Monday 15th July 2013 (Series 69, Prelim 11)

[Graeme Cole]

Countdown recap for Monday 15 July 2013.

C1: Champion June Glasspell (5 wins, 436 points) started her run this time last week and is now heading towards a place in December's finals.
C2: Challenger Margaret Lawless is a great-great-grandmother from Raunds, Northamptonshire. She's been a fan of the show for 30 years.
DC: Susie Dent and Brendan Cole.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: R V E O M L E D I
R02: Y H R A E P O T S
R03: 25, 10, 1, 9, 1, 10. Target: 986.
TTT: SNIFFRIG - "These mythical creatures used to inhabit the midlands."
R04: D J U E S A T R M
R05: T Q I E S C I T U
R06: 100, 6, 9, 1, 2, 4. Target: 235.
R07: M L O E W D A B O
R08: R N G A E O E L S
R09: 75, 9, 1, 10, 6, 8. Target: 380.
TTT: INEPTACT - "The inept act hardly earns them a penny."
R10: I O P K R H A E M
R11: S T O A N R E F I
R12: N U O E S D W C B
R13: S P A I S P O N I
R14: 25, 10, 6, 9, 9, 1. Target: 735.
R15: B R I G H T N O B (conundrum)


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Enjoy the show.


Round 1: R V E O M L E D I

C1: MOVER (5)
C2: REMOVED (7)
DC: REVILED (7) DELIVER (7)
OT: EVILDOER (8)
Score: 0–7 (max 8)

If you were thinking of OVERLIED^, like I was, you can't have it. Go with EVILDOER instead.


Round 2: Y H R A E P O T S

C1: TROPHY (6)
C2: PASTRY (6)
DC: POTHER (6) TEAPOYS (7)
OT: ATROPHY (7) EARSHOT (7) ESPARTO (7) HOAREST (7) PHORESY (7) PROTEAS (7) SEAPORT (7) STROPHE (7) THERAPY (7) THORPES (7)
Score: 6–13 (max 15)

Nick: "We turn to you, Margaret, again, for your letters game."
Margaret: "My first."


Round 3: 25, 10, 1, 9, 1, 10. Target: 986.

C1: 976. 10*10*(9+1)-25+1 (5)
C2: 976. 10*10*(9+1)-25+1 (5)
RR: 985. (7)
OT: 985. 10*(10*(9+1)+1)-25 (7)
Score: 11–18 (max 22)

Sometimes, as in this case, Rachel puts up the numbers and says "this could be tricky". At this point, old CECIL used to pick an easy target just for a joke. No such playfulness with new CECIL, though.


Teatime teaser: SNIFFRIG -> GRIFFINS


Round 4: D J U E S A T R M

C1: MUSTARD (7)
C2: MASTER (6)
DC: ADJUSTER (8)
OT: READJUST (8)
Score: 18–18 (max 30)

June draws level again thanks to that spicy seven, but Susie and Brendan find ADJUSTER for eight.


Round 5: T Q I E S C I T U

C1: equits
C2: CUTIES (6)
DC: CUTTIES (7)
OT: QUIETIST (8)
Score: 18–24 (max 38)

Not sure where June was going with EQUITS^. Susie thinks she might have been conflating EQUIPS and ACQUITS. A CUTTY is a short tobacco pipe, which Brendan reveals in the plural for seven. And what of the unfound eight, QUIETIST? Well, you know how in an orchestra you've got the violinist, the cellist, the flautist, and so on? The QUIETIST is the one who just idles about playing nothing at all. He's usually that poncy self-important buffoon who tries to be funny by standing at the front waving a wand in a comically overexaggerated manner. Hm? Yes, I know none of that is true, but the real definition is much less interesting.


Round 6: 100, 6, 9, 1, 2, 4. Target: 235.

C1: 235. 2*100+4*9-1 (10)
C2: 235. Mistake in working.
Score: 28–24 (max 48)

Margaret tries 2*100+6*4+9, but that's 233 not 235, which means champion June goes in front for the first time in the game.


