Friday 8th February 2013 (30th Champs, Round 1, Game 16)

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Heather Styles

Friday 8th February 2013 (30th Champs, Round 1, Game 16)

Post by Heather Styles »

Countdown recap for Friday 8th February 2013.

Another working week draws to an end, and “that Friday feeling” has descended on the Countdown studio.

Spare a thought, if you will, for Nick, Rachel, Susie and all the good folk toiling away in the Countdown engine room. Every weekend, they are denied the one ray of sunshine that dispels the gloom of their daily drudgery: the pleasure of listening to Dudley, the warm-up man. :lol:

“He keeps us on edge - I mean, he keeps us on the edge of our seats,” quips Nick, before adding: “We do love Dudley; he makes us laugh, which I suppose is exactly the point of having him here.”

Ladies and gentlemen, please raise your glasses to the one and only Dudley Doolittle and to everyone who works behind the scenes of Channel 4’s first and finest show.

Now, we have some very important business to attend to: the last match in the first round of the 30th Birthday Championship.

The contest is between Andrew Hulme and Jonathan Rawlinson, runners-up of Series 61 and Series 66 respectively, and the reward is a precious place in the last 16 of this epic competition. The winner will go head to head with Tom Rowell.

Andrew Hulme is a professional poker player from Nottingham, who has been to Dublin and Prague recently. In his preliminary game, screened on 16th January, he defeated Steven Briers by an impressive 113 points to 74. :)

Jonathan Rawlinson is studying Maths at Cambridge University. On 17th January, viewers watched him pip Edward McCullagh to the post, winning 104 to 94 on a dramatic tie-break conundrum. Any more such high jinks from Jonathan will surely leave the TV nation with no nails left to bite. ;)

DC: Susie Dent and Kate Adie.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: S R H U O E R T V
R02: U M I D A K R J Y
R03: T P N E I E C U I
R04: I T A V O D L O I
R05: 50, 10, 6, 4, 7, 9. Target: 953.
TTT: TAPERANK – “It sounds like dad’s been abducted, but he’s just had a drink”
R06: E R I C A T E I W
R07: G S F O E I S M D
R08: U B A N I Q O U N
R09: T R G A E A P L S
R10: 75, 25, 100, 50, 3, 10. Target: 249.
TTT: LATELEAP – “A late leap over the hurdles might cause you to damage these”
R11: D H R E O E L P S
R12: U N A X I M S E A
R13: T R G E E A N O E
R14: 100, 4, 4, 9, 5, 8. Target: 548.
R15: H O T F R A P P S (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: S R H U O E R T V

Andrew: SHORTER (7)
Jonathan: ROUTERS (7)
DC: SHOUTER (7) TROUSER (7)
OT: RHETORS (7) TOURERS (7)
Score: 7–7 (max 7)

Seven points apiece. Game on!

Round 2: U M I D A K R J Y

Andrew: RADIUM (6)
Jonathan: MYRIAD (6)
Score: 13–13 (max 13)

The contestants both hit sixes. MYRIAD is derived from a Greek noun and adjective meaning ‘ten thousand.’

Round 3: T P N E I E C U I

Andrew: TIEPIN (6)
Jonathan: ENTICE (6)
DC: PECTIN (6)
OT: INCEPT (6) INCITE (6) PECTEN (6)
Score: 19–19 (max 19)

Happily for Andrew, TIEPIN is not hyphenated in ODE3. PECTIN is used as a setting agent in jams and jellies.

Round 4: I T A V O D L O I

Andrew: diavolo
Jonathan: VIDIOT (6)
Score: 19–25 (max 25)

Unlucky, Andrew. DIABOLO would have been great. The word VIDIOT, a blend of VIDEO and IDIOT, originated in the 1960s and is defined by ODE3 as “a habitual, undiscriminating watcher of television or videotapes”.

Round 5: 50, 10, 6, 4, 7, 9. Target: 953.

Andrew: 953. (10 + 9) × 50 + 7 - 4 (10)
Jonathan: 953. (10 + 9) × 50 + 7 - 4 (10)
Score: 29–35 (max 35)

One large, no problems, ten points each.

