Countdown recap for Monday 6 April 2020.
C1: Champion Sean McCarthy (1 win, 95 points.) A forumite and part-time maths tutor from London.
C2: Challenger Danny McMackin. A solutions consultant from Dublin. He likes to do surfboarding off the Donegal coast whenever he can.
DC: Susie Dent and Al Murray.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: E U I V G T D A R
R02: O E I S N D S B L
R03: 50, 25, 75, 8, 1, 2. Target: 840.
TTT: LICITOATH - "He lacked good oral hygiene and as a result, he became this."
R04: U O A N R Q L E I
R05: S H T R O A E U I
R06: 4, 7, 5, 10, 6, 7. Target: 829.
R07: N P F R E I U S O
R08: A I E W G D R M I
R09: 25, 100, 75, 5, 1, 6. Target: 451.
TTT: HEISGRAND - "He's a grand in debt to the taxman, so they've done this to his wages."
R10: U A O E L P T R A
R11: M C M P I E O Y D
R12: A E I N C T S N A
R13: Y F S H E O E L D
R14: 5, 1, 3, 7, 9, 1. Target: 508.
R15: W I L L H O N G O (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: E U I V G T D A R
Sean: GRATED (6)
Danny: DRIVE (5)
DC: GUITAR (6) VAGUER (6)
OT: DURATIVE (8)
Score: 6–0 (max 8)
He says he only had an hour of sleep at the start, but Sean gets an early start with a 6, but everyone misses the semi-regular 8....
DURATIVE is an adjective meaning denoting or relating to continuing action.
Round 2: O E I S N D S B L
Sean: BOILED (6)
Danny: BOLDNESS (8)
DC: BLINDS (6) BLONDIES (8)
OT: BODILESS (8)
Score: 6–8 (max 16)
But, it's a great return from Danny with an 8 which definitely shows his BOLDNESS.
Round 3: 50, 25, 75, 8, 1, 2. Target: 840.
Sean: 840. ((75 + 25 - 1) x 8) - 2 + 50 (10)
Danny: 840. ((75 + 25 - 1) x 8) - 2 + 50 (10)
Score: 16–18 (max 26)
Impressive numbers from the pair here.
Teatime teaser: LICITOATH -> HALITOTIC
Round 4: U O A N R Q L E I
Sean: RELOAN (6)
Danny: LOANER (6)
DC: AILERON (7) RONQUIL (7)
OT: AEQUORIN (8)
Score: 22–24 (max 34)
I didn't think RELOAN was actually in as well as LOANER, but we live and learn, although this stinky 8 using all the vowels is well nasty.
AEQUORIN is a protein which occurs in the jellyfish Aequorea forskalea (and certain other marine organisms) and luminesces with a blue light when it combines with calcium ions.
Round 5: S H T R O A E U I
Sean: HOARIEST (8)
Danny: SHOUTIER (8)
DC: AUTHORISE (18)
Score: 30–32 (max 52)
And yet again, all 5 vowels appear, but this time, a very good 9 appears, although I'm slightly surprised that both players missed it...
Also, there are some suggestions that SHOUTIER isn’t in the dictionary...
Round 6: 4, 7, 5, 10, 6, 7. Target: 829.
Sean: -
Danny: -
RR: 829. (((7 x 7) + 6) x (10 + 5)) + 4 (10)
Score: 30–32 (max 62)
Danny counters Sean's 3 large with 6 small, but neither are close, and it's left to Rachel (after time) to solve it.
Intriguingly, the numbers solver suggested that this: (((7 x 7) + 6) x (10 + 5)) + 4 was the only method for that solve....
Al talks about his World War II podcast and his visit to Arnhem, and got a €700 fine in the process....
Round 7: N P F R E I U S O
Sean: PRISON (6)
Danny: PROFUSE (7)
DC: PRUINOSE (8) PERFUSION (18)
Score: 30–39 (max 80)
Danny stretches his lead with a nice 7, but it's back-to-back 9's for DC today!!
Round 8: A I E W G D R M I
Sean: MIRAGED (7)
Danny: GRIMED (6)
Score: 37–39 (max 87)
It might've not been easy to spot, but Sean's MIRAGED spot cancels out Danny's PROFUSE from the last round...
