Countdown recap for Wednesday 22 April 2020.
C1: Champion Hussain Mulla (1 win, 83 points.) A customer services adviser from Blackburn.
C2: Challenger David Kempshall. A marketing director from Stafford. He loves playing golf, although he almost gave it up when he hit all 7 lakes in a golf course in Spain, but then hit a hole in one on the 16th.
DC: Susie Dent and Nicki Chapman.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: S I R C O T D E M
R02: N H A E N C I D B
R03: 50, 25, 5, 4, 9, 9. Target: 721.
TTT: LOTABRASS - "Might this bird often feel very under par?"
R04: T M E A N L I M L
R05: K O S A W S P I E
R06: 25, 2, 5, 4, 4, 3. Target: 267.
R07: L U S N O P A N R
R08: F G U A T S I O A
R09: 100, 75, 25, 6, 3, 2. Target: 761.
TTT: LIKEDGOWN - "Might you see this type of sea creature up against a lamp post?"
R10: D T E O D G I C R
R11: R U T D E E S D X
R12: T H E A R M E B V
R13: C I Q A R C J O L
R14: 25, 8, 4, 3, 7, 6. Target: 135.
R15: G A M E R R O M P (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: S I R C O T D E M
Hussain: CREDITS (7)
David: MOISTER (7)
DC: MORTICED (8)
OT: COMEDIST (8) COMERITS (8) DOMESTIC (8) MORTICES (8) MORTISED (8) MOTRICES (8)
Score: 7–7 (max 8)
Plenty of 8's, but our players start with seven.
A COMEDIST is a writer of comedies.
To COMERIT is to merit or earn something in common.
Round 2: N H A E N C I D B
Hussain: CHAINED (7)
David: CHAINED (7)
DC: ECHIDNA (7)
OT: CABINED (7) CHINNED (7) ENCHAIN (7)
Score: 14–14 (max 15)
7's aplenty in this round.
To ENCHAIN is a literary term meaning to bind with or as with chains.
Round 3: 50, 25, 5, 4, 9, 9. Target: 721.
Hussain: 721. ((9 + 5) x 50) + 25 - 4 (10)
David: 721. ((9 + 5) x 50) + 25 - 4 (10)
Score: 24–24 (max 25)
Nice and straightforward numbers game to start off with today.
Teatime teaser: LOTABRASS -> ALBATROSS
Round 4: T M E A N L I M L
Hussain: AILMENT (7)
David: AILMENT (7)
DC: ALIMENT (7) MALLET (6)
OT: IMMANTLE (8)
Score: 31–31 (max 33)
A good AILMENT is always welcome, but everyone misses the hidden 8...
To IMMANTLE (or ENMANTLE) is to clothe, wrap in, or cover with a mantle; to cloak, enrobe. Chiefly figurative.
Round 5: K O S A W S P I E
Hussain: POSIES (6)
David: SPOKES (6)
DC: SOAPIES (7)
OT: ASSWIPE (7) POWISES (7) WASPIES (7)
Score: 37–37 (max 40)
This almost looks like we're going down the same path as yesterday's game...
An ASSWIPE is American slang for a foolish or contemptible person or toilet paper.
In Guyana, a POWIS (or POWISCE or POWIE) is another name for a curassow, a large crested bird of the guan family, found in tropical American forests. The male is typically black in colour. (Genus Crax and Nothocrax).
A WASPIE is a woman's corset or belt designed to accentuate a slender waist.
Round 6: 25, 2, 5, 4, 4, 3. Target: 267.
Hussain: -
David: 266. (5 x 2 x 25) + (4 x 4) (7)
RR: 267. (((25 x 2) + 4) x 5) - 3 (10)
Score: 37–44 (max 50)
Well, Hussain's numbers skills got him the win yesterday, but it might be the edge for David today, as he takes the first lead today.
Nicki talks about her new series, "Escape To The Perfect Town".
Round 7: L U S N O P A N R
Hussain: POLARS (6)
David: PARSON (6)
DC: NONPLUS (7) PARLOUS (7)
OT: PROLANS (7) PROSULA (7) SOLUNAR (7) UNPLANS (7) UNPOLAR (7) UNSNARL (7)
Score: 43–50 (max 57)
Their letters games are still evenly matched at least....
