Countdown recap for Wednesday 20 October 2021.
Today is International Sloth Day. Are we celebrating the animal or laziness?
C1: Champion Jasamrit Rahala (2 wins, 173 points.)
C2: Challenger Adrian Lutman. "Suddenly" working in Shropshire, having moved from Oxford, but comes from Sussex. Got all that? He's an air traffic controller, who claims he does his job perfectly. Wiki's got him down as having previously appeared against Bradley Cates in 2007.
DC: Susie Dent and Lesley Joseph.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: R E H T G E A R D
R02: L M S I A A R P E
R03: 25, 3, 1, 10, 8, 7. Target: 268.
TTT: GOTTHESE - "They've got these everywhere in poorer parts of the world."
R04: T N U E O R T W O
R05: B I O N S G S A C
R06: 100, 25, 5, 2, 5, 2. Target: 952.
R07: N I B F G E T R A
R08: O O L P U K Y M I
R09: 50, 7, 7, 4, 10, 9. Target: 817.
TTT: DRIPALOT - "It's about three feet, but isn't height-related."
R10: R S C E O A T N I
R11: L A M I S U P O N
R12: D L R S O E I A T
R13: D E S W F I O T A
R14: 100, 25, 75, 50, 5, 8. Target: 229.
R15: M O U S Y L I O N (conundrum)
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Round 1: R E H T G E A R D
Jasamrit: GATHERED (8)
Adrian: "I've gone wrong. I realise I haven't got any Vs."
OT: GARTERED (8) GATHERER (8) REGATHER (8) REGRATED (8) RETHREAD (8) THREADER (8)
Score: 8–0 (max 8, jos 8)
Darren-o-meter: 0/1 (0%)
The hunter is also the GATHEREr, as Jasamrit starts us off with an eight. Adrian sees a phantom V.
Round 2: L M S I A A R P E
Jasamrit: MAILERS (7)
Adrian: impares/impairs (Susie said he needs two Is, but not sure whether this meant misspelling or phantom)
DC: PRAMS (5) PALMIERS (8)
OT: ALAMIRES (8) ASPERMIA (8) IMPALERS (8) LEMPIRAS (8) MARSILEA (8) PAREMIAS (8) PRIAMELS (8)
Score: 15–0 (max 16, jos 16)
Darren-o-meter: 0/2 (0%)
Jasamrit extends his lead as you don't IMPARE^ someone.
Round 3: 25, 3, 1, 10, 8, 7. Target: 268.
Jasamrit: 268. (25 + 1) × 10 + 8 (10)
Adrian: 268. 25 × 10 + 7 + 3 + 8 (10)
Score: 25–10 (max 26, jos 26)
Not quite Ariana level, but still easy peasy Lib Dem squeezy.
Teatime teaser: GOTTHESE -> GHETTOES
Round 4: T N U E O R T W O
Jasamrit: ROUTE (5) (pronounced as "rout"!)
Adrian: TONER (5)
DC: OUTWORN (7)
OT: OUTWROTE (8)
Score: 30–15 (max 34, jos 33)
Darren-o-meter: 1/3 (33%)
Some may say "there's 'owt wrong with rowt", but Jasamrit's ROUTE to victory may now include a ROUT of Adrian. Meanwhile, Dictionary Corner drop a point for the first time today.
Round 5: B I O N S G S A C
Jasamrit: BOSSING (7)
Adrian: BOSSING (7)
DC: CASINOS (7)
OT: AGNOSICS (8)
Score: 37–22 (max 42, jos 40)
Darren-o-meter: 2/4 (50%)
Both contestants aren't quite BOSSING this round as there was an eight hiding away in there.
Round 6: 100, 25, 5, 2, 5, 2. Target: 952.
Jasamrit: 952. (5 + 5) × 100 − 25 × 2 + 2 (10)
Adrian: 950. (not written down)
Score: 47–22 (max 52, jos 50)
Either someone was having fun with the shuffling, or Ant & Dec were doing a practical joke, because there's no way we had 25, 5, 2, 5, 2, and 952 in that round... no way...
Lesley didn't get the numbers, despite getting most of the letters rounds. She talks about working with Mel Brooks, having done Strictly. And she showed him a picture of her in her underwear at Strictly. Why, we will never know, and nor will she.
