Monday 1st October 2012 (Series 67, Prelim 40)

[Graeme Cole]

Countdown recap for Monday 1 October 2012.

It's been ages since my last recap for one reason or another, but from now on I'll be doing them every Monday.

C1: Champion Adam Flinn (1 win, 101 points) is a journalism graduate from Abingdon, and joins us for his second game after making a century on his debut last Thursday.
C2: Challenger Rick Fear is an assistant merchandiser from Glastonbury. Possibly a long-lost cousin of Rick Dangerous.
DC: Susie Dent and Sir Ranulph Fiennes.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: N T W E A E U P T
R02: L T S O E I G W N
R03: O E C G R H D A O
R04: Y T H R E A O U G
R05: 50, 25, 9, 1, 6, 2. Target: 947.
TTT: WEAVEHAT - "You'll need to wear a hat should you get caught in this."
R06: T M S E A E D L D
R07: G Z N S O I E M K
R08: S P N T A I H R E
R09: P T V U O A S R U
R10: 25, 75, 6, 9, 4, 3. Target: 810.
TTT: ONEMODEL - "Certain folk may like to play with this."
R11: M S R D I E O C A
R12: R O E S T Q O C I
R13: N R L D O E I E P
R14: 100, 1, 10, 7, 2, 8. Target: 717.
R15: S K I N S E R U M (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: N T W E A E U P T

C1: untape
C2: TWEET (5)
DC: PEANUT (6)
OT: TWEETUP (7)
Score: 0–5 (max 7)

Adam's opening offering isn't in, as with so many UN- words, so Rick gets off the mark first with TWEET, which is in the dictionary in both its traditional and technological sense. He could actually have extended it to TWEETUP, which the ODE describes as a meeting or gathering co-ordinated on Twitter. Must be a new ODE3 entry.


Round 2: L T S O E I G W N

C1: STOWING (7)
C2: STOWING (7)
DC: GENTS (5) SLOWING (7) LONGEST (7) SINGLET (7)
OT: LONGWISE (8) TOWLINES (8) WINGLETS (8)
Score: 7–12 (max 15)

A couple of -ING words available, and Adam and Rick find one of them.


Round 3: O E C G R H D A O

C1: HOARD (5)
C2: hoarder
DC: CHARGED (7)
OT: CORDAGE (7) ROACHED (7)
Score: 12–12 (max 22)

Adam can only spot a five here, but luckily for him Rick spots a phantom R which allows Adam to draw level.


Round 4: Y T H R E A O U G

C1: HEARTY (6)
C2: THEORY (6)
DC: OUTRAGE (7) YOGHURT (7)
OT: THEURGY (7) TOUGHER (7)
Score: 18–18 (max 29)

Hearty sixes for Adam and Rick this time, and Susie and Ranulph (or "Ran") come up with OUTRAGE and YOGHURT. THEURGY is "the operation or effect of a supernatural or divine agency in human affairs".


Round 5: 50, 25, 9, 1, 6, 2. Target: 947.

C1: 947. (25-6)*50-2-1 (10)
C2: 950.
Score: 28–18 (max 39)

The champ goes into the lead for the first time in the game.

Sir Ranulph talks about the time he auditioned for the role of James Bond just to get a free rail ticket to London. He got down to the final six but they picked Roger Moore and his eyebrow instead.


Teatime teaser: WEAVEHAT -> HEATWAVE


Round 6: T M S E A E D L D

C1: STEAMED (7)
C2: SEATED (6)
DC: SMELTED (7) MEDDLES (7)
OT: DESALTED (8)
Score: 35–18 (max 47)

Adam has STEAMED further in front.


Round 7: G Z N S O I E M K

C1: ZONES (5)
C2: monkies
DC: SMOKING (7)
Score: 40–18 (max 54)

And now he's even further ahead thanks to Rick's dodgy spelling of MONKEYS.


Round 8: S P N T A I H R E

C1: PAINTERS (8)
C2: PAINTS (6)
DC: PERIANTHS (18)
Score: 48–18 (max 72)

Rick's left kicking himself on this round for failing to put the ER in his PAINTS. This means Adam's 30 in front.

Susie's first appearance on Countdown featured the word PERIANTHS. 20 years on she finds it again, the pencam goes on it once more, and maybe science will explain one day why she doesn't seem to have aged.


Round 9: P T V U O A S R U

C1: PARTS (5)
C2: VAPOURS (7)
Score: 48–25 (max 79)

Rick's got quite a bit of ground to make up, and this is a good start. He spots the only seven as we go into the numbers round.


Round 10: 25, 75, 6, 9, 4, 3. Target: 810.

C1: 814. Mistake in working.
C2: 816. (6+4)*75+3*25-9 (5)
RR: 810. (75+6)*(4-3+9) (10)
Score: 48–30 (max 89)

Adam and Rick actually had the same working, but Rick declared his total correctly so he takes five points and closes the gap further.


Teatime teaser: ONEMODEL -> MELODEON


Round 11: M S R D I E O C A

C1: COSIER (6)
C2: CARDIES (7)
DC: COMRADES (8)
OT: IDOCRASE (8) MERCADOS (8)
Score: 48–37 (max 97)

The comeback's on as Rick spots CARDIES as Adam can only manage COSIER. Top tip: IDOCRASE only stems with V.


Round 12: R O E S T Q O C I

C1: recost
C2: CORSET (6)
DC: SCOOTER (7) COOTIES (7)
OT: COOTERS (7) OCTROIS (7) SOOTIER (7)
Score: 48–43 (max 104)

And now Rick wins his fourth round in a row, and gets within five with his CORSET. Adam could have gone with COSIER again, but didn't see it this time.


Round 13: N R L D O E I E P

C1: PONDER (6)
C2: PONDER (6)
DC: PIONEER (7) REPLIED (7) REDLINE (7)
OT: LEPORINE (8)
Score: 54–49 (max 112)

Rick and Adam get six each. LEPORINE was hidden away for eight, and it's the adjective relating to hares.


Round 14: 100, 1, 10, 7, 2, 8. Target: 717.

C1: 717. 7*100+10+8-1 (10)
C2: 717. 7*100+10+8-1 (10)
Score: 64–59 (max 122)

A straightforward numbers game, and if Rick gets this conundrum he'll have overturned a 30 point deficit to win on the final round. Please reveal today's crucial conundrum...


Round 15: S K I N S E R U M

No one buzzes. The answer was MURKINESS.
Final Score: 64–59 (max 132)


But neither player can solve it, so Adam has clung on for his second win. Not the highest scoring game we've seen, but it was a good comeback by Rick to make it go to a crucial conundrum. We'll see Adam try to defend his position in the champion's chair tomorrow.

Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=67

[Peter Mabey]

R8

science will explain one day why she doesn't seem to have aged.

Probably C4 have a portrait hidden in their archives