9s, but I don't recall a 5th?

Steve Hyde

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Sat Dec 24, 2022 10:11 am So has Tom got the points record for his 11 game run?

No, fell slightly short of Luke Johnson-Davies on that count. He'll have to settle for the individual episode score, consecutive rounds unbeaten and first player to solve all 11 conundrums records!

Steve Hyde

Ian Fitzpatrick wrote: ↑Thu Dec 22, 2022 12:28 pm I think I had GASTROIDS in round 7

Only one S in the selection (it was GASTROID+Y) and, despite being regularly used in medical circles, GASTROID isn't in the OED. GORDITAS was the only valid 8

Steve Hyde

RETINULAR in R10

Steve Hyde · Re: Spoilers for Monday 12 December 2022 (Series 86, Heat 126) R4 PIMLICO

R4 PIMLICO

Steve Hyde

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Thu Dec 08, 2022 4:36 pm And Rachel wore her crude jumper again.

Between the jumper and Rufus Hound's baffling jazz odyssey, the whole episode had a distinctly CatsDown vibe to it today

Steve Hyde · Re: Spoilers for Thursday 8 December 2022 (Series 86, Heat 124) R8: biramous

R8: biramous

Steve Hyde

What did he say? When CoC was being filmed, he told me he was playing with the official one. I told him to get Jack's. I don't know if that prompted him to get it or if he even remembers the conversation as I'm sure he has loads on his mind, but tbh I think it's just really cool that he enjoys play...

Steve Hyde

Colin's competitiveness is great when the matches are competitive, but in a one-sided landslide or low-stakes prelim where neither contestant is much cop it can be tonally odd. He just needs a change of pace once in a while

Steve Hyde

Johnny Canuck wrote: ↑Tue Dec 06, 2022 6:36 pm Could have used ERMADYALL as the conundrum scramble!

Who was the last contestant to have a name that was a valid conundrum (one for the Ask Graeme thread maybe)? I found SAMHOLDEN from s76, but as the answer is a plural it wouldn't be allowed

Steve Hyde

Antedote today and reorbit yesterday? Susie can't return soon enough!

Steve Hyde

ZEUGMAS in R8

Steve Hyde · Re: Spoilers for Friday 2 December 2022 (Series 86, Heat 120) R5 YODELIST

R5 YODELIST

Steve Hyde

Not as good as TARTNESS but NATTERS was the obvious 7 when one of the contestants risked RATTANS. Missing double consonant + ER is unforgiveable - first thing you look at! That was a horrible selection of letters - three double letters and all my brain wanted to do was make words with two Es, which...

Steve Hyde

QUARKING was there. QUARK as a verb can be found by typing QUAWKING in ODP which lists quite a few spellings (QUOUK and QUORK). That's really interesting. I wonder if Susie would be able to find it in the heat of a match? There was a similar thing with JIMMY earlier in the series (listed as an alte...

Steve Hyde

Take advantage of the two month break between filming dates to grow a continuity-destroying beard

Steve Hyde

Beat DC several times today, either I was on fire or they were having a mare

R2 LESIONED
R4 SONOFERS
R8 ROOTKIT

plus about 4 8s in R11

Steve Hyde

GELATION and LEGATION in R11.
OUTSETS in R13, possibly, but the fact that DC didn't spot it despite declaring OUTSET makes me doubt its validity

Steve Hyde

Howie Myers wrote: ↑Tue Nov 01, 2022 5:36 am r7: OVERDUE or GROUTED for 7
DEVOUTER for 8

DEVOUTER not specified as a comparative in the OED, and since DEVOUT doesn't come under the one syllable rule I don't think it counts

Steve Hyde

Compare it to something like Pointless's 1000th show. Osman and Armstrong swapped roles, which made it special and interesting, but the contestants were just the same ordinary people they have on any other edition. I think Countdown is aiming for the same sort of thing, perhaps realising that ordina...

