c4countdown

SATURNIID from this game .

Aaron Higgs wrote:SATURNIID from this game .

Copycat!
Think this is my new best...

It's only a 7-letter word, but I was quite pleased with the pencil I earned for WACKOES.

Mind you, some credit is due to Barry Evans who had beaten me with DILDOES (so to speak) a couple of days previously. Without that, I would never have thought to pluralise my word with -ES rather than -S!

http://www.apterous.org/viewgame.php?ga ... 19#r924419

That ain't bad.

I'd nominate this as the all-time winner, even if it was a conundrum.

Charlie Reams wrote:I'd nominate this as the all-time winner, even if it was a conundrum.

Brilliant

Just an idle wondering … I can't be the only one that wonders...Why 'apterous?' Charlie, you obviously know it means possessing the power of flight, I may be a bit thick but I don’t see the connection apart from an uncharacteristic romantic notion of getting the whole thing off the ground (which makes me think more albatross than apterous)
Just curious

Maxine Silkstone wrote:Just an idle wondering … I can't be the only one that wonders...Why 'apterous?' Charlie, you obviously know it means possessing the power of flight, I may be a bit thick but I don’t see the connection apart from an uncharacteristic romantic notion of getting the whole thing off the ground (which makes me think more albatross than apterous)
Just curious

I'm not certain but IIRC from one of the podcasts Charlie was just going for a nice common frequency Countdown word and Apterous fits the bill nicely. Wasn't it going to be called Netdown or something before?

Yes the original post on the news pieces says it changed from Netdown to Apterous. How disappointing I was hoping for a much more interesting story than that.

Maxine Silkstone wrote:I was hoping for a much more interesting story than that.

Sorry to disappoint Maybe one day Charlie will tell you the real story behind the name, where he trekked to darkest Africa, saught out the holy prophets, slew a basilisk, saved fair maiden and was rewarded with ancient treasures and scantily clad concubines.

Maxine Silkstone wrote:Just an idle wondering … I can't be the only one that wonders...Why 'apterous?' Charlie, you obviously know it means possessing the power of flight, I may be a bit thick but I don’t see the connection apart from an uncharacteristic romantic notion of getting the whole thing off the ground (which makes me think more albatross than apterous)
Just curious

I like your suggestion, but the reality is rather simpler. Jono and I were discussing what to name it and we liked the way Tilefish (a site that sells Scrabble gear) had a name that was completely unique, when almost everything else to do with Scrabble has some kind of Word-related pun in the name (On Words, The Last Word, Word Wars, etc), but at the same time the name has a certain significance within the game; TILEFISH is a valid word in Scrabble, and also there is the phrase "fishing for a tile" which means making a one-letter play in the hope of drawing a particular letter that goes well with the others on the rack. So we were mooting names that had a similar significance, like LEOTARD and TANGELO, but obviously anything common like that already has its domain name taken, and I wasn't going to pay hundreds of pounds to buy leotard.net off someone else. So we started thinking of more esoteric offerings, and Jono recalled his favourite word from his own appearances, which was none other than APTEROUS. I liked it straight away, and checked that apterous.net was available, which it was. Then I stupidly didn't register it immediately and, by the time I got round to paying for it a few days later, some scumbags had picked it up. We considered changing the name but we liked it too much, so we ended up getting apterous.org instead, even though .org is supposed to be for charities (although the idea of actually making money out of it didn't occur to me until considerably later.) So now you know.

I tried writing a Brief History of Apterous once before but it was pretty dull, maybe now you can see why...

I think I suggested it!

Charlie Reams wrote:APTEROUS

Jono's 2nd numbers method does not compute! Interesting story though

Dinos Sfyris wrote:

Charlie Reams wrote:APTEROUS

Jono's 2nd numbers method does not compute! Interesting story though

From memory, I'm pretty sure Jono offered 'SEABOARD' in round one as well...