Round 7: M L O E W D A B O

C1: LOOMED (6)
C2: BLOOMED (7)
DC: MEADOW (6)
OT: WOOABLE (7)
Score: 28–31 (max 55)

Margaret steals the lead back again thanks to June not noticing the B.


Round 8: R N G A E O E L S

C1: ENRAGES (7)
C2: GLEANERS (8)
OT: SLOGANEER (18)
Score: 28–39 (max 73)

I thought GLEANERS wouldn't be in, but it's fine as an agent noun from GLEAN, which as well as meaning to gather information, also has a historical sense meaning to gather leftover grain after a harvest. Undiscovered in the studio is the nine-letter word SLOGANEER.


Round 9: 75, 9, 1, 10, 6, 8. Target: 380.

C1: 375.
C2: 377. (6-1)*75+10-8 (7)
RR: 380. (6-1)*(75+10-9) (10)
Score: 28–46 (max 83)

Margaret first said "eight minus ten" before Rachel corrected her to "ten minus eight". Topic for discussion: according to the rules you're not allowed to use negative numbers, but what's the point in having that rule? It's not as if doing "8 minus 10 is -2, then 375 minus -2 is 377" confers any particular advantage.

Anyway, Margaret increases her lead, but it's still anyone's game going into part three.


Teatime teaser: INEPTACT -> PITTANCE


Round 10: I O P K R H A E M

C1: EMPORIA (7)
C2: MOHAIR (6)
DC: POKIE (5) HAMPER (6) PARKIE (6)
OT: HAMERKOP (8)
Score: 35–46 (max 91)

Is this the start of a comeback by June? EMPORIA puts her only 11 behind. The darren HAMERKOP is a brown African marshbird.


Round 11: S T O A N R E F I

C1: FASTER (6)
C2: FAINTER (7)
DC: NOTARIES (8) FORINTS (7)
OT: NOTARISE (8) SEAFRONT (8)
Score: 35–53 (max 99)

Margaret undoes June's effort in the last round to go 18 ahead again.


Round 12: N U O E S D W C B

C1: BOUNDS (6)
C2: BOUNDS (6)
DC: BUNCOES (7)
OT: BOUNCED (7) BOUNCES (7) BUNCOED (7) UNBOWED (7)
Score: 41–59 (max 106)

Neither player makes the leap from BOUNDS to BOUNCES, so June now has just three rounds to take 18 points if she is to stay in the champion's chair another day.


Round 13: S P A I S P O N I

C1: PASSION (7)
C2: SNAPS (5)
DC: PIANOS (6)
OT: ISOSPIN (7)
Score: 48–59 (max 113)

A good spot from June, but she still needs to win the last numbers round to have a chance of winning. ISOSPIN has a definition even less accessible than that of QUIETIST.


Round 14: 25, 10, 6, 9, 9, 1. Target: 735.

C1: 731. (10+9+9+1)*25+6 (7)
C2: -
RR: 735. (9*9-(6-1))*10-25 (10)
Score: 55–59 (max 123)

It's another tricky numbers game, and June's offering is close enough to force a crucial conundrum. The players have been evenly enough matched throughout this game that that's not an unfair outcome.


Round 15: B R I G H T N O B

Margaret buzzes on 5 seconds to say THROBBING which is correct.
Final Score: 55–69 (max 133)

Margaret takes her first win and the Countdown Teapot. There's a chance we'll see June back for the finals with five wins, but with so many top-class players anticipated this series it's certainly not guaranteed. Nick signs off giving Countdown's Twitter feed a plug. Talking of which, Nick isn't wearing glasses in the latest photos. I assume it's that eye operation he's been talking about? See you next Monday.


Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=69

[James Robinson]

Nick signs off giving Countdown's Twitter feed a plug. Talking of which, Nick isn't wearing glasses in the latest photos. I assume it's that eye operation he's been talking about?

Indeed, as of next week, you'll see him glassesless on the show.

[Mike Brown]

Round 7: M L O E W D A B O

C1: LOOMED (6)
C2: BLOOMED (7)

Thought it was a bit odd when Susie said: "[BLOOMED] was almost written out for us there." Really??