C1: Champion Danny McMackin (1 win, 84 points.) A solutions consultant from Dublin.
C2: Challenger Matt Smith. A marketing manager from Blaenavon, Monmouthshire.
DC: Susie Dent and Al Murray.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: O A E R C S T U G
R02: K R C I E A D M O
R03: 5, 2, 6, 1, 1, 7. Target: 189.
TTT: BOYMARTIN - "The boy Martin had a quick operation to have this removed from his face."
R04: T X N I U E S W A
R05: O E I N T B C T O
R06: 25, 10, 3, 1, 10, 5. Target: 965.
R07: A U I R S Z D E B
R08: A R N H I O E C R
R09: 7, 3, 2, 1, 3, 9. Target: 305.
TTT: BATMOBILE - "It's nothing to do with Batman, it's more of a buzz word."
R10: L U A I N C E T H
R11: I O U J P M S E P
R12: I A E R S L M A R
R13: E O I D N D N E P
R14: 25, 10, 9, 2, 3, 4. Target: 543.
R15: T O N I C J E E R (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Round 1: O A E R C S T U G
Danny: OUTRAGES (8)
Matt: COASTER (7)
DC: ESCARGOT (8)
OT: OUTRACES (8)
Score: 8–0 (max 8)
No OUTRAGES for Danny as he takes the early lead in today's proceedings.
Round 2: K R C I E A D M O
Danny: MIKADO (6)
Matt: MARKED (6)
DC: DORMICE (7) COMRADE (7)
OT: CAROMED (7) CROAKED (7) MEDRICK (7) MERCADO (7) MOKARDI (7)
Score: 14–6 (max 15)
A couple of 6's, whilst DC find some use out of some DORMICE.
A MEDRICK is the common tern, Sterna hirundo.
In Romani usage, a MOKARDI (or MOCHADI or MOCHARDI) is (of a woman) spiritually and ceremonially unclean; defiled or impure.
Round 3: 5, 2, 6, 1, 1, 7. Target: 189.
Danny: -
Matt: -
RR: 189. ((5 x 6) - 2 - 1) x 7 (10)
Score: 14–6 (max 25)
Danny sticking with his 6 small from yesterday, but both players come up with a blank...
Teatime teaser: BOYMARTIN -> ABNORMITY
Round 4: T X N I U E S W A
Danny: STAIN (5)
Matt: SWINE (5)
DC: AUNTIES (7) WAXIEST (7)
OT: SEXTAIN (7) SINUATE (7) WANTIES (7)
Score: 19–11 (max 32)
Plenty of 7's missed by the players here...
A WANTY is a band placed round a horse’s belly to harness it to the shafts of a cart or other vehicle.
Round 5: O E I N T B C T O
Danny: bottie
Matt: NOTICE (6)
DC: BOOTIE (6)
OT: BOTTINE (7)
Score: 19–17 (max 39)
Susie gives us some laughs by declaring that she let Al look at her bottie...
, but it's no laughing matter for Danny, as it isn't in the dictionary.A BOTTINE is a buskin; a large boot partly covering the leg, or a kind of light boot worn by women and children, a half-boot..
Round 6: 25, 10, 3, 1, 10, 5. Target: 965.
Danny: 970. (((10 x 3) + 10 - 1) x 25) - 5 (7)
Matt: -
RR: 965. (((3 x 10) + 10) x (25 - 1)) + 5 (10)
Score: 26–17 (max 49)
A slightly trickier than it looked numbers here, but Danny gets some points, before Rachel shows him an slight alteration which would've got him the jackpot.
Al talks about his Scottish band, "Fat Cops".
Round 7: A U I R S Z D E B
Danny: BRAISED (7)
Matt: BRAISED (7)
DC: BRUISED (7) SIDEBAR (7)
OT: SUBEDARI (8)
Score: 33–24 (max 57)
Both players get BRAISED, but there's an elusive 8 hiding there...