Jon Corby wrote:

Dinos Sfyris wrote:

Charlie Reams wrote:APTEROUS

Jono's 2nd numbers method does not compute! Interesting story though

From memory, I'm pretty sure Jono offered 'SEABOARD' in round one as well...

I think he said he was going to offer SEABOARD, then noticed there wasn't a D, so he offered ABOARD instead...

Charlie Reams wrote:

Jon Corby wrote:

Dinos Sfyris wrote:Jono's 2nd numbers method does not compute! Interesting story though

From memory, I'm pretty sure Jono offered 'SEABOARD' in round one as well...

I think he said he was going to offer SEABOARD, then noticed there wasn't a D, so he offered ABOARD instead...

Right answer.

Jon O'Neill wrote:

Charlie Reams wrote:I think he said he was going to offer SEABOARD, then noticed there wasn't a D, so he offered ABOARD instead...

Right answer.

Ah yes, that was it. Silly twat.

Charlie Reams wrote:

Maxine Silkstone wrote:Just an idle wondering … I can't be the only one that wonders...Why 'apterous?' Charlie, you obviously know it means possessing the power of flight, I may be a bit thick but I don’t see the connection apart from an uncharacteristic romantic notion of getting the whole thing off the ground (which makes me think more albatross than apterous)
Just curious

I like your suggestion, but the reality is rather simpler. Jono and I were discussing what to name it and we liked the way Tilefish (a site that sells Scrabble gear) had a name that was completely unique, when almost everything else to do with Scrabble has some kind of Word-related pun in the name (On Words, The Last Word, Word Wars, etc), but at the same time the name has a certain significance within the game; TILEFISH is a valid word in Scrabble, and also there is the phrase "fishing for a tile" which means making a one-letter play in the hope of drawing a particular letter that goes well with the others on the rack. So we were mooting names that had a similar significance, like LEOTARD and TANGELO, but obviously anything common like that already has its domain name taken, and I wasn't going to pay hundreds of pounds to buy leotard.net off someone else. So we started thinking of more esoteric offerings, and Jono recalled his favourite word from his own appearances, which was none other than APTEROUS. I liked it straight away, and checked that apterous.net was available, which it was. Then I stupidly didn't register it immediately and, by the time I got round to paying for it a few days later, some scumbags had picked it up. We considered changing the name but we liked it too much, so we ended up getting apterous.org instead, even though .org is supposed to be for charities (although the idea of actually making money out of it didn't occur to me until considerably later.) So now you know.

I tried writing a Brief History of Apterous once before but it was pretty dull, maybe now you can see why...

If you ever bother with that I think Dinos is yer man, far more interesting in his little world... except he forgot to include a gandiseeg in there!

(woooohooo, i got the quote boxes sussed!!)

gandiseeg.org would have been top drawer.

Charlie Reams wrote:

Maxine Silkstone wrote:I can't be the only one that wonders...Why 'apterous?'

So we were mooting names that had a similar significance, like LEOTARD and TANGELO, but obviously anything common like that already has its domain name taken, and I wasn't going to pay hundreds of pounds to buy leotard.net off someone else. So we started thinking of more esoteric offerings, and Jono recalled his favourite word from his own appearances, which was none other than APTEROUS. I liked it straight away

Thanks Charlie. Emboldened by Maxine's success, here's another "I can't be the only one that wonders..." - why is Goatdown called Goatdown?

Phil Reynolds wrote: Thanks Charlie. Emboldened by Maxine's success, here's another "I can't be the only one that wonders..." - why is Goatdown called Goatdown?

I don't think there was much motivation for that at all. Damian invented the idea and Jono and I ran with it; at some point it needed a name and I just started calling it Goatdown. I'd like to say it was some witty pun but that would require some revisionist historiography and my apto-dictatorship hasn't quite reached that point yet.

Back to the thread...
Best Apterous word so far

Rococo

Didn't think much of it as you can imagine the set of letters that spawned it, but apparently according to superstats it's an original! I feel so clever now!