Steve Hyde

Johnny Canuck wrote: ↑Tue Oct 25, 2022 12:38 am First time the scoreline was an anagram of the episode number? (7877)

https://wiki.apterous.org/Episode_7014

Steve Hyde

TVGuide.co.uk has listings 13 days in advance on the desktop site - that was the source for Floella Benjamin, and we should be able to see who her successor is tomorrow

Steve Hyde

Toby McDonald wrote: ↑Mon Oct 10, 2022 10:00 pm PROSEMEN in R1

Boy did I parse that wrong at first

Steve Hyde

Did anyone in the 9-round format complete an octorun without losing a round in the heats? No - only Darryl Francis, Harvey Freeman and David Williams solved 8 conundrums in the 9 round era, and all of them dropped at least one round somewhere. Darryl Francis lost the very first round of his octorun...

Steve Hyde

After 7 games, Tom has more points than the number 1 seeds from series 79 and 75 No spoilers, but was preparing to pack my bags in tomorrow's game... Must admit I was expecting a bit more jeopardy after this comment. Imperious Countdowning again, though there was ADULATE available in the round with ...

Steve Hyde

No spoilers, but was preparing to pack my bags in tomorrow's game... Oh damn, hopefully it'll still be a good one tomorrow then. As it's not a game spoiler, I can only presume he gravely insulted one of Colin/Rachel/Susie and was expecting to be thrown off. Looking forward to it! Colin promised him...

Steve Hyde

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Mon Oct 03, 2022 9:46 am
Howie Myers wrote: ↑Mon Oct 03, 2022 8:12 am r4: GUSTOES
Not on Apterous but I don't have access to the source dictionary. GUSTOS valid though.

It's a mass noun according to ODO so I'm not sure GUSTOS should be valid either

Steve Hyde

Ah, this takes me back

Steve Hyde

Sam Cappleman-Lynes wrote: ↑Thu Sep 29, 2022 1:52 pm My thread not good enough for you?

If ever an episode deserved two threads

Steve Hyde

I got GOLEM and JIMMY in the round with the 4s, and WENCHER a couple of rounds earlier

Steve Hyde

The only feedback I'd have is to make the format of the daily challenge a bit clearer before you start it - quite often I'll start, realise I don't have time for 15 rounds, and have to abandon it. Like today's - should I know what a "115 challenge" is? You've found a bug. As Sam says, it ...

Steve Hyde

MIJITA is a US word (cf. ZUCCHINI, ARUGULA), not a US spelling (cf. COLOR, SULFUR) so should be fine

Steve Hyde

Toby McDonald wrote: ↑Fri Sep 23, 2022 10:02 pm MIJITAS in R2 - but it says US, so might be a dictionary error on Apto?
UPGRADERS in R5
CONNOTES in R11
AIRPOTS in R12

According to Alan on Facebook, DC spotted CONNOTES but it was edited out? I thought it was a bit of an obvious one to miss

Steve Hyde

The only feedback I'd have is to make the format of the daily challenge a bit clearer before you start it - quite often I'll start, realise I don't have time for 15 rounds, and have to abandon it. Like today's - should I know what a "115 challenge" is?

Steve Hyde

Well, this has completely ruined all my plans to reveal the participants via a series of cryptic tweeted anagrams. The world will never need to know who Pammy-Anne Scalpels is

Steve Hyde

Maybe my use of language is out of touch, but there are two things that have so far been described as a "leak" in this thread 1) The draw being given to the contestants themselves 2) A contestant revealing information about the draw privately (and therefore in implied confidence) Am I alo...

Steve Hyde

Let's see what you've got, I'll confirm if it's legit or not. Once it's out there my anxiety dreams about being kicked out for accidentally leaking something I shouldn't have should go away!

Steve Hyde

Where and by whom?

Steve Hyde

I like how you're all trying to Cunningham's Law me into giving away the details

Steve Hyde

L'oisleatch McGraw wrote: ↑Wed Sep 14, 2022 12:50 am Interesting.

Steve's post gives the impression the running order is already decided, and yet Philip heard a (probably dodgy) rumour that a S86 player is involved. Highly doubtful that both of these things are true.

Both things are true. Two S86 players are involved

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