Spoilers for Monday 11th February 2008

[Joseph Bolas]

You know the drill people.

[Ben Pugh]

Did they get LACTONES?

[Michael Wallace]

that was a shame, the challenger seemed quite promising in the first part, but completely died in the middle/end

still not convinced by this champion's consistency, though

[David O'Donnell]

If they did it was edited out and CELADONS was edited too!

There was another beater but it's solver generated so I will leave it for Jim. I scored much better today, looks like Friday may have been a blip but then the rounds were somewhat flatter today so perhaps not the time to be complacent.

[David O'Donnell]

that was a shame, the challenger seemed quite promising in the first part, but completely died in the middle/end

still not convinced by this champion's consistency, though

I played along with the champ for the first ten rounds and was only 7 points up thanks to spotting OVERMAN in the TAVERNA round. By that time he had already won the game so I think he just switched into cruise control. It will be interesting to see him in a tight game, I bet he wouldn't let up if his opponent was closer.

PS Thought you were good craic today, Michael, he is a member of this forum ... right?

[M. George Quinn]

Craic?! Isn't that a made up word by the English?

Ha, yes, that was me. I was conmanned.

I've always known that I'm a loser but was delighted to have it confirmed on national TV. On the plus side, I've just gone and shaved that stupid goatee off.

You're right, I completely fell to bits in the middle. I was as nervous as a Tyronian needing a wee break.

I had the same inadequate solution to the last numbers game but they had to retake and my brain slowly dribbled out of my ears in the meantime. Beautiful solution by Carol.

Anyhow, it was a lot of fun and at least I get to stick around on here and peck your heads with my terrible spelling.

George

[Michael Wallace]

that was a shame, the challenger seemed quite promising in the first part, but completely died in the middle/end

still not convinced by this champion's consistency, though

I played along with the champ for the first ten rounds and was only 7 points up thanks to spotting OVERMAN in the TAVERNA round. By that time he had already won the game so I think he just switched into cruise control. It will be interesting to see him in a tight game, I bet he wouldn't let up if his opponent was closer.

PS Thought you were good craic today, Michael, he is a member of this forum ... right?

Yeah, I guess you're right - I think I'm suffering from setting it in the context of your run, plus he's (relatively!) poor at the numbers, which I'm (usually) quite good at it, which is probably affecting my view of him more...

[David O'Donnell]

Craic?! Isn't that a made up word by the English?

Actually, I thought it was Ulster-Scots (which isn't so much a language as talking with an accent). There was a diehard Republican, who lived near us, who objected to the spelling "craic" because it's not a genuinely Irish word which of course meant that we used it as often as possible. In his local the manager of the bar put up the sign "Craic agus Ceol" to emphasise the point. Since it sounds more Irish than some Irish words I am more than happy to adopt it and alter its spelling: isn't that what the English used to do with Irish words?

[David O'Donnell]

I was as nervous as a Tyronian needing a wee break.

I was so busy responding to your "craic" comment that I missed this one!! LMAO!

[Conor]

Whoops, forgot to watch today's show because I was asleep. Is it on More 4 tonight?

[David O'Donnell]

Mr Quinn will probably know the answer to that one but I'd imagine so.

Michael, you weren't the Armagh man who was pointed out to me just before one of my games?

[M. George Quinn]

I think it was on QI it was noted that the actual spelling is crack but it didn't sound Irish enough to display in a Paddy pub. For the natives that are still bothered enough to care I showed which foot I kick with by misspelling Begorra and then pronouncing an/a "h" all in one fell swoop.

I'll be rooting for you in the finals, David.

All the best,
George

[M. George Quinn]

Oops, I'm lagging. No that wasn't me. I'm based in Belfast. I do get to some backward places in my travels, though:

http://www.omagh.gov.uk/culture_leisure ... .php?id=20

George

[David O'Donnell]

LMAO, I missed your intro today so that photo came as quite a shock. 'Magic George' - that's class!

[Jon Corby]

They could've picked a more appropriate time to read a "damaged eye" gag to open the show...

[M. George Quinn]

Ha, and you could've picked a more appropriate smiley.

[Dinos Sfyris]

Lots of nice chemistry words available in yesterday's game:

KAINITE
ENTROPY
BARITE
LIMONENE
LACTONES

Making me a happy chemist

[Howard Somerset]

Whoops, forgot to watch today's show because I was asleep. Is it on More 4 tonight?

Yes, it was. But my answer's obviously too late for you.
If you didn't catch it on More4, and don't like channel4 OD, you've still got a chance. Just stay up late on Wednesday evening at watch it on C4 at 5.20am.

[David O'Donnell]

I think it was on QI it was noted that the actual spelling is crack but it didn't sound Irish enough to display in a Paddy pub. For the natives that are still bothered enough to care I showed which foot I kick with by misspelling Begorra and then pronouncing an/a "h" all in one fell swoop.

I'll be rooting for you in the finals, David.

All the best,
George

Sorry 'Magic George' I keep missing stuff you have posted. I wonder if our 'mainland' (another contentious term) cousins are aware of the fact that religious persuasion can be determined, in Northern Ireland, from the pronunciation of the letter 'h'. I worked with a guy from East Belfast and he, jokingly I hope, argued that there should be a 'h' in every car registration. That way if you were stopped at a roadblock the army (for 'twas back in the good old days) could ask you to read out your registration and then decide whether or not to pull you over. Is it the case that the different pronunciations of 'h' in the UK, that is, between the *aitch* pronunciation and the *h-aitch* pronunciation, reveal class differences or represent the North/South divide rather than religious differences?

[M. George Quinn]

Ah yes, the fun we have. I don't bother with h test. I stick a navigators compass into each of the eyeballs of anyone I meet and work it out from there.

Like yourself, I just have a bit of craic with the stereotypes and bigotry. I either get a laugh or a slap.

Ian's on today. I beat him in the green room (I was on form in the green room, pity it didn't last) so it'll be fun to see how he fares against Tim. (I didn't stay on to watch the next game I could hear a pint calling).

George

P.S. Everyone calls me George , i'm not just repeatedly alluding to my stagename.

[David O'Donnell]

No problem, George it is. My best mate and I have oodles of fun with the fact that we are different religions and as you typed it either results in a laugh or a slap. I don't know if I would be brave enough to try it around Belfast or maybe things have calmed down, I haven't lived there in almost ten years. I didn't get to play many green room games, I had one game from the studio audience and it didn't inspire me with confidence. I thought BLOWTORCH was a quick spot though, you beat me to it as I was nowhere near it.

[Howard Somerset]

[ Is it the case that the different pronunciations of 'h' in the UK, that is, between the *aitch* pronunciation and the *h-aitch* pronunciation, reveal class differences or represent the North/South divide rather than religious differences?

There was a letter in The Times only this month talking about this subject in connection with the religious difference in Northern Ireland. In England, the pronunciation is more likely to indicate north/south, but it's not guaranteed.

On that subject, I once had a student, who, when I asked how she spellt her name, replied "Anna, staring with a haitch"

[Conor]

Whoops, forgot to watch today's show because I was asleep. Is it on More 4 tonight?

Yes, it was. But my answer's obviously too late for you.
If you didn't catch it on More4, and don't like channel4 OD, you've still got a chance. Just stay up late on Wednesday evening at watch it on C4 at 5.20am.

Thanks. I managed to watch it on More4 this morning.