Side-note: Today's episode is number 5678. Take a few minutes to appreciate this.
Countdown recap for Friday 12 April 2013.
Nick introduces the show talking about Concorde and Eric Clapton's concert in New York where thirty of the world's best guitarists will be performing on stage during the next few days. It's a shame that Jimi Hendrix couldn't be there, who is apparently one of Nick's favourites. Rachel's favourite is Dave Grohl because she loves the Foo Fighters, and Nick may surprise many viewers by not knowing what Nirvana is. Or are. Even I don't know them. Richard later adds that Jimi Hendrix once forgot the words to All Along the Watchtower (am I meant to know what that is?) because he'd been smoking too much of the wacky baccy.
C1: Champion Giles Hutchings (5 wins, 603 points.) An Apteforumite from Farnham in Surrey. He beat Mark Witney 120-65 yesterday and "expectations are high". He scores 100+ every time. (Actually I make that 110+ every time.)
C2: Challenger Alan Flanagan. Alan is a student from County Longford who is studying scriptwriting at Goldsmith's. He had a play at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and he did some flyering (not ODE valid) work for it. He accidentally interrupted a couple to advertise his play while they were breaking up! He also writes about plays and films for radio and TV.
DC: Susie Dent and Richard Madeley.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: R S G A E V G W A
R02: S N D U E A H R T
R03: 50, 5, 9, 8, 3, 8. Target: 788.
TTT: BITDENSE - "He's a bit close but very flexible"
R04: L N I E A Y F M Z
R05: U E T S T I D D X
R06: 100, 6, 4, 7, 1, 8. Target: 922.
R07: D B E O R G E A M
R08: R N L O A O T V E
R09: 75, 9, 4, 4, 8, 5. Target: 342.
TTT: TOEFROST - "Cold toes? This will help them get more comfortable"
R10: M T D I O E S D P
R11: O E I S M N L O R
R12: N S K E I A N C R
R13: S T E A J R O T E
R14: 9, 8, 6, 4, 6, 4. Target: 806.
R15: U N B L A T T E R (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: R S G A E V G W A
C1: SWAGGER (7)
C2: RAVAGES (7)
DC: GARAGES (7)
Score: 7–7 (max 7)
A nice seven-y start to the day. This Giles guy has some SWAGGER, while Alan starts to RAVAGE(S). DC come up with GARAGES. Or is that garaarrrges?
Round 2: S N D U E A H R T
C1: THUNDERS (8)
C2: SHUNTED (7)
DC: UNSHARED (8) UNTHREADS (18)
Score: 15–7 (max 25)
Giles THUNDERS into the lead, while Alan is SHUNTED aside. DC find the 9 lurking in there.
Round 3: 50, 5, 9, 8, 3, 8. Target: 788.
C1: 788. (8+8)*50-(9+3) (10)
C2: 788. (8+8)*50-(9+3) (10)
Score: 25–17 (max 35)
This could have been a trickier numbers, but fortunately, the target lent itself to the 50.
Teatime teaser: BITDENSE -> BENDIEST
Round 4: L N I E A Y F M Z
C1: FAMINE (6)
C2: MAINLY (6)
DC: INFLAME (7)
OT: FEMINAL (7)
Score: 31–23 (max 42)
Two standard 6s here, but DC is INFLAME(d) with a 7. FEMINAL is an archaic adjective meaning womanly.
Round 5: U E T S T I D D X
C1: STUDIED (7)
C2: STUDIED (7)
DC: DUTIES (6)
Score: 38–30 (max 49)
Both contestants spot the darrenic 7 here. That reminds me, I haven't studied this whole holiday. Oops.
Round 6: 100, 6, 4, 7, 1, 8. Target: 922.
C1: 922. (100-7)*(4+6)-8 (10)
C2: 922. (8+1)*100+7*4-6 (10)
Score: 48–40 (max 59)
A harder-than-it-looks numbers game here, but Giles and Alan both get it exactly. It could be argued that Alan's way is better as it uses all the numbers, but I think that numbers games should be solved using the smallest number (amount?) of numbers.
Richard, today in a bright pink shirt, talks about some guy at his school who was very handsome and all the girls liked him. Then years later he thought he saw this guy by a bus stop as a woman, but it turns out he was wrong, leaving this poor attractive lady in tears that he had just called Graham. (Or maybe Graeme...)
Round 7: D B E O R G E A M
C1: EMBARGOED (18)
C2: EMBARGOED (18)
Score: 66–58 (max 77)
The niner is found by both contestants here. It sounded like Alan thought it was risky, so maybe if Giles had declared something different he wouldn't have gone with it. According to the wiki.apterous.org archives, this word has only appeared twice before. And both times it was a conundrum.
