Monday 12th October 2009 (Series 61, Prelim 61)

[Howard Somerset]

Countdown recap for Monday 12 October 2009.

C1: Champion Steve Wood (4 wins, 352 points.)
C2: Challenger Peter Briere-Edney.
DC: Susie Dent and Penny Smith.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

Steve is now half way to his octochamp target, with an average of 88 points per game. So far, only one of his games has been decided before the final numbers round, and on his first game he came from behind to win on a crucial conundrum. Will today's game be close, too?

Challenging him today is Peter, currently living in Southsea, but having spent some years in Spain, and with a desire to move to France some time. At present, he's writing a novel related to looking into people's minds, and he's fond of golf and cooking.

Making a welcome return to dictionary corner after a lengthy gap is GMTV presenter Penny Smith. On the last occasion that Penny was on the programme, Richard and Carol were the presenters, Damien was the lexicographer, David Ballheimer was just completing his octochamp run, and my fellow Monday recapper was a mere 3 year old.

R01: M E E T P S O U T
R02: Z W I N K A E H G
R03: L A M T O P E I C
R04: S R G A E F L O N
R05: 75, 25, 4, 10, 9, 3. Target: 256.
TTT: TOMSROAD - "They're very sumissive, often trodden all over."
R06: Y R T U I A R E D
R07: R O E T S T O D G
R08: D S B E O N R E N
R09: R I E D R T A O S
R10: 25, 6, 1, 2, 8, 5. Target: 768.
TTT: CACTISET - "Feeling happy that your former partner wont move."
R11: N E I L S U N L I
R12: J D S A E C I P N
R13: S M O X N I E T P
R14: 75, 7, 8, 5, 3, 6. Target: 284.
R15: C A K I N G P U N (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: M E E T P S O U T

C1: MOUSE (5)
C2: TEMPTS (6)
DC: TEMPEST (7)
OT: METOPES (7) MUSETTE (7) OUTSTEP (7) TOUPETS (7) PUTTEES (7) TOUPEES (7)
Score: 0–6 (max 7)

An early lead for challenger Peter.

Round 2: Z W I N K A E H G

C1: WAKING (6)
C2: WAKING (6)
DC: HAWKING (7)
Score: 6–12 (max 14)

Round 3: L A M T O P E I C

C1: POLEMIC (7)
C2: ATOMIC (6)
DC: COMPLEAT (8)
OT: POETICAL (8)
Score: 13–12 (max 22)

Steve comes back to take a very narrow lead.

Round 4: S R G A E F L O N

C1: FORAGES (7)
C2: FLAGONS (7)
DC: FLANGES (7) ORANGES (7) ONAGERS (7) FLANGERS (8)
Score: 20–19 (max 30)

Round 5: 75, 25, 4, 10, 9, 3. Target: 256.

C1: 256. 75 x 3 + 25 + 10 - 6 (10)
C2: 256. 75 x 3 + 25 + 10 - 6 (10)
Score: 30–29 (max 40)

And at the first break it couldn't be a lot closer.

Penny gives us a couple of examples of how TV presenters can be brought down to earth when the public are clamouring to see the real stars.

Teatime teaser: TOMSROAD -> DOORMATS

Round 6: Y R T U I A R E D

C1: TARRED (6)
C2: -
DC: TARDIER (7) TARRIED (7) DIETARY (7)
Score: 36–29 (max 47)

Peter's mind clearly went blank here, allowing Steve to open up a small lead.

Round 7: R O E T S T O D G

C1: GROTTOS (7)
C2: ROOSTED (7)
DC: GROTTOES (8)
OT: DOGTROTS (8) GROTTOED (8)
Score: 43–36 (max 55)

Round 8: D S B E O N R E N

C1: BENDERS (7)
C2: bonders
DC: BEDSORE (7)
OT: REDBONES (8)
Score: 50–36 (max 63)

And now Steve's lead is over ten for the first time today.

