Countdown recap for Friday 17 April 2020.
C1: Champion Jez Noble (1 win, 73 points.) A bartender from Leeds.
C2: Challenger Giuseppe Grilli. A semi-retired hotel worker living in Dundee, but originally from Puglia, Italy. He speaks 6 languages and worked for most of his life in the hotel industry, including in Switzerland, before moving to the UK to learn English.
DC: Susie Dent and Tom Kerridge.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: P C R N E A I T U
R02: G T R O E S I D A
R03: 25, 6, 2, 10, 3, 1. Target: 443.
TTT: RUESALAMI - "It's not good for business for this place to run out of salami."
R04: T V G E O U D W I
R05: S Y R M E I A F N
R06: 75, 4, 5, 7, 2, 6. Target: 759.
R07: X H D U A I N T R
R08: N G R O U Q O B S
R09: 50, 25, 100, 75, 3, 2. Target: 380.
TTT: NONECUTER - "By chance you bump into Celia Johnson, albeit for just a few seconds."
R10: N M C D A E I T M
R11: D C L W T U O A E
R12: M L P S I E I R J
R13: R T S O A N S V E
R14: 75, 7, 3, 8, 1, 4. Target: 386.
R15: D R I P S P R E E (conundrum)
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: P C R N E A I T U
Jez: PRINT (5)
Giuseppe: CAPRINE (7)
DC: PRUINATE (8)
OT: PICTARNE (8)
Score: 0–7 (max 8)
A great start by Giuseppe with his goaty 7 giving him the early lead.
A PICTARNE (or PICTARNIE) is a tern (genus Sterna), or the black-headed gull, Larus ridibundus.
Round 2: G T R O E S I D A
Jez: ROASTED (7)
Giuseppe: GOITRES (7)
DC: ASTEROID (8) STODGIER (8)
OT: GODETIAS (8) GORDITAS (8)
Score: 7–14 (max 16)
Decent eights aplenty, apart from the players.
In Mexican cooking, a GORDITA is a thick pancake made from maize flour, typically split and filled with meat, cheese, or vegetables.
Round 3: 25, 6, 2, 10, 3, 1. Target: 443.
Jez: 443. (25 x 6 x 3) - 10 + 2 + 1 (10)
Giuseppe: 443. Mistake in working.
Score: 17–14 (max 26)
All seems well until Giuseppe admits to using the 3 twice, instead of using the 2 and 1 to make another 3, which gives Jez an unexpected lead.
Teatime teaser: RUESALAMI -> SALUMERIA
Round 4: T V G E O U D W I
Jez: DEVOUT (6)
Giuseppe: towage
DC: OUTGIVE (7)
OT: OUTVIED (7) WIDEOUT (7)
Score: 23–14 (max 33)
Oh dear, Giuseppe has seen a phantom A, which also ruled out his idea of towaged as well....
To OUTVIE is to outdo in competition or rivalry.
In American Football, a WIDEOUT is a wide receiver.
Round 5: S Y R M E I A F N
Jez: fresian
Giuseppe: FIREMAN (7)
DC: SEMINARY (8)
Score: 23–21 (max 41)
Now it's Jez's turn to misspell, but his word wasn't in anyway, as it's capitalised...
Round 6: 75, 4, 5, 7, 2, 6. Target: 759.
Jez: 759. ((6 + 4) x 75) + 7 + 2 (10)
Giuseppe: 759. ((6 + 4) x 75) + 7 + 2 (10)
Score: 33–31 (max 51)
No mistakes this time.
Tom talks about how we acquired some "foody" words from the Norman Conquest.
Round 7: X H D U A I N T R
Jez: TRAIN (5)
Giuseppe: TRAIN (5)
DC: UNITARD (7)
Score: 38–36 (max 58)
A couple of trains, followed by a sort of leotard from DC...
Round 8: N G R O U Q O B S
Jez: BONGS (5)
Giuseppe: quorn
DC: BONGO (5) BONGOS (6)
OT: BURGOOS (7)
Score: 43–36 (max 65)
Ouch, unfortunately for Giuseppe, Quorn is capitalised, and Jez forgets to add the other O into his BONGS...
A BURGOO is a North American is a stew or thick soup, typically one served at an outdoor meal or a thick porridge.
Round 9: 50, 25, 100, 75, 3, 2. Target: 380.
Jez: 379. (3 x 100) + 75 + 2 + (50 / 25) (7)
Giuseppe: 379. (3 x 100) + 75 + 2 + (50 / 25) (7)
Score: 50–43 (max 72)
A change to 4 large from Jez brings up one that looks good, but is impossible....
Teatime teaser: NONECUTER -> ENCOUNTER
Round 10: N M C D A E I T M
Jez: MAIDEN (6)
Giuseppe: caminet
DC: MEDIANT (7)
OT: DICTAMEN (8)
Score: 56–43 (max 80)
Oh dear, oh dear, based on his hand actions, it looked like Giuseppe thought that was how to spell cabinet.
A DICTAMEN is a rare term for a dictate or a pronouncement.
Round 11: D C L W T U O A E
Jez: CLOUTED (7)
Giuseppe: OUTLAWED (8)
DC: outclawed
OT: OCULATED (8)
Score: 56–51 (max 88)
OCULATED (or OCELLATED) is an adjective meaning having eye-like markings of an animal.
Susie's Origins Of Words talks about the origins of "bottle".
Round 12: M L P S I E I R J
Jez: SIMPLER (7)
Giuseppe: IMPLIES (7)
DC: IMPERILS (8)
Score: 63–58 (max 96)
Well, the gap is still at 5 points....
Round 13: R T S O A N S V E
Jez: STARVES (7)
Giuseppe: STARVES (7)
DC: SENATORS (8)
OT: ASSENTOR (8) SANTEROS (8) SENSATOR (8) SERVANTS (8) TREASONS (8) VENATORS (8) VERSANTS (8)
Score: 70–65 (max 104)
Loadsa loadsa 8's, but both players stick on 7, which keeps the gap at 5.
In Mexico and Spanish-speaking areas of the south-western US, a SANTERO is a person who makes religious images or a priest of the santeria religious cult.
A SENSATOR is a device that measures the amount of pull on a chain, wire rope, etc.
A VENATOR is an archaic term for a hunter.
A VERSANT is a region of land sloping in one general direction.
Round 14: 75, 7, 3, 8, 1, 4. Target: 386.
Jez: 386. ((4 + 1) x 75) + 8 + 3 (10)
Giuseppe: 386. ((4 + 1) x 75) + 8 + 3 (10)
Score: 80–75 (max 114)
And that easy numbers means that it's a CRUCIAL CONUNDRUM for the second day in a row!!
Round 15: D R I P S P R E E
Giuseppe buzzes on 1 second to say "I'm sorry", which is incorrect.
Jez buzzes on 1.75 seconds to say PERSPIRED which is correct.
Final Score: 90–75 (max 124)
Woah, woah, woah!!! It looked liked Giuseppe was about to take the win, but he admits he's wrong and doesn't give an answer, letting Jez get in less than a second later to seal his second win.
So, time for a break for the weekend, but we'll be back on Monday for the next set of games, of which we only have 10 left before the COVID-19 break...
See you soon and stay safe.
Statistics Corner
Jez:
Total score - 90
Raw score - 102
Total % of max - 73
Raw % of max - 82
Total average score per round - 6.0
Raw average score per round - 6.8
Number of maxes - 5
Giuseppe:
Total score - 75
Raw score - 75
Total % of max - 60
Raw % of max - 60
Total average score per round - 5.0
Raw average score per round - 5.0
Number of maxes - 4
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=82