Round 7: N I B F G E T R A
Jasamrit: BERATING (8) (try)
Adrian: REBATING (8) (try)
Score: 55–30 (max 60, jos 58)
Darren-o-meter: 2/5 (40%)
Psychology in full view here as each persuades the other to go for an eight? Whatever the reasons behind it, it was the right thing to do as both eights are duly seen.
Anne and Adrian bond over their mutual love of Oxford Airport. It's not quite Heathrow Terminal 5, is it?
Round 8: O O L P U K Y M I
Jasamrit: IMPLY (5)
Adrian: MILKY (5)
DC: OPIUM (5) LOOKUP (6) POKILY (6)
OT: MOPILY (6) OUKLIP (6) PLOOKY (6) PLOUKY (6)
Score: 60–35 (max 66, jos 64)
Darren-o-meter: 2/6 (33%)
Ew. Not a great round. Susie finds it difficult to define LOOKUP, but as an Excel nerd I am more than familiar with it. Although if you ask my dad, who's even better at Excel than I am, he prefers INDEX and MATCH combinations, whereas I prefer VLOOKUP.
Round 9: 50, 7, 7, 4, 10, 9. Target: 817.
Jasamrit: 817. (7 + 9) × 50 + 10 + 7 (10)
Adrian: 825.
Score: 70–35 (max 76, jos 74)
Oh dear, Adrian. This wasn't difficult whatsoever.
Teatime teaser: DRIPALOT -> TRIPODAL
Round 10: R S C E O A T N I
All together now...
Jasamrit: CREATIONS (18)
Adrian: CREATIONS (18)
DC: REACTIONS (18)
OT: ACTIONERS (18) ACTORINES (18) NARCOTISE (18)
Score: 88–53 (max 94, jos 92)
Darren-o-meter: 2/7 (29%)
Easy peasy Lib Dem squeezy.
Round 11: L A M I S U P O N
Jasamrit: UNMAILS (7)
Adrian: upsail
DC: LIPOMAS (7) PULMONIAS (18)
Score: 95–53 (max 112, jos 110)
Darren-o-meter: 3/8 (38%)
Surprisingly, UNMAILS is valid - the second time today Jasamrit has had a variation of MAIL - and now leads by 42, as Dictionary Corner spot the darrenic niner to get themselves a flake.
OOW Susie dedicates this one to her dad and to Adrian, with RAF connections both, and she talks about the origins of codewords, morse code, et al.
Round 12: D L R S O E I A T
Jasamrit: SOLDIER (7)
Adrian: RETAILS (7)
DC: ISOLATED (8) IDOLATERS (18) STEROIDAL (18)
Score: 102–60 (max 130, jos 128)
Darren-o-meter: 3/9 (33%)
Crikey, it's an ambulance! 999! Guess this is the Countdown equivalent of clapping for carers? Jasamrit gets himself over the line.
Round 13: D E S W F I O T A
Jasamrit: WAFTED (6)
Adrian: STOWED (6)
DC: TOADIES (7)
OT: DOATIES (7) FOISTED (7) IODATES (7) STIFADO (7) WAISTED (7)
Score: 108–66 (max 137, jos 135)
Darren-o-meter: 3/10 (30%)
Sixes for each contestant which is beaten by Lesley Joseph.
Anne asks if Adrian bought his shirt in Hawaii. His wife bought it in America.
Round 14: 100, 25, 75, 50, 5, 8. Target: 229.
Jasamrit: 230. 100 + 75 + 50 + 5 (7)
Adrian: 226.
RR: 229. (8 − 5) × 75 + 100 ÷ 25 (10)
Score: 115–66 (max 147, jos 145)
Adrian, presumably out of pure spite (I'm not complaining given I did that on ZoomDown on Tuesday), goes for four large and there are a few neat ways of getting there but Rachel perhaps shows us the easiest. Personally I preferred (113 x 50 + 75) / 25.
Round 15: M O U S Y L I O N
Adrian buzzes on 27.25 seconds to say LUMINOUSY which is incorrect.
Jasamrit buzzes on 29.25 seconds to say "...[a pause so large you could drive a bus through it]... MOUSE, I don't know" which is incorrect.
Susie gives the answer (and butchers the pronunciation in the process), which was OMINOUSLY.
Final Score: 115–66 (max 157, jos 155)
Not a classic conundrum in any case, but it's (surprisingly) only a 3/10 difficultly on Apto.
Three wins for Jasamrit now, can he make it a fourth? Join us again very soon.
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=84