So, enjoy.
Countdown recap for Wednesday 6 November 2013.
C1: Champion Michael McLaughlin (1 win, 80 points.) From Foxrock, Dublin. He's a big fan of Bob Marley as well.
C2: Challenger Lee Ludlow. A banker from Ealing, London. He enjoys photography and the cinema, and once caught his leg in a fence when he was 7 years old
DC: Susie Dent and Alistair McGowan.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: R I N L A R E P B
R02: S U A T N O L D U
R03: 75, 4, 8, 5, 2, 9. Target: 309.
TTT: NUTPOUCH - "Get the better of someone with your greatest hits"
R04: Y O E T N U R E T
R05: M O F I H P A E T
R06: 75, 5, 1, 9, 2, 10. Target: 398.
R07: P O S I D V E S O
R08: D E T D A J L I S
R09: 50, 100, 1, 9, 1, 8. Target: 889.
TTT: EPICRING - "The sort of sound that might go through your ears"
R10: F S U R N I E G X
R11: T A M O R E S A L
R12: H I R S E R C O R
R13: Z G E C I M D A G
R14: 50, 7, 7, 2, 6, 3. Target: 177.
R15: T I N A S C A F E (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: R I N L A R E P B
C1: PLAINER (7)
C2: PRALINE (7)
DC: BIPLANE (7)
Score: 7–7 (max 7)
All three 7's accounted for in the opener today.
Round 2: S U A T N O L D U
C1: UNTOLD (6)
C2: UNTOLD (6)
DC: outlands ASTOUND (7)
OT: DALTONS (7) SANDLOT (7) UNLOADS (7)
Score: 13–13 (max 14)
Two UNTOLD sixes from the contestants, and after having an 8 disallowed, DC come up with a solitary 7 to ASTOUND us.
A DALTON (or ATOMIC MASS UNIT) is a unit of mass, equal to 1/12th the mass of the carbon-12 atom and used to express the mass of atomic and subatomic particles.
A SANDLOT is a vacant lot used by youngsters for games or sports.
Round 3: 75, 4, 8, 5, 2, 9. Target: 309.
C1: 309. (75 x 4) + 9 (10)
C2: 309. (75 x 4) + 9 (10)
Score: 23–23 (max 24)
Nice and simple. NEXT
Teatime teaser: NUTPOUCH -> OUTPUNCH
Round 4: Y O E T N U R E T
C1: TENURE (6)
C2: NUTTER (6)
DC: TOURNEY (7) TENUTO (6)
Score: 29–29 (max 31)
A nice TOURNEY for DC here, while Lee releases a NUTTER onto the set.
Round 5: M O F I H P A E T
C1: TAPE (4)
C2: PATH (4)
DC: FATHOM (6) EMPATH (6)
OT: APOTHEM (7)
Score: 33–33 (max 38)
A pair of 4's from the contestants, while DC get a pair of 6's, and miss APOTHEM yet again............
An APOTHEM is a perpendicular from the centre of a regular polygon to one of its sides.
Round 6: 75, 5, 1, 9, 2, 10. Target: 398.
C1: 398. Mistake in working.
C2: -
RR: 398. ((5 + 1) x (75 - (9 - 2))) - 10 (10)
Score: 33–33 (max 48)
Oh dear, a double disaster for the contestants, as Lee blanks out, and Michael goes hopelessly wrong. So, it's Rachel to the rescue
Alistair does some impressions of the Manchester United managers, past and present, Sir Alex Ferguson and David Moyes, as well as David Beckham.
Round 7: P O S I D V E S O
C1: OVOIDS (6)
C2: POSSIE (6)
DC: VIDEOS (6) DISPOSE (7)
OT: ISOPODS (7)
Score: 39–39 (max 55)
After disregarding POSSIE recently, Susie is sort of forced to eat her words and allow it for Lee to keep this game level pegging.
An ISOPOD is any freshwater, marine, or terrestrial crustacean of the order or suborder Isopoda, having seven pairs of legs typically adapted for crawling, and a dorsoventrally flattened body, and including wood lice, several aquatic parasites of crabs and shrimps, and numerous swimming or bottom-dwelling species.
Round 8: D E T D A J L I S
C1: DILATED (7)
C2: LISTED (6)
DC: DILATES (7) DETAILS (7)
OT: LADDIES (7) STADDLE (7)
Score: 46–39 (max 62)
And the deadlock is finally broken, as Michael's DILATED takes him into the lead.
