Thursday, 18th September 2008 (Series 59, Game 44)

[Jon Corby]

Countdown recap for Thursday 18th September 2008.

C1: Champion Ian Fearon (1 win, 93 points.)
C2: Challenger Sarah Knapper.
DC: Susie Dent and Andrew Sschs.
CV: Carol Vorderman.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: S Z R I K S O M A
R02: T D T O E O C R H
R03: D N I L E O E F T
R04: R Y S A I O A G A
R05: 100, 75, 4, 4, 1, 5. Target: 797.
TTT: BOBPEARL - "You might get this, but it's not definite"
R06: P L S Q E O I N R
R07: T D W O E S N M O
R08: D G V I E O T N T
R09: N C E E X H A M R
R10: 25, 9, 8, 6, 10, 9. Target: 866.
TTT: EATLIVER - ""It's all connected somehow," said the brother"
R11: N T E S P B A U A
R12: F R N A E A P L E
R13: S M A J T E D G I
R14: 50, 1, 5, 4, 8, 9. Target: 191.
R15: C L E A N D E S K (conundrum)


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Champion Ian broke the hearts of... well, me & Dinos yesterday by beating the rather delightful Denise McHale. And today he faces yet another hottie in the rather fine shape of Sarah Knapper. They're like buses, aren't they!? ....no? Well, you obviously don't get aroused by buses like I do. Sarah is a solicitor from London who has backpacked around the world, and skydived whilst locked in a cage with sharks or something. Carol introduces a Dictionary Corner virgin today in Andrew Sachs, while wearing glasses and looking almost exactly like the hot seductive schoolteacher looks in those sort of films. Nice.

Round 1: S Z R I K S O M A

C1: RISKS (5)
C2: MORASS (6)
DC: SOMAS (5) SMIRKS (6)
OT: KAIROS (6) KAROSS (6) KORMAS (6) SIZARS (6)
Score: 0–6 (max 6)

A morass is an area of muddy or boggy ground, or it's a complicated or confused situation. A kairos is a propitious (you can look that one up yourself) moment for decision or action, while a kaross is (in South Africa) a rug or blanket of sewn animal skins. Kormas are curries that girls eat, and a sizar is an undergraduate at Cambridge University or at Trinity College, Dublin, who receives financial help from the college for performing menial duties.

Round 2: T D T O E O C R H

C1: TOOTED (6)
C2: TOOTHED (7)
DC: CHEROOT (7) TORCHED (7)
Score: 0–13 (max 13)

Round 3: D N I L E O E F T

C1: flinted
C2: DELETION (8)
DC: DINE
Score: 0–21 (max 21)

An amazing start from Sarah sees her yet to drop a point and her opponent yet to score one!

Round 4: R Y S A I O A G A

C1: AGORAS (6)
C2: GRAYS (5)
DC: ARGOSY (6)
OT: ASIAGO (6)
Score: 6–21 (max 27)

An agora (pl. agorae or agoras) is (in ancient Greece) a public open space used for assemblies and markets. Interestingly, agora (pl. agorot or agoroth) is also the monetary unit of Israel. An argosy is a large merchant ship, and asiago is an Italian cheese.

Round 5: 100, 75, 4, 4, 1, 5. Target: 797.

C1: 797. (100-1)*(4+4)+5 (10)
C2: 797. (100-1)*(4+4)+5 (10)
Score: 16–31 (max 37)

Teatime teaser: BOBPEARL -> PROBABLE

Round 6: P L S Q E O I N R

C1: SPOILER (7)
C2: lopers
DC: EPSILON (7)
OT: ORPINES (7) PROLINE (7)
Score: 23–31 (max 44)

An orpine (also orpin) is a purple flowered Eurasian stonecrop, and proline is an amino acid which is a constituent of most proteins, especially collagen.

Round 7: T D W O E S N M O

C1: SWOONED (7)
C2: woodsmen (declared as 7 - it's fine as an 8)
DC: MOONSET (7) DOWNMOST (8)
Score: 30–31 (max 52)

Sarah's declaration was slightly faltering here, it seemed she spotted the excellent WOODSMEN a little too late to count the letters. Very bad luck, and suddenly from looking dead and buried after just three rounds, Ian is right back in the game.