Teatime teaser: TAPERANK -> PARTAKEN

Round 6: E R I C A T E I W

Andrew: WAITER (6)
Jonathan: WAITER (6)
OT: CREATE (6) ECARTE (6) RECITE (6) TIERCE (6)
Score: 35–41 (max 41)

The contestants start to tell a “Waiter, waiter” joke, but we never hear the punchline. Dictionary Corner suggests ERICATE, a nice tnetennba which seems to have slipped the net when ODE3 was being compiled. ;) ERICACEOUS means ‘relating to or denoting plants of the heather family (Ericaceae)’. :geek:

Round 7: G S F O E I S M D

Andrew: SMIDGES (7)
Jonathan: FOGIES (6)
Score: 42–41 (max 48)

Andrew takes the lead, but only by a smidge!

Round 8: U B A N I Q O U N

Andrew: BUNION (6)
Jonathan: QUINOA (6)
Score: 48–47 (max 54)

Susie tells us that BUNION used to mean a bump on the head (not on the foot), and that QUINOA can be pronounced in two different ways. The things one learns by watching Countdown! :ugeek:

Round 9: T R G A E A P L S

Andrew: LARGEST (7)
Jonathan: PARGETS (7)
DC: PLATERS (7) PLASTER (7)
OT: PALESTRA (8)
Score: 55–54 (max 62)

The one-point gap remains, and it’s Jonathan turn to place his order with Rachel.

Round 10: 75, 25, 100, 50, 3, 10. Target: 249.

Andrew: 249. (10 - 100 ÷ 50 + 75) × 3 (10)
Jonathan: 249. (10 - 100 ÷ 50 + 75) × 3 (10)
Score: 65–64 (max 72)

The contestants produce identical solutions to the ‘four large challenge’.

Teatime teaser: LATELEAP -> PATELLAE

Round 11: D H R E O E L P S

Andrew: DEPLORES (8)
Jonathan: ELOPERS (7)
Score: 73–64 (max 80)

Andrew finds the unique maximum, and extends his lead. How will Jonathan respond?

Round 12: U N A X I M S E A

Andrew: unmixes
Jonathan: ANIMUS (6)
DC: MINXES (6) AMNESIA (7)
Score: 73–70 (max 87)

Sadly for Andrew, unmixes is not in ODE3. Jonathan narrows the gap to just three points with ANIMUS, meaning ‘hostility or ill feeling’.

Round 13: T R G E E A N O E

Andrew: GENERATE (8)
Jonathan: GENERATE (8)
DC: TEENAGER (8)
Score: 81–78 (max 95)

The contestants generate eight points each, leaving Andrew still ahead by a smidge. Jonathan chooses one large, and we are in for a nail-biting finish.

Round 14: 100, 4, 4, 9, 5, 8. Target: 548.

Andrew: 548. (100 + 8) × 5 + 4 + 4 (10)
Jonathan: 548. (100 + 8) × 5 + 4 + 4 (10)
Score: 91–88 (max 105)

Both players hit the target, which means (you guessed it) a crucial conundrum! :o

Round 15: H O T F R A P P S

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Jonathan buzzes on 4.75 seconds to say PROPSHAFT which is correct. :D

Final Score: 91–98 (max 115)


Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=-16
Last edited by Heather Styles on Sun Feb 10, 2013 1:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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James Robinson
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Re: Friday 8th February 2013 (30th Champs, Round 1, Game 16)

Post by James Robinson »

Heather Styles wrote:Round 9: T R G A E A P L S

Andrew: LARGEST (7)
Jonathan: PARGETS (7)
DC: PLATERS (7) PLASTER (7)
OT: AGRESTAL (8) PALESTRA (8)
Score: 55–54 (max 62)
Mr. Bevins seems to think that AGRESTAL isn't in any more................. :roll:
Mark Ivey
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Re: Friday 8th February 2013 (30th Champs, Round 1, Game 16)

Post by Mark Ivey »

Great recap Heather :)

Was it me, or did Dudley have the exact same look on his face every time the camera cut to him? I honestly started to think they were just reusing the same shot.
Heather Styles

Re: Friday 8th February 2013 (30th Champs, Round 1, Game 16)

Post by Heather Styles »

James, Mr. Bevins is right! No AGRESTAL in ODE3. Corrected now. :)

Mark, I didn't pick up on that. Uploading a screenshot/screenshots of Dudley to the forum seems to be beyond my technical competence. :oops: Perhaps I should ask Graeme ;)
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Jon Corby
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Re: Friday 8th February 2013 (30th Champs, Round 1, Game 16)

Post by Jon Corby »

Mark Ivey wrote:Great recap Heather :)

Was it me, or did Dudley have the exact same look on his face every time the camera cut to him? I honestly started to think they were just reusing the same shot.
Haha, I thought exactly the same thing!
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