Tuesday 10th January 2012. (Series 66, Prelim 2)

[Liam Tiernan]

Countdown recap for Tuesday 10 January 2012.

C1: Champion Jack Worsley (2 wins, 208 points.)
C2: Challenger Catherine Green.
DC: Susie Dent and Paul Zenon.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: S C R S I E O N U
R02: H P A V S O E D A
R03: W K C J R O E A M
R04: I G T Y E A R T N
R05: 100, 75, 25, 50, 1, 4. Target: 524.
TTT: MADESURE - "Made sure everything was the right size."
R06: D S O E X D A L M
R07: S M N R I E I U G
R08: E F C A O R T N A
R09: H G R N E O I T E
R10: 100, 6, 3, 10, 4, 4. Target: 947.
TTT: TOPSKIER - "You'll never be a top skier if you're the largest on the slopes"
R11: R G P N I E U Q A
R12: T R E U L D E O F
R13: S N R T E U I D A
R14: 50, 6, 9, 4, 1, 7. Target: 423.
R15: T R U C E E N D S (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.

Champion Jack Worsley is a student from Blackpool (but a Chelsea fan, a few Brownie points dropped there, Jack). He also enjoys chess, snooker and tennis.
Challenger Catherine Green from Llandudno is a Financial Services store manager who likes to climb waterfalls apparently.
Paul Zenon lives up to his name today with a shirt that's almost radioactive.

Round 1: S C R S I E O N U

C1: SERIOUS (7)
C2: SOURCES (7)
DC: NEUROSIS (8)
OT: INSOURCES (18)
Score: 7–7 (max 18)

Everybody misses the nine, but a solid start from both players.

Round 2: H P A V S O E D A

C1: SHOVED (6)
C2: SHAPED (6)
DC: SOAPED (6) SHAVED (6)
OT: EPHODS (6) ESPADA (6) HASPED (6) PASHED (6) PHASED (6) POSADA (6) POSHED (6) VADOSE (6)
Score: 13–13 (max 24)

No matter how much you push or arrange these letters, you're not going to get more than six. A POSADA is a Spanish inn; Something PASHED is broken to bits; An ESPADA is a sword; An EPHOD is a linen vestment worn in ancient Hebrew rites; VADOSE refers to water in the soil that is above the water table level.

Round 3: W K C J R O E A M

C1: MOCKER (6)
C2: MOCKER (6)
OT: JACKER (6) WACKER (6)
Score: 19–19 (max 30)

Another flat round here.

Round 4: I G T Y E A R T N

C1: TREATING (8)
C2: NATTIER (7)
DC: GRANITE (7) TANGIER (7)
OT: YATTERING (18)
Score: 27–19 (max 48)

Another nine not surprisingly missed here. YATTERING means talking on and on at length.

Round 5: 100, 75, 25, 50, 1, 4. Target: 524.

C1: 524. ((100+50)*4)-75-1 (10)
C2: 524. ((100+50)*4)-75-1 (10)
Score: 37–29 (max 58)

Teatime teaser: MADESURE -> MEASURED

Paul does another card trick.

Round 6: D S O E X D A L M

C1: MEDALS (6)
C2: moddle
DC: SADDLE (6)
OT: DOLMADES (8)
Score: 43–29 (max 66)

Jack gets the prize here as Catherine is all in a moddle, sorry, muddle.
A DOLMA (pl. DOLMAS or DOLMADES)is a dish consisting of a grape leaf, cabbage leaf, green pepper, etc. stuffed with rice, ground meat, chopped onions, spices, etc. and cooked. Greek or Turkish in origin.

Round 7: S M N R I E I U G

C1: RESUMING (8)
C2: RESUMING (8)
OT: REMISING (8)
Score: 51–37 (max 74)

Catherine picks herself up and carries on. Jack does the same.
To REMISE is a legal term meaning to relinquish a claim to, or surrender by deed.

Round 8: E F C A O R T N A

C1: ENACTOR (7)
C2: FACTOR (6)
OT: CATERAN (7)
Score: 58–37 (max 81)

Jack's doing well here as Catherine fails to FACTOR in a seven.

Round 9: H G R N E O I T E

C1: -
C2: teering
RR: INTEGER (7)
OT: GENITOR (7) HEROINE (7) NEITHER (7) RIGHTEN (7) THEREIN (7) THEREON (7) TREEING (7) TRIGONE (7)
Score: 58–37 (max 88)

Jack totally blanks here, but Catherine fails to take advantage. It's left to Rachel to find an appropriate seven.
A GENITOR is one who produces or creates, or, in anthropology, a natural father or mother; a TRIGONE is a triangular space or, more commonly, one of several triangular areas of the body.

Origin of Words: Susie explains the origins of "to give someone the pip" and "pipped at the post".

Round 10: 100, 6, 3, 10, 4, 4. Target: 947.

C1: 947. ((100-6)*10)+3+4 (10)
C2: 948.
Score: 68–37 (max 98)

Jack pulls further in front with an on-target numbers.

Teatime teaser: TOPSKIER -> PORKIEST

Round 11: R G P N I E U Q A

C1: REAPING (7)
C2: GRIPE (5)
Score: 75–37 (max 105)

Jack reaps the points again, spotting the only seven.

Round 12: T R E U L D E O F

C1: FLOUTED (7)
C2: FLOUTED (7)
DC: REFUTED (7)
OT: FEEDLOT (7) FLOURED (7) URODELE (7)
Score: 82–44 (max 112)

Another flat round.
A URODELE is any amphibian of the order Urodela, having a long body and tail and four short limbs: includes the salamanders and newts.

Round 13: S N R T E U I D A

C1: INDURATES (18)
C2: RANDIEST (8)
Score: 100–44 (max 130)

Jack reaches his third century with a lovely nine.
To INDURATE means to harden or make more durable.

Round 14: 50, 6, 9, 4, 1, 7. Target: 423.

C1: 423. (50-(4-1))*9 (10)
C2: 424.
Score: 110–44 (max 140)

Another 10 points safely in the bag for Jack.

Round 15: T R U C E E N D S

C1 buzzes on 22 seconds to say UNCRESTED which is incorrect.
C2 does not buzz.
The answer was ENCRUSTED.
Final Score: 110–44 (max 150)

Everybody, including the audience, misses this one. Maybe it was harder than it looked.

Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=65

[James Robinson]

Round 5: 100, 75, 25, 50, 1, 4. Target: 524.

C1: 524. ((100+50)*4)-751-1 (10)
C2: 524. ((100+50)*4)-75-1 (10)
Score: 37–29 (max 58)

I've heard of missing the target by a while, Liam, but that's quite a difference. Even going negative