Probably this will stand for a long time personally. I just picked that straight away, and it came out as instantly. Makes all the shitty games and long sloggy nights worthwhile.

But doesn't apterous mean notpossessing the power of flight, given it is a description of insects being without wings?

(a privative+ pterous (winged))

I stand corrected, must have read it wrong! Blonde head on that day.

Definitely OSTRACIZE when beating the legendary Innis Carson in this match I had today. http://www.apterous.org/viewgame.php?game=101621
A close second is probably ARBROEAL when I beat Chris Maudsley immediately after that. http://www.apterous.org/viewgame.php?game=101626

EDIT: If I seem so happy, it's because I am

I got SHEDLOADS a short while ago, though I've not been playing for long of course.

I also spotted WORMINESS in the same match but bottled out of declaring it and got a Chicken instead. Harumph.

And here it is...

http://www.apterous.org/viewgame.php?game=102999

This, easily http://www.apterous.org/viewgame.php?ga ... 9#r1787569

PUNJABIS, which I typed in but didn't go for, thinking it would be capitalised.
Lucky that it was only eight letters or I would have earned another chicken.
One that I did get was YARMULKE.

Not especially great or obscure or anything, but I was pleased with this one because I'm usually terrible at spotting the compoundy stuff. And it's a pretty cool word, I suppose.

OSCILLATE, ARTICULAR or DOVETAILS. Probably ARTICULAR as I had no idea what it meant.

Jeffrey Burgin wrote:OSCILLATE, ARTICULAR or DOVETAILS. Probably ARTICULAR as I had no idea what it meant.

Ah yeah, ARTICULAR was brilliant. Have to admit I nicked it off you here, hope you don't mind.

Innis Carson wrote:here

Most falseagrams in one game?

Innis Carson wrote:

Jeffrey Burgin wrote:OSCILLATE, ARTICULAR or DOVETAILS. Probably ARTICULAR as I had no idea what it meant.

Ah yeah, ARTICULAR was brilliant. Have to admit I nicked it off you here, hope you don't mind.

109 is a hell of a score with 3 nines. He's a tough cookie that Garner.

Innis Carson wrote: Ah yeah, ARTICULAR was brilliant. Have to admit I nicked it off you here, hope you don't mind.

Actually I do mind, if I meet you at any stage of the finals and you get a 9 you are now contractually obliged to give it to me.

Innis Carson wrote:here

Haha nopane, no gain!

Dinos Sfyris wrote:

Innis Carson wrote:here

Haha nopane, no gain!

^ This post is the best content that exists anywhere on the internet.

It's not a 9 or anything too flash, but this is my best spot, from a game just:
Link leading to said game

A pencil, taken from my best game in ages.

To date, I'd say it was OLFACTION in this game which, incidentally, I thought was unusual for having both players each declare the same word twice, in the first two rounds.

Considering a 9 is a rarity for me and this was a speed game, this would have to be my finest moment to date. Got a pencil for it and all.

http://www.apterous.org/viewgame.php?ga ... 3#r1054473

The only time I have risen above mediocrity so far was with WATERLOG.

It was disallowed.

I guess I remain mediocre.

My new wierdest spot: GOOMBAHS

HALITOSIS against Chris Maudsley one game. That or MONOLATER, best conundrum spot-MUJAHIDIN.

Simon Le Fort wrote:The only time I have risen above mediocrity so far was with WATERLOG.

It was disallowed.

I guess I remain mediocre.

I believe that was in a game against yours truly. Even now, I am still genuinely gutted for you that it wasn't there.

As for my own personal best, I managed Anointers in a game against Innis (who also spotted it of course), although I still got thrashed.

The game itself was part brag (11/12 letters maxes) and part frustration (bitches of conundrums preventing a record) so I'll just stick with this awesome word- pencil-worthy, naturally- as my new all-time fave.

