Spoilers for Wednesday 22nd July 2009

[Dinos Sfyris]

Will our champion Paul off another close victory or will Yvonne to go home with his new teapot?

[Jon Corby]

Awful :facepalm:

[James Robinson]

Dear me, Dinos. What did the University of Sheffield see in you?

[Chris Kirby]

moderato... dc beater in round 3.

[Phil Reynolds]

Ooh - HALEST (which Susie just allowed) is not in JimDic, nor is it allowed by Lexplorer.

[Innis Carson]

I don't understand why HEPTANE isn't a mass noun when OCTANE, PENTANE etc. all are.

[Chris Davies]

75*5+50-4*4

[Andrew Hulme]

I don't understand why HEPTANE isn't a mass noun when OCTANE, PENTANE etc. all are.

Yeah!! What's that all about?!

[Matt Morrison]

That's the first time I've ever seen "your choice" become something other than 1 large. I'm fucking proud of Rachel for that.

[Marc Meakin]

Mr Crucial does it again

[Chris Kirby]

Hard luck to Carol! Allowing halest seemed to make the difference.. Another good game!

[Phil Reynolds]

Lovely to see WOOMERA come up; one of my favourite words. I actually have one somewhere (OK, a little bronze model of one, threaded onto a bootlace, which I occasionally wear round my neck).

[Charlie Reams]

That's the first time I've ever seen "your choice" become something other than 1 large. I'm fucking proud of Rachel for that.

Yeah, I really don't know why anyone would ask for that. But respect for not just choosing 1 large.

[Marc Meakin]

That's the first time I've ever seen "your choice" become something other than 1 large. I'm fucking proud of Rachel for that.

Yeah, I really don't know why anyone would ask for that. But respect for not just choosing 1 large.

I am not keen on players doing this
I hope Rachel choosing 4 large will put people off in future

[JackHurst]

I don't understand why HEPTANE isn't a mass noun when OCTANE, PENTANE etc. all are.

Yeah!! What's that all about?!

Hexanes is allowable on apterous.

Strangely, Ethene and Propene are both in, but after that i dont think any are listed.
Even more strangely, Ethenes is in but Propenes isnt!!!

Edit: I just looked in the OED and Propene is listed as a noun, not a mass noun. The one I looked in isn't the newest edition though, could someone please check what it says in the newest edition plz?

[Michael Wallace]

Another great game. WOOMERA was great, and again we see this guy as being a real flair player (kinda like Hamish, but not quite as good). Bit surprised by the misses of GIAOURS and (even more so) TANGELO, though.

I am not keen on players doing this
I hope Rachel choosing 4 large will put people off in future

Any particular reason?

[Marc Meakin]

Another great game. WOOMERA was great, and again we see this guy as being a real flair player (kinda like Hamish, but not quite as good). Bit surprised by the misses of GIAOURS and (even more so) TANGELO, though.

I am not keen on players doing this
I hope Rachel choosing 4 large will put people off in future

Any particular reason?

I just think that it lacks imagination, plus it is tactically naive, surely when you are in front against someone who is better than you at numbers, 1 large is the way to go

But it is probably only me that thinks that

[Kirk Bevins]

I had another beater in round 2 with PLIOSAUR.

Also, in the adverts, the "teaser" for those pills was something like OBTAINPROS. I shouted out PROBATIONS but it was ABSORPTION. Nice.

I didn't write down the selections today, just my offerings and I feel like I had a max game - can't wait for the review.

[Kai Laddiman]

I had another beater in round 2 with PLIOSAUR.

Also, in the adverts, the "teaser" for those pills was something like OBTAINPROS. I shouted out PROBATIONS but it was ABSORPTION. Nice.

I didn't write down the selections today, just my offerings and I feel like I had a max game - can't wait for the review.

What did you get? I got 121.

[Jojo Apollo]

I don't understand why HEPTANE isn't a mass noun when OCTANE, PENTANE etc. all are.