Round 8: D G V I E O T N T

C1: TINGED (6)
C2: DEVOTING (8)
DC: VIDEO (5)
Score: 30–39 (max 60)

Round 9: N C E E X H A M R

C1: CHARM (5)
C2: MEANER (6)
DC: MENACER (7)
OT: MENARCHE (8)
Score: 30–45 (max 68)

Menarche is the first occurence of menstruation.

Round 10: 25, 9, 8, 6, 10, 9. Target: 866.

C1: 870. (9*8+6+9)*10 (7)
C2: 870. (9*9+6)*10 (7)
OT: 866. 9*6*(25-9)+10-8 (10)
Score: 37–52 (max 78)

Teatime teaser: EATLIVER -> RELATIVE

Round 11: N T E S P B A U A

C1: PEASANT (7)
C2: unpaste
DC: BAPS SPENT (5) PEANUTS (7)
OT: UPBEATS (7)
Score: 44–52 (max 85)

We all know upbeat as an adjective, but it's also an unaccented beat preceding an accented beat in music. Whatever that means.

Round 12: F R N A E A P L E

C1: REPEAL (6)
C2: REPEAL (6)
DC: LEAPER (6)
OT: LEANER (6) PALEAE (6) PANEER (6) PLANAR (6) PLANER (6) REPLAN (6)
Score: 50–58 (max 91)

A palea is the upper bract of the floret of a grass.

Round 13: S M A J T E D G I

C1: GAMIEST (7)
C2: MIDGETS (7)
DC: MISDATE (7)
OT: AGISTED (7) SIGMATE (7)
Score: 57–65 (max 98)

To agist is to take in and feed livestock for payment, and sigmate means shaped like a sigma or letter S.

Round 14: 50, 1, 5, 4, 8, 9. Target: 191.

C1: 191. 4*50-9 (10)
C2: 191. 4*50-9 (10)
Score: 67–75 (max 108)

Round 15: C L E A N D E S K

C2 buzzes on 12 seconds to say SLACKENED which is correct.
Score: 67–85 (max 118)

Fascinating game - Sarah stormed into a 21 point lead in the first 3 rounds and I was expecting her to go on to score a debut century with ease. Against most opponents she would have almost certainly done that, but her 'slips' in this game, which were seldom, were punished by Ian and he fought back well a couple of times. Sarah looked a little flustered at seeing her lead drain away, which is understandable especially in your first game, but she managed to keep it together. I'm positive that she will go on to notch up many more victories, almost certainly with higher scores than this as she was up against a toughie in Ian today. Congratulations!

Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=59

[Jason Larsen]

Here we go again, my thoughts on the game.

Doo doo doo doo, doo doo doo doo, doo. (Oh, wrong song.) Doo doo, doo doo, doo doo doo doo!

Sarah Knapper is Fireball Hottie #2 of Series 59! She is very pretty, and very adventurous, too! Quite a daredevil! I wouldn't want to cage dive with sharks, let alone live in the ocean anyway! It's too big and would scare me to death!

It sounds like you all really wanted to have Andrew Sachs in Dictionary Corner! You all got your wishes!

Round 3: I had a 5. (Hint: The story of Carol Vorderman leaving Countdown was a _______.)
Round 4: I had a 4. (Hint: It's the first direction mentioned in the song, "Time Warp" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show.")
Conundrum: Is slackened even a word? I thought slacked would be, as if you took your time giving a solution to Des and kept repeating, "I've got a 0! I've got a 0! I've got a 0!," that's what you'd be doing!

The Fireball Hottie did it! I'm very happy, and if you try you can do anything you put your mind to doing! Good job!

[Dinos Sfyris]

Round 4: I had a 4. (Hint: It's the first direction mentioned in the song, "Time Warp" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show.")

ORGY?

[Jason Larsen]

No. LEFT.

[Kirk Bevins]

No. LEFT.

There is no L or E or F or T in round 4. I've never seen a contestant imagine four letters in a round before!

[Jason Larsen]

Those four letters were picked in round four, Kirk.

[JimBentley]

Those four letters were picked in round four, Kirk.

Round 4: R Y S A I O A G A

So I see.

[Jason Larsen]

I'm sorry. The answer to my little clue in the other round there was for the other four-letter word I found!

Clue: The story of Carol Vorderman leaving Countdown is a _______. Answer: SAGA.