Probably GROUPAGES from this round: http://www.apterous.org/viewgame.php?ga ... 8#r5345318

especially sweet getting it as I learnt it in the bash room an hour or so before the game.

And I am now hopefully a devotee.

JK

Joseph Krol wrote:Probably GROUPAGES from this round: http://www.apterous.org/viewgame.php?ga ... 8#r5345318

especially sweet getting it as I learnt it in the bash room an hour or so before the game.

And I am now hopefully a devotee.

JK

I'm not. Remembered the ranking system incorrectly and actually I am now an enthusiast. Still, I guess that's pretty awesome.

Might not be my best word, but pretty pleased with RIBBONFISH because I got it on its one and only appearance (as a max) to date. There are a few I'd like to get that would be awesome though, have missed out on GARRYOWEN a few times and there are a couple of 11s (12s when pluralised) that I want to get too, but I won't mention them in case Bayfield steals them.

Comedy conundrum guess turned out to be the right answer!

http://www.apterous.org/viewgame.php?ke ... 2106662662

Dinos Sfyris wrote:Comedy conundrum guess turned out to be the right answer!

http://www.apterous.org/viewgame.php?ke ... 2106662662

Probably because we are both drunk. But double A-lol.

Dinos Sfyris wrote:Comedy conundrum guess turned out to be the right answer!

http://www.apterous.org/viewgame.php?ke ... 2106662662

Thats the best thing ever.

JackHurst wrote:

Dinos Sfyris wrote:Comedy conundrum guess turned out to be the right answer!

http://www.apterous.org/viewgame.php?ke ... 2106662662

Thats the best thing ever.

Still no girlfriend, eh?






(me neither )

Ben Hunter wrote:gandiseeg.org would have been top drawer.

Interesting you said that.

Dinos Sfyris wrote:Comedy conundrum guess turned out to be the right answer!

http://www.apterous.org/viewgame.php?ke ... 2106662662

2011-01-04 18:21:11 Apterous Prune and Adam Gillard missed a 12 from OROAHSBRAEMP; can you spot it?
2011-01-04 18:21:26 Adam Gillard: you'll like this one, Dinos...
2011-01-04 18:21:41 The 12 from OROAHSBRAEMP was BROOMRAPES!
2011-01-04 18:21:46 Dinos Sfyris: lolz

Told you you'd like it.

Charlie Reams wrote:So we started thinking of more esoteric offerings, and Jono recalled his favourite word from his own appearances, which was none other than APTEROUS. I liked it straight away, and checked that apterous.net was available, which it was. Then I stupidly didn't register it immediately and, by the time I got round to paying for it a few days later, some scumbags had picked it up.

So was this just coincidence do you think, or when someone checks if something is available, are there people out there tracking what's been checked?

Me and a friend have been considering starting a website with a particular domain name, but I specifically haven't checked to see if it's available (it probably is though given the name).

Gavin Chipper wrote:

Charlie Reams wrote:So we started thinking of more esoteric offerings, and Jono recalled his favourite word from his own appearances, which was none other than APTEROUS. I liked it straight away, and checked that apterous.net was available, which it was. Then I stupidly didn't register it immediately and, by the time I got round to paying for it a few days later, some scumbags had picked it up.

So was this just coincidence do you think, or when someone checks if something is available, are there people out there tracking what's been checked?

Me and a friend have been considering starting a website with a particular domain name, but I specifically haven't checked to see if it's available (it probably is though given the name).

What's the name? I'll check for you if you don't want to.

Mine is probably PRASAD, even though its only six, its one of my very few unique words. Its also my girlfriends surname so I figure thats a good enough reason for it to be my best word.

Dinos Sfyris wrote:Comedy conundrum guess turned out to be the right answer!

http://www.apterous.org/viewgame.php?ke ... 2106662662

I only left that in the list because the word made me laugh, I (still) have no idea what it means.