A PROLAN is any of several female gonadotrophic hormones, especially human chorionic gonadotropin.
A PROSULA is a phrase, sentence, or longer text set to the individual notes or note-groups of a pre-existent melisma.
SOLUNAR is an adjective meaning relating to the combined influence or conjunction of the sun and moon.
In Chemistry and Physics, UNPOLAR (or NON-POLAR) means having no electric dipole moment; composed of molecules that have no electric dipole moment.
To UNSNARL is to disentangle.
Round 8: F G U A T S I O A
Hussain: GOATS (5)
David: GOATS (5)
DC: AUTOGAS (7) AGOUTIS (7)
OT: FUGATOS (7)
Score: 48–55 (max 64)
Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
A FUGATO is a passage in fugato style, having the style of a fugue, but not in strict or complete fugal form.
Round 9: 100, 75, 25, 6, 3, 2. Target: 761.
Hussain: 770.
David: 756. (((100 / 25) + 6) x 75) + (3 x 2) (7)
RR: 761. ((25 - (6 x 3)) x (100 - 2)) + 75 (10)
Score: 48–62 (max 74)
The numbers are definitely not Hussain's friend today, as David doubles his lead, as Hussain's 3 large gamble backfires.
Teatime teaser: LIKEDGOWN -> DOGWINKLE
Round 10: D T E O D G I C R
Hussain: DODGIER (7)
David: DODGIER (7)
DC: CODGER (6)
OT: CORDITE (7) ERGODIC (7) GOITRED (7)
Score: 55–69 (max 81)
Nothing DODGIER about those 7's....
ERGODIC is a mathematics term meaning relating to or denoting systems or processes with the property that, given sufficient time, they include or impinge on all points in a given space and can be represented statistically by a reasonably large selection of points.
Round 11: R U T D E E S D X
Hussain: DESERT (6)
David: DUSTED (6)
DC: EXTRUDED (8)
OT: EXTRUDES (8)
Score: 61–75 (max 89)
Another top drawer 8 from DC, as our players still match up in the letters rounds.
Susie's Origins Of Words talks about the origins of "knocking off" and "knocked off".
Round 12: T H E A R M E B V
Hussain: BREATHE (7)
David: BREATHE (7)
DC: BATHER (6)
OT: THERMAE (7) VERBATE (7)
Score: 68–82 (max 96)
9/9 in the letters rounds...., is it gonna be a full house...
In ancient Greece and Rome, THERMAE were hot baths used for public bathing.
Round 13: C I Q A R C J O L
Hussain: CORAL (5)
David: CORAL (5)
DC: LORICA (6)
OT: CALORIC (7)
Score: 73–87 (max 103)
IT IS 10/10 IN THE LETTERS GAMES FOR OUR PLAYERS
But the last 2 numbers games mean that David is in control heading into the final 2 rounds....CALORIC is a North American term meaning relating to heat; calorific, or as a noun, it's a hypothetical fluid substance formerly thought to be responsible for the phenomena of heat.
Round 14: 25, 8, 4, 3, 7, 6. Target: 135.
Hussain: 135. (25 x 6) - (8 + 7) (10)
David: 135. (25 x 6) - (8 + 7) (10)
Score: 83–97 (max 113)
And David gets the numbers game he wants to seal the deal.
Round 15: G A M E R R O M P
David buzzes on 5.25 seconds to say PROGRAMME which is correct.
Final Score: 83–107 (max 123)
And that conundrum solve gives him a century to sweeten the win even more, as Hussain finishes with the same score that he won with yesterday, but the opposite result. Hey-ho, that's the way it goes sometimes here on Countdown.
Let's see if David can bag himself another century tomorrow....
Statistics Corner
Hussain:
Total score - 83
Raw score - 88
Total % of max - 67
Raw % of max - 72
Total average score per round - 5.5
Raw average score per round - 5.9
Number of maxes - 5
David:
Total score - 107
Raw score - 107
Total % of max - 87
Raw % of max - 87
Total average score per round - 7.1
Raw average score per round - 7.1
Number of maxes - 6
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=82