Countdown recap for Monday 27 April 2020.
C1: Champion David Kempshall (3 wins, 272 points.) A marketing director from Stafford.
C2: Challenger Andy Hewitt. A forklift operator for a soup company from Colchester, Essex. He runs local charity quizzes, which have raised over £30,000. He previously appeared on the show in Series 29 in 1995, losing to Barry Hughes, then again in Series 62 back in 2010, when he had the misfortune of running into would-be series champion, Oliver Garner.
DC: Susie Dent and making her first appearance in nearly 20 years, Fern Britton.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: Q T E A R X I M S
R02: T E V A K U H R C
R03: 100, 9, 2, 5, 1, 3. Target: 457.
TTT: TOSSTUNES - "He was renowned for his heavy build, maybe it's too many pints of the black stuff."
R04: T I R E T I T N T
R05: B R E U W S O N M
R06: 25, 8, 9, 2, 3, 1. Target: 686.
R07: G D A E L N U M S
R08: C E V I F O B R G
R09: 25, 50, 75, 4, 2, 1. Target: 425.
TTT: FERRETHOE - "For that reason, the children aren't 3 years old any more."
R10: D A L E J I N C R
R11: P S E O L S A D S
R12: L E N I D A T Z E
R13: Y S O I N E D A H
R14: 25, 5, 2, 7, 2, 9. Target: 867.
R15: S A C D I N G L E (conundrum)
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: Q T E A R X I M S
David: MASTER (6)
Andy: STREAM (6)
DC: SMEAR (5) TAXIES (6) MISRATE (7)
OT: MATRIXES (8)
Score: 6–6 (max 8)
Sixes all over the place, quite a surprising miss of MATRIXES there by DC...., maybe they're too familiar with MATRICES nowadays....
Round 2: T E V A K U H R C
David: HACKER (6)
Andy: CHEAT (5)
DC: CURVATE (7)
Score: 12–6 (max 15)
David HACKERs his way into the lead, as DC get a brilliant darrenic 7.
Round 3: 100, 9, 2, 5, 1, 3. Target: 457.
David: 457. Mistake in working.
Andy: 457. ((100 - 9) x 5) + 2 (10)
Score: 12–16 (max 25)
Oh dear, oh dear, David gives up immediately, and Andy takes full advantage to take the lead.
Teatime teaser: TOSSTUNES -> STOUTNESS
Round 4: T I R E T I T N T
David: TITTER (6)
Andy: TITTER (6)
DC: knitter nittier NITRITE (7)
Score: 18–22 (max 32)
Not a coffee in sight, but 4 T's are nice. Quite sad that you can't be tittier.
Round 5: B R E U W S O N M
David: SOMBRE (6)
Andy: BROWSE (6)
DC: unsombre NUMBERS (7)
OT: BOURNES (7) UMBONES (7) UNROBES (7)
Score: 24–28 (max 39)
Quite impressive that NUMBERS was missed by the players, but at least they can BROWSE in a SOMBRE mood....
A BOURNE (or BOURN) is a literary term for a limit or boundary.
An UMBO (plural UMBONES) is the central boss of a shield or a rounded knob or protuberance.
Round 6: 25, 8, 9, 2, 3, 1. Target: 686.
David: 686. (3 x 9 x 25) + 8 + 2 + 1 (10)
Andy: 686. (3 x 9 x 25) + 8 + 2 + 1 (10)
Score: 34–38 (max 49)
Nice numbers work by both players here.
Fern talks about her book, Daughters Of Cornwall.
Round 7: G D A E L N U M S
David: MANGLED (7)
Andy: DANGLES (7)
DC: SUNGLADE (8)
OT: AGENDUMS (8) GAUDSMEN (8)
Score: 41–45 (max 57)
Nick certainly seemed to be amused by the pair of offerings here...
A beautiful 8 spotted by Susie too. An AGENDUM is a list of items for discussion at a meeting, an agenda.
Round 8: C E V I F O B R G
David: forgive (not written down)
Andy: FORGIVE (7)
Score: 41–52 (max 64)
Very weird that David seemed to be doubting that FORGIVE was in...., but the joke's on him, as he forgot to write it down, and Andy pulls further clear.
Round 9: 25, 50, 75, 4, 2, 1. Target: 425.
David: 425. ((4 + 2) x 75) - 25 (10)
Andy: 425. (2 x 4 x 50) + 25 (10)
Score: 51–62 (max 74)
Not the 3 large selection that David hoped for.....
Teatime teaser: FERRETHOE -> THEREFORE
Round 10: D A L E J I N C R
David: JAILED (6)
Andy: CANDLE (6)
DC: CARLINE (7)
OT: CANDLER (7) NJIRLED (7) RADICEL (7) RADICLE (7) RANDJIE (7)
Score: 57–68 (max 81)
Hmmm, I wonder if Andy thought about CANDLER there, not fatal by any stretch though....
In Scottish and Irish, to NJIRL (or NIRL or NURL or NYRL) is to shrivel, shrink; to pinch with the cold.
A RADICEL is a fine or fibrous root; a secondary or adventitious root, a rootlet.
A RADICLE is the part of a plant embryo that develops into the primary root.
In South Africa, a RANDJIE is a narrow ridge of rocky ground; a low hill; a rise.
Round 11: P S E O L S A D S
David: PASSED (6)
Andy: SOAPLESS (8)
Score: 57–76 (max 89)
Now that's a massive risk from Andy, but it pays off for him nicely, and his lead heads closer into safety territory...
Susie's Origins Of Words talks about the origins of "carat".
Round 12: L E N I D A T Z E
David: ENTAILED (8)
Andy: DETAIL (6)
DC: DENTALIZE (18)
Score: 65–76 (max 107)
David instantly negates Andy's brilliant 8 from the last pass, but the gap is still in double figures....
Round 13: Y S O I N E D A H
David: HANDIES (7)
Andy: SHINED (6)
DC: SHINY (5) SHANDY (6) ADHESION (8)
OT: DAYSHINE (8)
Score: 72–76 (max 115)
How HANDY that David reveals his wife is German, and of course they use that word more often than us. The gap is now just 4 points....
DAYSHINE is a poetic term for daylight or sunshine.
Round 14: 25, 5, 2, 7, 2, 9. Target: 867.
David: 866. (5 x 7 x 25) - 9 (7)
Andy: -
RR: 867. (5 x 7 x 25) - 9 + (2 / 2) (10)
Score: 79–76 (max 125)
WOAH! WOAH!! David has now turned the game around and takes the lead, but he doesn't realise until too late that he had the spare 2's to make a 1 to get maximum points....
But, that makes little to no difference, as we're still at a CRUCIAL CONUNDRUM
Round 15: S A C D I N G L E
David buzzes on 3.5 seconds to say DESCALING which is correct.
Final Score: 89–76 (max 135)
Well, it looked like he was dead and buried 4 rounds ago, but David completes his recovery mission to seal his 4th win and half-octochampdom in the process. Will he win all 4 remaining shows this week...
Statistics Corner
David:
Total score - 89
Raw score - 95
Total % of max - 66
Raw % of max - 70
Total average score per round - 5.9
Raw average score per round - 6.3
Number of maxes - 3
Andy:
Total score - 76
Raw score - 93
Total % of max - 56
Raw % of max - 69
Total average score per round - 5.1
Raw average score per round - 6.2
Number of maxes - 5
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=82