Countdown recap for Tuesday 24 August 2021.
Anne is wearing some really scary glasses. Humungous black rims. It's Stephen Fry's birthday today, says Anne.
C1: Champion Jeremy Slaney (4 wins, 370 points.) Returnee from 2002 and now going further than he's ever gone before...
C2: Challenger Anna Sanders. "Lead analyst working in research and local government in education" in Greater Manchester, working with kids 0-5.
DC: Susie Dent and Myleene Klass. Susie's shiny white blouse even raises comment from Anne. Shiny shiny shiny!
RR: Rachel Riley. Rachel is wearing a skin-tight lemon-coloured dress, which is an interesting choice to say the least.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: W R G O O A I T P
R02: R E N T E F O E R
R03: 75, 8, 10, 4, 9, 1. Target: 387.
TTT: NICELOVE - "Be nice to one another and show love and do away with this."
R04: D E B N U L O V O
R05: D S R A I O I P T
R06: 100, 75, 7, 10, 6, 10. Target: 331.
R07: R C S A U I E B H
R08: P I S F A S A G L
R09: 25, 10, 1, 8, 1, 2. Target: 710.
TTT: DENTANUN - "Put an S on the front of this and the colour changes dramatically."
R10: K O S V N E W I R
R11: M G T A I U E L N
R12: C E T Q I U S L O
R13: M S R E E O O N T
R14: 75, 100, 1, 10, 10, 6. Target: 713.
R15: S I N G L E D U O (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
Enjoy the show.
Round 1: W R G O O A I T P
Jeremy: RATIO (5)
Anna: GROW (4)
DC: PIGWORT (7)
OT: PARIGOT (7)
Score: 5–0 (max 7, jos 7)
Darren-o-meter: 0/1 (0%)
We're underway with Jeremy taking an early lead whilst Susie sees a seven.
Round 2: R E N T E F O E R
Jeremy: FERRET (6) (stick with)
Anna: fronter
DC: OFTENER (7)
OT: REFERENT (8)
Score: 11–0 (max 15, jos 14)
Darren-o-meter: 1/2 (50%)
One cannot be a FRONTER^, so Jeremy extends his lead. However, Anne is not happy with DC's offering of OFTENER (as in "more often"). Jeremy takes very long to declare, so much so that Anne shouts at him.
Round 3: 75, 8, 10, 4, 9, 1. Target: 387.
Jeremy: 387. (75 − 8 × 4) × 9 (10)
Anna: 387. Mistake in working.
Score: 21–0 (max 25, jos 24)
Anna either does one away or uses the 1 twice and Jeremy extends the lead.
Teatime teaser: NICELOVE -> VIOLENCE
Round 4: D E B N U L O V O
Jeremy: UNLOVED (7)
Anna: BUNDLE (6)
Score: 28–0 (max 32, jos 31)
Darren-o-meter: 2/3 (67%)
Everyone is UNLOVED in this round, except for Anna.
Round 5: D S R A I O I P T
Jeremy: PARODIST (8)
Anna: PARTS (5)
DC: PAROTIDS (8)
OT: TAPIROIDS (18)
Score: 36–0 (max 50, jos 39)
Darren-o-meter: 3/4 (75%)
Everyone misses the nine as Jeremy extends the lead again... this is becoming a bit one-sided.
Round 6: 100, 75, 7, 10, 6, 10. Target: 331.
Jeremy: 330. (75 − 10 − 10) × 6 (7)
Anna: -
RR: 331. 75 × 7 + 6 − 100 − 10 × 10 (10)
Score: 43–0 (max 60, jos 49)
Jeremy sees an interesting spot for one away whilst Rachel, massively out of time, sees one solution to this very difficult game.
Myleene talks about her experiences with St John's Ambulance after having to use first aid on both of her children, and thus she wishes to spread the word. Actually, to be honest, I'm not sure back slaps constitute first aid, but anyway, she's got a valid point. She, as does I, thinks it should be taught in schools. Myleene then tries to take Susie's job by telling us of the origin of why CPR dummies are called Annie. She then says that this is the origin of "Annie, are you OK?" in Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal", although I'm not sure I'll follow her advice of using Smooth Criminal the next time I'm doing CPR. "You've been hit by - THUMP THUMP - you've been struck by - THUMP..."