Yep all very confusing

Also, in the adverts, the "teaser" for those pills was something like OBTAINPROS. I shouted out PROBATIONS but it was ABSORPTION. Nice.

Yikes! you mean there have been other teasers than the countdown one??? How long has this been going? Shows how observant I am.

[Clive Brooker]

That's the first time I've ever seen "your choice" become something other than 1 large. I'm fucking proud of Rachel for that.

Yeah, I really don't know why anyone would ask for that. But respect for not just choosing 1 large.

I noticed in Series 60 that on the few occasions Rachel had the choice she went for 2 large. When I was at the studio I made a point of asking her about it. She seemed surprised and seemed to think that she normally went for 1 large. Not what I expected.

Perhaps, unlike Carol, Rachel thinks that challenge and variety are good.

[Gavin Chipper]

I just think that it lacks imagination, plus it is tactically naive, surely when you are in front against someone who is better than you at numbers, 1 large is the way to go

But it is probably only me that thinks that

That reminds me of the time when Charlie was playing Junaid and he was in front/behind going into the last numbers game and he went for 1 large/4 large/6 small which was a ridiculous choice and cost him the game. Taking out that numbers he would have won by 34.

[Brian Moore]

Hmm, R4, MOISTER as DC-equaller. I think I'm getting a fixation.

Exciting game again. Paul was more consistent today, though pleasingly still taking risks with interesting words. Confusingly Chambers and OED have FURBISHER^, which I got moments before realising that REFURBISH was more likely.

[Kirk Bevins]

What did you get? I got 121.

128-19 against champ and 128-37 against challenger. Odd that the challenger scored more against me and still lost.

[Kai Laddiman]

Odd that the challenger scored more against me and still lost.

Exactly the same happened to me, 121 - 33 and 121 - 51.

[Gavin Chipper]

What did you get? I got 121.

128-19 against champ and 128-37 against challenger. Odd that the challenger scored more against me and still lost.

Doesn't that often happen though? I don't play the same way as you at home - I just do 3-player Countdown but quite often their positions are reversed when I'm taken into account.

[Kirk Bevins]

Doesn't that often happen though?

Quite simply, no.

[Gavin Chipper]

Doesn't that often happen though?

Quite simply, no.

OK then. But if that were me I'd have said "The challenger scored more against me and still lost. Odd that that happens so rarely."

By playing against them yourself, you're changing which rounds they score in so if it's a fairly close game between them anyway, then I'd have thought it would change round the order quite a lot (It does with my three-player system anyway.) In fact if someone comes from behind to win on a crucial conundrum, but you beat them both to it anyway (which wouldn't be rare) then a switcharound would be odds on.

[James Robinson]

Isn't it annoying at times when you see a word appearing on the letters selection and then the last letter isn't the one you want? That happens to me so many times.

I only say that because in the HEPTANES round, if the last letter was an L, you could have got ELEPHANTS for 9

[Charlie Reams]

Isn't it annoying at times when you see a word appearing on the letters selection and then the last letter isn't the one you want? That happens to me so many times.

I only say that because in the HEPTANES round, if the last letter was an L, you could have got ELEPHANTS for 9

Good idea for a variant, maybe.

[Jon Corby]

Isn't it annoying at times when you see a word appearing on the letters selection and then the last letter isn't the one you want? That happens to me so many times.

I only say that because in the HEPTANES round, if the last letter was an L, you could have got ELEPHANTS for 9

Good idea for a variant, maybe.

Congratulations on Mr Robinson & Reams for stealing my conversation between myself and Mr Monaghan from Thursday's spoilers.

[James Robinson]

Isn't it annoying at times when you see a word appearing on the letters selection and then the last letter isn't the one you want? That happens to me so many times.

I only say that because in the HEPTANES round, if the last letter was an L, you could have got ELEPHANTS for 9

Good idea for a variant, maybe.

Congratulations on Mr Robinson & Reams for stealing my conversation between myself and Mr Monaghan from Thursday's spoilers.

It must be deja vu all over again!