A SUBEDARI (or SUBAHSHIP) is a position or office of the governor of a subah; the subah itself.
Round 8: A R N H I O E C R
Danny: HORNIER (7)
Matt: HORNIER (7)
DC: CORNIER (7) CHORINE (7) RANCHERO (8)
Score: 40–31 (max 65)
Plenty of HORNIER people here today...
Round 9: 7, 3, 2, 1, 3, 9. Target: 305.
Danny: 302. ((7 + 3) x 3 x (9 + 1)) + 2 (7)
Matt: 302. ((7 + 3) x 3 x (9 + 1)) + 2 (7)
RR: 305. ((((3 + 2) x 9) - 1) x 7) - 3 (10)
Score: 47–38 (max 75)
More 6 small from Danny, and again no perfection from the players, but Rachel is on hand to clear up.
Teatime teaser: BATMOBILE -> BOMBILATE
Round 10: L U A I N C E T H
Danny: utencil
Matt: CHANT (5)
DC: LANCET (6) CHATLINE (8)
OT: UNETHICAL (18)
Score: 47–43 (max 93)
Danny can't spell his utensils properly, letting Matt get back in, but no-one spots the NINE
Round 11: I O U J P M S E P
Danny: JUMPS (5)
Matt: POISE (5)
DC: IMPOSE (6) MOPPIES (7)
OT: POPEISM (7)
Score: 52–48 (max 100)
Not much good here, but there are a couple of 7's here...
POPEISM (or POPISM) is a derogatory term for Roman Catholicism or papalism.
Susie's Origins Of Words talks about the origins of "egregious".
Round 12: I A E R S L M A R
Danny: MARRIES (7)
Matt: MAILERS (7)
OT: ALAMIRES (8) MARSILEA (8)
Score: 59–55 (max 108)
The games remains tight, as no-one can get the killer blow yet....
In the system attributed to Guido d'Arezzo, an ALAMIRE is the note A in any hexachord except the lowest, corresponding to a or a′ in Helmholtz's notation, and sung to the syllables la, mi, or re.
A MARSILEA (or MARSILIA) is a genus of aquatic or semiaquatic plants of the family Marsileaceae (allied to the ferns), the members of which have creeping rhizomes, four-lobed leaves, and sporocarps on or at the base of the petioles.
Round 13: E O I D N D N E P
Danny: DEPEND (6)
Matt: DEPEND (6)
DC: DEPONED (7)
OT: PENNIED (7) POINDED (7)
Score: 65–61 (max 115)
Will the numbers game be the turning point again for Danny like it was yesterday, I wonder....
PENNIED is a rare adjective meaning in possession of a penny; having or consisting of (a specified number of) pennies.
In Scots law, to POIND is to distrain or impound a person's property.
Round 14: 25, 10, 9, 2, 3, 4. Target: 543.
Danny: 542. ((10 + 9 + 3) x 25) - (4 x 2) (7)
Matt: 543. Mistake in working.
RR: 543. ((4 + 2) x 9 x 10) + 3 (10)
Score: 72–61 (max 125)
Well, it looked as though Matt was about to take the lead, but after realising that he was well off his intended target, he withdraws, letting Danny get in to wrap the match up.
Round 15: T O N I C J E E R
Danny buzzes on 2.75 seconds to say REJECTION which is correct.
Final Score: 82–61 (max 135)
And Danny wraps it up nicely with the conundrum solve, and it's 2/2 for the Dubliner. Will he make it a hat-trick tomorrow
Statistics Corner
Danny:
Total score - 82
Raw score - 82
Total % of max - 61
Raw % of max - 61
Total average score per round - 5.5
Raw average score per round - 5.5
Number of maxes - 2
Matt:
Total score - 61
Raw score - 68
Total % of max - 45
Raw % of max - 50
Total average score per round - 4.1
Raw average score per round - 4.5
Number of maxes - 0
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=82