Round 7: R C S A U I E B H
Jeremy: CHERUBS (7)
Anna: SAUCER (6)
DC: CASHIER (7) CUSHIER (7) SAUCIER (7)
OT: ASCRIBE (7) BACHURS (7) BEARISH (7) BIRCHES (7) BUSHIER (7) CAHIERS (7) CARBIES (7) SUBERIC (7)
Score: 50–0 (max 67, jos 56)
Darren-o-meter: 3/5 (60%)
Oh dear. Anna misses approximately a billion 7s.
Round 8: P I S F A S A G L
Jeremy: FLAGS (5)
Anna: GLASS (5)
DC: GASPS (5) ASSAIL (6)
OT: PASILAS (7)
Score: 55–5 (max 74, jos 62)
Darren-o-meter: 4/6 (67%)
Yay! Anna finally gets herself off the mark!
Round 9: 25, 10, 1, 8, 1, 2. Target: 710.
Jeremy: -
Anna: -
RR: 712. (7)
OT: 712. (25 − 1) × 10 × (2 + 1) − 8 (7)
Score: 55–5 (max 81, jos 69)
Next.
Teatime teaser: DENTANUN -> UNTANNED
Round 10: K O S V N E W I R
Jeremy: RESINK (6) (possible)
Anna: VISOR (5)
DC: SNOWIER (7) WONKIER (7) VERSION (7) OVERWINS (8)
OT: INVOKERS (8)
Score: 61–5 (max 89, jos 77)
Darren-o-meter: 4/7 (57%)
Not sure what was wrong with SINKER, but Jeremy extends his lead yet again - as a contest this is all but over now.
Round 11: M G T A I U E L N
Jeremy: EMULATING (18)
Anna: MELTING (7)
DC: GUNMETAL (8)
OT: GLUTAMINE (18)
Score: 79–5 (max 107, jos 95)
Darren-o-meter: 4/8 (50%)
Jeremy's nine clearly beats Susie, and now leads by 74 points and we're now into "rare wiki categories" territory. Can he make 125 and win by over 100 whilst keeping Anna below 10?
Susie explains the origin of "Bob's your uncle", referring to Lord Salisbury at the end of the 19th century, and the cronyism used when appointing his nephew, Arthur Balfour. She then gives another possible origin, referring to a 1930s song. She is more inclined to believe that latter version.
Round 12: C E T Q I U S L O
Jeremy: OUTLIES (7)
Anna: LOCUST (6)
DC: COQUETS (7)
OT: CITOLES (7) CLIQUES (7) CLUIEST (7) OCTILES (7) OCULIST (7)
Score: 86–5 (max 114, jos 102)
Darren-o-meter: 4/9 (44%)
Once again Anna misses all the sevens in a fairly flat round.
Round 13: M S R E E O O N T
Jeremy: MOONSET (7) (I think)
Anna: MOONERS (7) (risky)
DC: MONSTER (7)
OT: MONOESTER (18) SONOMETER (18)
Score: 93–12 (max 132, jos 109)
Darren-o-meter: 4/10 (40%)
Anna gets herself above 10, thus meaning we won't have the "scores under 10" category, and nor can Jeremy score 125 now.
Round 14: 75, 100, 1, 10, 10, 6. Target: 713.
Jeremy: 710. (75 − 6 + 1) × 10 + 10 (7)
Anna: 710. (6 + 1) × 100 + 10 (7)
RR: 714. "119 × 6" (7)
Score: 100–19 (max 139, jos 116)
Another impossible numbers game, so much so that Rachel lazily says 119 times 6 rather than telling us how to get 119. It means Jeremy can't win by over 100 now.
Round 15: S I N G L E D U O
Jeremy buzzes on 4.75 seconds to say DELOUSING which is correct.
Final Score: 110–19 (max 149, jos 125)
And Jeremy DELOUSES his opponent to finish with a 91-point win, and you can't say fairer than that.
Countdown is back to normal tomorrow. Join us then. Goodbye.
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=84