Round 9: 25, 100, 75, 5, 1, 6. Target: 451.
Sean: 451. (6 x 75) + 1 (10)
Danny: 451. (100 x 5) - (75 - 25) + 1 (10)
Score: 47–49 (max 97)
An easy 3 large appears, although Danny didn't seem to spot the simple method...
Teatime teaser: HEISGRAND -> GARNISHED
Round 10: U A O E L P T R A
Sean: POUTER (6)
Danny: OUTLEAP (7)
DC: POULTER (7)
OT: ALOUATE (7) AUREOLA (7) PLATEAU (7) PLOUTER (7) PROLATE (7) TORULAE (7)
Score: 47–56 (max 104)
There was me thinking OUTLEAP was no good
Great work, Danny. An ALOUATE (or ALOUATTE) is a howler monkey (genus Alouatta).
An AUREOLA (or AUREOLE) is a circle of light or brightness surrounding something, especially as depicted in art around the head or body of a person represented as holy.
To PLOUTER is to dabble or flounder in water or mud.
Round 11: M C M P I E O Y D
Sean: COPIED (6)
Danny: COMEDY (6)
DC: MYOPIC (6)
OT: COMMIE (6) COMPED (6) CYMOID (6) DIOECY (6) MEDICO (6) MOMPEI (6) YOMPED (6)
Score: 53–62 (max 110)
6's aplenty in this one...
In a plant or invertebrate animal, DIOECY is the quality of having the male and female reproductive organs in separate individuals.
A MOMPEI (or MOMPE, MOMPES or MONPE) are baggy working trousers worn in Japan, especially by women.
Susie's Origins Of Words talks about the origins of "ugly".
Round 12: A E I N C T S N A
Sean: CANNIEST (8)
Danny: CANNIEST (8)
DC: INSTANCE (8) INSECTAN (8)
OT: ANCIENTS (8) CANTINAS (8) ESTANCIA (8)
Score: 61–70 (max 118)
Some of the CANNIEST 8's you'll ever see.
Especially in a Spanish-speaking country or the south-western US, a CANTINA is a bar, although in Italy, it's a wine shop.
Round 13: Y F S H E O E L D
Sean: FLESHED (7)
Danny: FLESHED (7)
OT: DEFLESH (7) SELFODE (7) SHELFED (7)
Score: 68–77 (max 125)
And with both players FLESHED, these last 2 rounds will be the clinchers...
Under the feudal system, a SELFODE is a type of low-ranking tenant.
Round 14: 5, 1, 3, 7, 9, 1. Target: 508.
Sean: 510. Mistake in working.
Danny: 510. (((9 + 1) x 5) + 1) x (7 + 3) (7)
RR: 506. (7)
OT: 506. ((5 + 3) x 9 x 7) + 1 + 1 (7)
Score: 68–84 (max 132)
ARGH!!!! THE AGONY!!!!
Both declare 2 away, but then Sean reveals he wrote it down incorrectly, so Danny is gifted the win...Round 15: W I L L H O N G O
Sean buzzes on 4 seconds to say HOLLOWING which is correct.
Final Score: 78–84 (max 142)
And just to rub salt into the wounds, Sean solves the conundrum, which meant that if he had done the numbers correctly, he'd have won by ONE POINT!!
As it is, Danny is the new champion, and he'll be back tomorrow to defend his title.
Just in case you aren't aware, Countdown will run out of new episodes on 1 May, as recording was shut down due to COVID-19, so who knows what might happen next after that, but there are rumours abound that old episodes will be shown...., possibly stuff from the 30th Birthday Championship too.
Wonder what will actually happen then and now...
Statistics Corner
Sean:
Total score - 78
Raw score - 96
Total % of max - 55
Raw % of max - 68
Total average score per round - 5.2
Raw average score per round - 6.4
Number of maxes - 7
Danny:
Total score - 84
Raw score - 95
Total % of max - 59
Raw % of max - 67
Total average score per round - 5.6
Raw average score per round - 6.3
Number of maxes - 8
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=82