Round 8: R N L O A O T V E
C1: ORTOLAN (7)
C2: ORNATE (6)
OT: LEVATOR (7) VENTRAL (7) VERONAL (7)
Score: 73–58 (max 84)
After six rounds the tying scores have been broken, with Giles spotting ORTOLAN. An ORTOLAN is a small Eurasian songbird that was formerly eaten as a delicacy, as Susie explains. It seems that it's been discussed before and Nick thinks that the French eat the ORTOLAN pie with a towel over their head and inhale the fumes. The more you know.
Round 9: 75, 9, 4, 4, 8, 5. Target: 342.
C1: 342. (75-4)*5-9-4 (10)
C2: 342. (75+8)*4+(5-4+9) (10)
Score: 83–68 (max 94)
Teatime teaser: TOEFROST -> FOOTREST
Round 10: M T D I O E S D P
C1: MODISTE (7)
C2: DEPOSIT (7)
DC: TOPSIDE (7) TODDIES (7) IMPOSED (7)
OT: DESMOID (7) DOPIEST (7) MOPIEST (7) POSITED (7) STOMPED (7) STOMPIE (7)
Score: 90–75 (max 101)
Many 7s here. And a "just a seven" from Alan. Giles awkwardly mispronounces MODISTE (a fashionable woman), and Nick says that DC's three words are very useful. Not sure if I've ever written or said the word TODDIES. Or TOPSIDE, for that matter. I have used IMPOSED though.
Round 11: O E I S M N L O R
C1: SIMOLEON (8)
C2: moorlines
DC: LOONIER (7) IONOMERS (8)
OT: MOONRISE (8)
Score: 98–75 (max 109)
Giles goes with an interesting 8 (a SIMOLEON is an informal term for a dollar). But Alan declares 9 (most likely causing Giles's heart to beat overtime), though I suspect that Giles knows there isn't a 9 from MOLONISER (Damn this is getting confusing). Susie can't find MOORLINES though and Alan's potential comeback is quashed.
OoW: Susie reveals she had a letter from a fan asking after wim-wom (or is that whim-whom?). Various phrases are mentioned, such as "w(h)im-w(h)om for a mustard mill" and "w(h)im-w(h)am for water wheels". Apparently it comes from a Viking word, meaning "to wander with the eyes with the look of a silly person". Then she says that it is just a deliberately confusing statement given to overeager children who ask too many questions.
Round 12: N S K E I A N C R
C1: SKINCARE (8)
C2: SCANNER (7)
DC: CRANNIES (8) ARSENIC (7)
Score: 106–75 (max 117)
Giles finds an 8 you would expect to be two words, but isn't. DC find the commoner 8, CRANNIES.
Round 13: S T E A J R O T E
C1: ROTATES (7)
C2: ROTATES (7)
DC: JOTTERS (7) TOASTER (7)
OT: ESTREAT (7) RESTATE (7) ROSEATE (7) ROSETTE (7) TETROSE (7)
Score: 113–82 (max 124)
7s all round. Andy pointed out that Giles might have been wanting an A as the last vowel, making AEROSTAT the max.
Round 14: 9, 8, 6, 4, 6, 4. Target: 806.
C1: 809. (4+6)*(4+6)*8+9 (7)
C2: 820.
RR: 804/808 (7)
OT: 806. (((8+6)*4)+6)*(9+4) (10)
Score: 120–82 (max 134)
Alan asks for 6 small and says "let's have some fun". Rachel says 6 small is her idea of fun on a Friday afternoon. However, Alan declares 820, so, evidently, the fun was not had
Rachel says she's 2 away, but there is one unique solution.
Round 15: U N B L A T T E R
C1 buzzes on 1.5 seconds to say TURNTABLE which is correct.
Final Score: 130–82 (max 144)
This conundrum not having a common suffix might have made Giles a little slower. Nevertheless, he solves SEPPBLATTER, sorry STEPLADDER, sorry UNBLATTER in 1.5s to unravel TURNTABLE.
Giles now has the chance to relax over the weekend (not go clubbing) and prepare for game 7. For those statophiles out there, he has now scored 733 points, making that an average of 122 and 1/6 per game. In order to reach 946, an average of 106.5 is needed in his potential 2 last games. Find out how the Gilesaga continues on Monday!
Luckily, we don't have to wait until Monday for our Countdown fix! On tonight is another 8 out of 10 Cats does Countdown thing! Rejoice!
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=68