A STADDLE is the lower part of a stack of hay or the like.
Round 9: 50, 100, 1, 9, 1, 8. Target: 889.
C1: 890. (9 x 100) - 8 - 1 - 1 (7)
C2: 890. (9 x 100) - 8 - 1 - 1 (7)
RR: 888. (7)
OT: 888. (100 + 9 + 1 + 1) x 8 (7)
Score: 53–46 (max 69)
A numbers game of impossibleness, as 1 away is the best here.
Teatime teaser: EPICRING -> PIERCING
Round 10: F S U R N I E G X
C1: INSURE (6)
C2: RINGS (5)
DC: SURFING (7) FINGERS (7) REFUSING (8)
Score: 59–46 (max 77)
Well, Michael has now started to pull away, clearly wanting to INSURE his lead.
And DC get the darrenic 8 as well. Round 11: T A M O R E S A L
C1: AMORAL (6)
C2: MORTALS (7)
DC: MAESTRO (7)
OT: ARMLETS (7) MALATES (7) MALTASE (7) MALTOSE (7) OATMEAL (7) STROMAL (7) TAMALES (7)
Score: 59–53 (max 84)
Plenty of 7's around, but Michael can't find one, so Lee gets back in immediately..............
A MALATE is a salt or ester of malic acid, a colourless, crystalline, water-soluble solid, C4H6O5, occurring in apples and other fruits and as an intermediate in animal metabolism.
STROMAL relates to STROMA, the supporting framework or matrix of a cell.
Susie's Origins Of Words talks about the origins of surnames around during the Puritan times.
Round 12: H I R S E R C O R
C1: CHORES (6)
C2: CHOIRS (6)
DC: CORRIES (7)
OT: CROSIER (7) HEROICS (7) HORSIER (7) SORRIER (7)
Score: 65–59 (max 91)
Some CHORES for the CHOIRS, but this game is still delicately balanced with just 3 rounds to go....................
A CROSIER is a ceremonial staff carried by a bishop or an abbot, hooked at one end like a shepherd's crook.
Round 13: Z G E C I M D A G
C1: MAGE (4)
C2: IMAGED (6)
OT: MAGGED (6) MAGGID (6) MAGGIE (6) ZAGGED (6) ZIGGED (6)
Score: 65–65 (max 97)
WOAH! WOAH!! WOAH!!! He may not have quite ZIGGED and ZAGGED, but Lee has managed to get himself back on level terms with 2 rounds to go. So, a crucial conundrum is now guaranteed.
To MAG is to talk idly or chatter.
Especially relating to Jews in Poland and Russia, a MAGGID is a wandering Jewish preacher whose sermons contained religious and moral instruction and words of comfort and hope.
Round 14: 50, 7, 7, 2, 6, 3. Target: 177.
C1: 177. ((50 + 7) x 3) + 6 (10)
C2: -
Score: 75–65 (max 107)
Well, Lee has blanked again, letting Michael take the lead, which gives him a bit of security going into the conundrum, and also meaning Lee will have to get the conundrum now, just to force a tie-break................
Round 15: T I N A S C A F E
C2 buzzes on 19.5 seconds to say FANTACISE which is incorrect.
C1 buzzes on 21.75 seconds to say FASCINATE which is correct.
Final Score: 85–65 (max 117)
Well, Lee manages to buzz in with 10 seconds to go, but unfortunately, a wrong answer comes out of his mouth, and just to rub salt into the wounds, Michael buzzes in seconds later with the right answer.
So, Michael wins his 2nd show thanks to 2 bits of luck in the conundrums, but he's still in the champions' chair for now, although he might need to show that he's not just relying on luck to win his games.
I'll be back tomorrow to see if he can make it a hat-trick of wins.
Till then, bye bye.
Statistics Corner
Michael:
Total score - 85
Raw score - 95
Total % of max - 73
Raw % of max - 81
Total average score per round - 5.7
Raw average score per round - 6.3
Number of maxes - 6
Lee:
Total score - 65
Raw score - 76
Total % of max - 56
Raw % of max - 65
Total average score per round - 4.3
Raw average score per round - 5.1
Number of maxes - 5
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=69