Spoilers for Wednesday 24 August 2022 (Series 86, Heat 48)

[John Garcia]

2 Apterites go at it

1st Numbers game, target 660, 2-away was the best:
100 / 25 = 4; 4 x 2 x (75+1) = 608; 608 + 50 = 658

DEMISTER for an alt 8 in R13

[Johnny Canuck]

Is Carl saying "a goody" or "an agouti", as in a classic Countdown word such as TANGELO or LEOTARD?

[Andres Sanchez]

RIGOLET in Round 1
MAUDLING in Round 11

[Toby McDonald]

TATAMI in R10

R14 TAFP: (7+6)*8+1 = 105

[Fiona T]

Debate in playalong chat on whether Jite's R7 dec of DUSKER should be allowed under the one syllable rule. DUSK is listed as an adjective and is one syllable... DUSKY is a separate adjective to which DUSKIER equates. DUSKER/DUSKEST currently allowable on apto.

[Gavin Chipper]

Yeah, definitely should be valid.

[Philip A]

Typing ‘dusker’ doesn’t actually direct to the ‘dusk’ entry, which might explain the disallowance of DUSKER. You also have to scroll down the ‘dusk’ page to find the adjectival definition. But yes, nothing wrong with DUSKER and DUSKEST as per Countdown rules.

[L'oisleatch McGraw]

Debate in playalong chat on whether Jite's R7 dec of DUSKER should be allowed under the one syllable rule.

Yeah, I saw that Chloe "cocky even when wrong" Jones was pretty insistent that Susie's adjudication had been correct.
Countdown needs to sort itself out with a dedicated easily searchable word list, like Scrabble have.

[Gavin Chipper]

Well I think the Countdowners Facebook group has a lower proportion of hardcore obsessives that know everything inside out. The idea that Susie might make a mistake might be more of an alien concept to some of them.

[Howie Myers]

r1: GIRLIER
r8 alt: GHOSTER

[Tom S]

From the contestant's guidelines:

"The rule of thumb for Countdown is that comparatives of all 2-syllable adjectives must be
specified in the dictionary or they will not be allowed on the show. You’ll get used to what is
acceptable and what isn’t over a period of time – but in general, if it’s not listed in the dictionary,
it is not allowed – with ONE exception – and this is for 1-syllable adjectives like dark, cold,
bleak. The dictionary doesn’t list darker and darkest, colder and coldest etc, as we have a rule
that the vast majority of 1-syllable adjectives can be extended in this way, but do be aware this
rule doesn't cover every single possibility."

[Philip A]

From the contestant's guidelines:

"The rule of thumb for Countdown is that comparatives of all 2-syllable adjectives must be
specified in the dictionary or they will not be allowed on the show. You’ll get used to what is
acceptable and what isn’t over a period of time – but in general, if it’s not listed in the dictionary,
it is not allowed – with ONE exception – and this is for 1-syllable adjectives like dark, cold,
bleak. The dictionary doesn’t list darker and darkest, colder and coldest etc, as we have a rule
that the vast majority of 1-syllable adjectives can be extended in this way, but do be aware this
rule doesn't cover every single possibility."

I think it should definitely say that -ED should definitely be exempt, so no paineder x, painedest x etc. (after all standard inflections are more/most pained)

But I think DUSKER and DUSKEST are as meritable as DIMMER, DIMMEST, DARKER and DUSKEST when describing amount of light, since DUSK is a synonym for DIM and DARK.

[Fiona T]

From the contestant's guidelines:

"The rule of thumb for Countdown is that comparatives of all 2-syllable adjectives must be
specified in the dictionary or they will not be allowed on the show. You’ll get used to what is
acceptable and what isn’t over a period of time – but in general, if it’s not listed in the dictionary,
it is not allowed – with ONE exception – and this is for 1-syllable adjectives like dark, cold,
bleak. The dictionary doesn’t list darker and darkest, colder and coldest etc, as we have a rule
that the vast majority of 1-syllable adjectives can be extended in this way, but do be aware this
rule doesn't cover every single possibility."

Suitably ambiguous!