Countdown recap for Friday 9 July 2021.
It's Tom Hank's 65th birthday today. Anne laments her non-invitation to his birthday party.
C1: Champion Laura Savvas (1 win, 65 points.)
C2: Challenger Chris Anderson. From "the North East". Quality controller in plastics.
DC: Susie Dent and Philipa Perry. Susie is wearing a jumper that shows off her left shoulder. It looks quite nice, but it's somewhat ruined by Anne asking if she's got "the cold shoulder"... ba-doom tish...
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: G T N O E S C E O
R02: R K A O N I T D A
R03: 50, 2, 10, 9, 1, 2. Target: 916.
TTT: NABFOALS - "You'll have a gourd feeling if you play with these."
R04: M S E E G U C N A
R05: T R S O E I B Y O
R06: 25, 1, 3, 8, 7, 6. Target: 741.
R07: H R I A E F N R I
R08: S R E O D G E M U
R09: 25, 50, 4, 10, 7, 9. Target: 340.
TTT: LOADDECK - "The scores are level and the answer to this is key."
R10: T P O E A N R A B
R11: U E D L R A D O F
R12: T M T I E I W N E
R13: P S T A A I H G O
R14: 9, 2, 2, 8, 5, 4. Target: 285.
R15: O U T S O U R C E (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: G T N O E S C E O
Laura: SCONE (5)
Chris: SCENT (5)
DC: GENTOOS (7)
OT: ECOTONES (8)
Score: 5–5 (max 8, jos 7)
Darren-o-meter: 1/1 (100%)
Fives each to start us off.
Round 2: R K A O N I T D A
Laura: RATION (6)
Chris: DART (4)
DC: TANKARD (7) RADIANT (7)
OT: ADINKRA (7) ADORANT (7) INTRADA (7)
Score: 11–5 (max 15, jos 14)
Darren-o-meter: 1/2 (50%)
Laura takes the lead with a six, as Chris can only see a four.
Round 3: 50, 2, 10, 9, 1, 2. Target: 916.
Laura: 913. 2 × 50 × 9 + 10 + 2 + 1 (7)
Chris: 913. 2 × 50 × 9 + 10 + 2 + 1 (7)
RR: 916. (50 + 1) × 2 × 9 − 2 (10)
Score: 18–12 (max 25, jos 24)
Variations on a theme as both contestants weren't a million miles away, as Rachel tells us how it's done.
Teatime teaser: NABFOALS -> BALAFONS
Anne looks despondent about the fact gourd isn't a cheese.
Round 4: M S E E G U C N A
Laura: UNCAGES (7) (risky)
Chris: CEASE (5)
DC: MANGE (5) MANGES (6) GAMENES (7)
OT: ENCAGES (7) MANEGES (7) MENACES (7) MENAGES (7)
Score: 25–12 (max 32, jos 31)
Darren-o-meter: 1/3 (33%)
Laura's risky 7 pays off. Philippa gets MANGE(S) but misses MANEGES.
Round 5: T R S O E I B Y O
Laura: BOOTIES (7)
Chris: TORSO (5)
DC: SOBRIETY (8) OBESITY (7)
OT: BOTRYOSE (8) ROBOTISE (8)
Score: 32–12 (max 40, jos 39)
Darren-o-meter: 1/4 (25%)
Laura extends the lead, with an eight spotted by Susie.
Round 6: 25, 1, 3, 8, 7, 6. Target: 741.
Laura: -
Chris: 748. (3 + 1) × 25 × 7 + 6 × 8 (5)
RR: 741. (after anecdote) ((25 + 6) × 8 − 1) × 3 (10)
Score: 32–17 (max 50, jos 49)
Laura blanks, allowing Chris to get 7 away.
Philippa talks about agony aunts. Anne asks if the readers of The Observer and The Telegraph have different problems. They don't.
Round 7: H R I A E F N R I
Laura: HAIRIER (7)
Chris: FRIAR/FRIER (5)
DC: RAINIER (7) REFRAIN (7)
OT: FERRIAN (7)
Score: 39–17 (max 57, jos 56)
Darren-o-meter: 1/5 (20%)
With a seven for Laura, she extends her lead out further. The gap is now 22 points.
Round 8: S R E O D G E M U
Laura: smudger (risky)
Chris: MUSED (5)
DC: SMUDGE (6) GRUESOME (8)
Score: 39–22 (max 65, jos 64)
Darren-o-meter: 2/6 (33%)
""Smudger," said Duke, "was a show-off. He rode roughly and often came off the rails. I warned him to be careful, but he took no notice. "Listen, Dukey, who worries about a few spills?" "We do here", I said, but Smudger just laughed: "heheheheheheh!". Until one day, manager said he was going to make him useful at last. Smudger stopped laughing then." "Why? What did he do?" "He turned him into... a generator. He's still there behind our shed. He'll never move again." After that, Stuart and Falcon became really useful engines, and all three were happy together for many years."
Round 9: 25, 50, 4, 10, 7, 9. Target: 340.
Laura: 340. (25 + 9) × 10 (10)
Chris: -
Score: 49–22 (max 75, jos 74)
Oh dear.
Teatime teaser: LOADDECK -> DEADLOCK
(Pedantic note: despite the clue, the scores aren't level.)
Round 10: T P O E A N R A B
Laura: BANTER (6)
Chris: BARNET (6)
DC: BARONET (7) PROBATE (7) PRONATE (7)
OT: PANTARBE (8) PARATONE (8)
Score: 55–28 (max 83, jos 81)
Darren-o-meter: 2/7 (29%)
Sixes for the contestants, sevens for Dictionary Corner, but eight for the computer.
Round 11: U E D L R A D O F
Laura: ROULADE (7)
Chris: LOADER (6)
DC: FOULARD (7) DREADFUL (8) (from RR)
Score: 62–28 (max 91, jos 89)
Darren-o-meter: 3/8 (38%)
Seven from Laura extends the lead once again. Rachel spots the darren.
Susie talks about words that are mangled over time and malapropisms that have become in common parlance. Her examples are "a parting shot" (originally a "Parthian shot") and "the Jerusalem artichoke" (originally "girasol").
Round 12: T M T I E I W N E
Laura: TWEET (5)
Chris: TWINE (5)
DC: twitten (phantom T) MITTEN (6) TITMEN (6)
OT: MINETTE (7)
Score: 67–33 (max 98, jos 95)
Darren-o-meter: 4/9 (44%)
Fives for the contestants and a phantom T in Dictionary Corner.
Round 13: P S T A A I H G O
Laura: GHOST (5)
Chris: PASTA (5)
DC: PATHIAS (7)
OT: GOATISH (7) PAGATIS (7) TAIHOAS (7)
Score: 72–38 (max 105, jos 102)
Darren-o-meter: 4/10 (40%)
And that gets Laura over the line.
Round 14: 9, 2, 2, 8, 5, 4. Target: 285.
Laura: 288. (5 × 4 + 9) × (8 + 2) − 2 (7)
Chris: -
RR: 285. (9 − 2) × (2 + 8) × 4 + 5 (10)
Score: 79–38 (max 115, jos 112)
This isn't easy, but even so you would have thought Chris would get within 10 at least?
Round 15: O U T S O U R C E
No one buzzes. Rachel gives the answer, which was COURTEOUS.
Final Score: 79–38 (max 125, jos 122)
A RELAPSING/SPANGLIER conundrum that defeats both contestants.
When Laura returns on Monday, football may well have come home.
Join us again for Countdown, hangover edition. Goodbye.
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=84
