Thursday 25th April 2013 (Series 68, Prelim 33)

[Andy Platt]

Countdown recap for Thursday 25 April 2013.

C1: Champion Eileen Taylor (1 win, 102 points), current champion after a great game yesterday beating Jill Hayward 102-98. She put in 10 maxes on her century debut, which is great by any standards. She seems to have already won a few people over on the forums with her Countdown ability in combination with her modest but positive demeanour. You may wish to enjoy this song while reading this recap.
C2: Challenger Paul Johnson. An LGV driver from Southampton, who has a 19 year old cat named Biscuits. Can he keep up with the little numbers demon in the opposite chair?
DC: Susie Dent and Bill Turnbull.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: E O A G S D L F M
R02: W R S E I H S A T
R03: 75, 2, 6, 1, 5, 5. Target: 643.
TTT: MAGICSID - "You can record movies on these but there are no films."
R04: R G S D O E I N T
R05: A I A S V M Y E R
R06: 25, 9, 7, 7, 8, 5. Target: 794.
R07: O E A N C R B S I
R08: D M L U O A T E M
R09: 50, 9, 4, 8, 7, 8. Target: 978.
TTT: LARDFEUD - "Things aren't just bad, they're worse than that."
R10: L J N T O E A D T
R11: I O U Q P R S O G
R12: F R N E I A P D E
R13: A I U L R S T X E
R14: 50, 75, 8, 9, 6, 1. Target: 367.
R15: S I T T H E C A T (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Nick reductions the show by mentioning how on this day nearly 300 years ago, the novel Robinson Crusoe was first published. He goes on to speak about things that he would take with him on a desert island. He'd take Shakespeare's sonnets, Joyce's Ulysses and Richard Strauss's Four Last Songs. Rachel would take a smartphone and a swingball set. Classy!


Round 1: E O A G S D L F M

C1: LOAFED (6)
C2: DOSAGE (6)
DC: GLADSOME (8)
Score: 6–6 (max 8)

Both contestants off the mark early then with solid sixes. An awesome spot by DC though with an eight in GLADSOME, which describes someone with cheerful disposition.

Round 2: W R S E I H S A T

C1: WRAITHS (7)
C2: WASTERS (7)
DC: WASHIEST (8)
OT: SWATHERS (8) SWITHERS (8) TRISHAWS (8) WAITRESS (8)
Score: 13–13 (max 16)

Yep, the contestants keep racking up the scores there with good 7s, WRAITHS in particular is a nice word even though it means a type of ghostly spirit. WASHIEST is DC's eight, with some other eights available too. A TRISHAW is a light three-wheeled vehicle with pedals, used in East Asia. This is what one looks like.

Round 3: 75, 2, 6, 1, 5, 5. Target: 643.

C1: -
C2: -
RR: 643. (75 + 6) x 2 x (5 - 1) - 5 (10)
OT: 643. (10)
Score: 13–13 (max 26)

Oof, both contestants draw a blank. This is not the very high standard we have come to see from Eileen, but I can't say I blame Paul for messing up his first numbers round, which is very easy to do especially if it isn't a gimme. Rachel can only find one away as well at first, but then she has it later, working to 648 and then taking five away.


Teatime teaser: MAGICSID -> DIGICAMS


Round 4: R G S D O E I N T

C1: RESTING (7)
C2: IGNORES (7)
DC: STODGIER (8)
OT: GENITORS (8) STRINGED (8) TRIGONES (8)
Score: 20–20 (max 34)

More solid sevens for the contestants, who were perhaps hindered by Paul's decision to take a consonant at the end (see round 5 - first vowel is A, which would have given three nines here - but hindsight is a wonderful thing and the other letters that would have given a 9 are B, L, N and V. See if you can get them all before the song finishes). DC managed to find one of the eights in a selection that was STODGIER than it should have been. The anagrammatical pair TRIGONES/GENITORS comes up a lot. TRIGONE, first part pronounced either TREE-, or TRY-, but the second part rhymes with OWN, means a triangular piece of tissue in the body, typically referring to the area at the base of the urinary bladder. Pleasant. GENITOR is an anthropological term and refers to your biological father.

Round 5: A I A S V M Y E R

C1: VARIES (6)
C2: savers
DC: AVIARY (6) SAMIER (6)
OT: ARMIES (6) MISERY (6) SARMIE (6) SMEARY (6) VERISM (6) VERMIS (6)
Score: 26–20 (max 40)

First mistake of the day as Paul uses a phantom second S, leaving Eileen to max the round and take first blood with a solid 6 in VARIES. VERMIS is a part of your brain, so called because it looks like a worm, and VERISM is a term from art or literature, meaning extremely or strictly naturalistic.

Round 6: 25, 9, 7, 7, 8, 5. Target: 794.

C1: 793. Mistake in working.
C2: -
OT: 794. 9 x 7 x (8 + 5) - 25 (10)
Score: 26–20 (max 50)

Another taxing numbers round proves no easier, Paul is not within ten, and Rachel is struggling too. A lot of people might have gone with (9 + 7) x (7 - 5) x 25 - 8 for two away. I also noticed (7 x 7 - 9 - 8) x 25 - 5 could have got us one closer, but I got no further with it. It is actually doable though, and there are two possible methods, both very similar actually, and they involve getting to 819 in a six-small-esque way before subtracting 25.


In today's guest slot, Bill talks about bees. He says they are very wise creatures and should rule the world. Right. OK then.
He has an apiary, but last year didn't get a single drop of honey, perhaps partly due to how bad the weather was.


Round 7: O E A N C R B S I

C1: CARBONISE (18)
C2: CARBONISE (18)
Score: 44–38 (max 68)

Liquid Countdown!

Round 8: D M L U O A T E M

C1: MOULTED (7)
C2: MODULATE (8)
Score: 44–46 (max 76)

Paul might well have been hoping for an S or a second D at the end so he can get his flake, but gets a little unfortunate and has to settle for the darrenic 8. That could have turned the game right on its head if he had have hit the 9, but as it is, he has to make do with just the two point lead that he has generated here.

Round 9: 50, 9, 4, 8, 7, 8. Target: 978.

C1: 984. (8 + 8 + 4) x 50 - 7 - 9 (5)
C2: -
OT: 978. (9 + 7) x 8 x 8 + 4 - 50 (10)
Score: 49–46 (max 86)

Well, what's going on here then? Another horrid selection. Paul blanks it again, while Eileen is outside of 5 away, but does pickup her 5 points by getting within ten, regaining the lead in the process. Rachel again can't offer anything worthwhile. 57 x 17 + 8 for 977 is one possibility to get close, but it is in fact doable - and echoes of round 6 again here, as we see what is essentially a six small solve with a cheeky -50 at the end. That would have been a hell of a spot.


Teatime teaser: LARDFEUD -> DREADFUL


Round 10: L J N T O E A D T

C1: NOTATED (7)
C2: LOANED (6)
DC: TOADLET (7)
OT: TALONED (7)
Score: 56–46 (max 93)

Yep, good stuff from Eileen as she extends her lead with one of the three 7-letter words available whilst Paul is stuck on six. Perhaps a vowel pick might have helped him here? The vowel would have been an I, and if both of these contestants can hit CARBONISE when needed then they can grab DELATION too, I'd presume. But yeah as I say, hindsight is wonderful.

Round 11: I O U Q P R S O G

C1: GROUPS (6)
C2: GROUPS (6)
OT: GUIROS (6) POROUS (6)
Score: 62–52 (max 99)

Solid stuff as the contestants mop up the easiest of the three sixes available. GUIROS are musical instruments. You might have used them in primary school, and they look like this


In today's Origins of Words, Susie talks about Silhouettes - a politically inspired word. They were popular in 18th century France, and seen as a cheaper alternative to a full portrait. Etienne de Silhouette was a politician during the reign of Louis XV, who was delegated the responsibility of looking after the nation's finances during the 7 years' war. He became infamous, largely due to his unfair tax systems which caused an upturn in poverty. Cheap things in France came to be called á la Silhouette as a satirical and derogatory nod towards this. Eventually these cheap portraits were thus named after him.

Round 12: F R N E I A P D E

C1: FRIEND (6)
C2: PAIRED (6)
DC: REPINED (7)
OT: DEFINER (7) PERINEA (7) REFINED (7) RIPENED (7)
Score: 68–58 (max 106)

Paul jumps back to 4 vowels here and it opens up the selection nicely as the second E provides us with five 7-letter words that wouldn't have otherwise been there, but neither contestant can take advantage as they can both unravel just six. Paul remains ten points away, then. Is it too early to be calling a potential tie-break situation?!

Round 13: A I U L R S T X E

C1: RESULT (6)
C2: REALIST (7)
DC: LUSTIER (7)
OT: LUXATES (7) RETAILS (7) RITUALS (7) SALTIER (7) SALTIRE (7) SALUTER (7)
Score: 68–65 (max 113)

Well yes. This round actually looked potentially great until the X came along, with words like INSULATOR, ESTUARIAL and RITUALISE on the cards if the right letters came out, but alas there are only sevens available. Bit of a shock there as Eileen can't pick any of them up, which certainly isn't like her based on yesterday's form, so Paul pulls himself back to 3 behind, meaning that if the last numbers round turns out much easier than the previous ones, then he only needs to solve one conundrum to win ...

Round 14: 50, 75, 8, 9, 6, 1. Target: 367.

C1: 367. 50 x 6 + 75 - 8 (10)
C2: 367. (6 - 1) x 75 - 8 (10)
Score: 78–75 (max 123)

... and yup, it's a fairly straightforward one, maybe we needed that after the absolute SHARECROP that we've been given today. The contestants exhibit similar methods in the end, but differ in their ways of getting to the intermediary target of 375. Alright then, in the words of MC Hammer: Stop! Crucial time. Well. He didn't really say that exactly... But, here we go.....


Round 15: S I T T H E C A T

...
C2 buzzes on 3 seconds.
...
C2 gives his answer after about 7 or 8 seconds and says CATCHIEST, which is incorrect. So it's close but no cigar for Paul, who has unfortunately used the wrong letters. I think it would have been harsh on Eileen if Paul offered the correct answer, after the amount of time he took to offer anything.
...
C1 buzzes on 21.5 seconds to say CHATTIEST, which is correct. Nice one Eileen - those ten points could be useful later in the series. Doesn't really matter how late you solve it, as long as you get it done.

Final Score: 88–75 (max 133)

Not quite as strong this time around from young Eileen, with only six maxes, but the selections were a hell of a lot harder. She came out and got the victory against a potentially tricky opponent though, which is the most important thing. Perhaps next time she can be a bit more merciless and finish strong to deny her opponent a crucial?

There's no Countdown tomorrow unfortunately as Channel 4 rudely turns its attention to Ruud van Nistelrooy and Camilla Parker-Bowles prancing around a field. Join us again on Monday to see how the popular Eileen gets on against her next opponent! Ciao for now.

Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=68

[Guy Barry]

Might be worth mentioning that the decision to take two large numbers in round 14 was Rachel's own after Paul passed up on it. She was clearly sick of all those awful "one large" rounds!

[Philip Wilson]

Sorry I'm so behind here, almost 2 weeks, [blame snooker], but I should catch up soon with all the racing! I was going to say in Round 6 when Eileen erroneously started explaining her method with 9 '+' 5, she probably actually did 9 '-' 5 to give 4, then x 8 x 25 = 800 - 7 to reach 793 that she declared and just one away. Maybe.