Round 9: R I E D R T A O S

C1: TRADERS (7)
C2: ROASTED (7)
DC: ROADSTER (8) ROTARIES (8)
OT: ASTEROID (8)
Score: 57–43 (max 71)

Susie talked about some words which many people feel are corrupting the English language, having crossed the Atlantic from USA. She mentioned a number, which surprisingly didn't originate in the States, but in fact had their source in England in much earlier times. Some of those she mentioned were "gotten", "fall" (for Autumn), and "I guess".

Round 10: 25, 6, 1, 2, 8, 5. Target: 768.

C1: 767. 25 x 6 x 5 + 8 x 2 + 1 (7)
C2: 768. Mistake in working.
RR: 768. 5 x 6 x 25 + (8 + 1) x 2 (10)
Score: 64–43 (max 81)

Very unlucky here. Peter had the solution; it was actually the one that Rachel offered. But not having written it down, he stumbled with the delivery, even getting as far as 5 x 6 x 25 + (8 + 1) ... but then felt he'd gone wrong.
So Steve goes into the break with a much more comfortable lead of 21.

Teatime teaser: CACTISET -> ECSTATIC

Round 11: N E I L S U N L I

C1: SULLEN (6)
C2: SULLEN (6)
DC: INSULIN (7)
Score: 70–49 (max 88)

Steve considered but wisely rejected SUNLINE, and Penny's suggestion of INLINE was also invalid, this one being hypenated.

Round 12: J D S A E C I P N

C1: SPACED (6)
C2: CANDIES (7)
DC: INSCAPE (7)
OT: DECANIS (7) INCASED (7)
Score: 70–56 (max 95)

Round 13: S M O X N I E T P

C1: POXIEST (7)
C2: POXIEST (7)
DC: PIMENTOS (8)
OT: NEPOTISM (8)
Score: 77–63 (max 103)

Round 14: 75, 7, 8, 5, 3, 6. Target: 284.

C1: 286. (7 - 3) x 75 - (8 + 6) (7)
C2: 284. Mistake in working
RR: 284. ((7 - 5) x 75 - 8) x 6 / 3
Score: 84–63 (max 113)

Once again, Peter falls down on the numbers round, which give the game to Steve.
Rachel's solution attracts raucous high-pitched screams from somebody in the audience.

Round 15: C A K I N G P U N

C2 buzzes on 2 seconds to say UNPACKING which is correct.
Score: 84–73 (max 123)

With Peter closing the final gap to just eleven, it's clear that his stumbling over the round 10 solution cost him the game. Steve admited at the end that he felt he'd been vey lucky to get through this round. So now he joins three other players on five wins, and is just one win away from leaping into 5th place on the leaderboard.

Today's recap has been brought to you by the old git, standing in at very short notice for the kid, who's suffering from the pressure of homework and what he calls "other stuff". I wonder if he'll reveal what that other stuff is.

And now for the regular Monday stats:

Steve:
Total score - 84
Raw score - 95
Total % of max - 68
Raw % of max - 77
Total average score per round - 5.6
Raw average score per round - 6.3
Number of maxes - 1

Peter:
Total score - 73
Raw score - 79
Total % of max - 59
Raw % of max - 64
Total average score per round - 4.9
Raw average score per round - 5.3
Number of maxes - 3


Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=61

[Derek Hazell]

Today's recap has been brought to you by the old git

If being an "old git" means being like you, or being a "silly old sod" means being like Allan, then I think both things should be something many of us aspire to be one day.

[Dinos Sfyris]

Think you mean ONAGERS in round 4. Thought I'd point it out here rather than pming you discretely about it so we can all have a jolly good laugh.

[Howard Somerset]

Think you mean ONAGERS in round 4. Thought I'd point it out here rather than pming you discretely about it so we can all have a jolly good laugh.

You wait until I see something in a future recap of yours, Dinos. No more PMs.

Recap adjusted, as suggested.

[Clive Brooker]

Think you mean ONAGERS in round 4. Thought I'd point it out here rather than pming you discretely about it so we can all have a jolly good laugh.

discreetly

[Alec Rivers]

Think you mean ONAGERS in round 4. Thought I'd point it out here rather than pming you discretely about it so we can all have a jolly good laugh.

discreetly

Good spot. My way of remembering the difference between -eet- and -ete- is that in the one meaning 'separate', the E's are separated by the T.

[Kai Laddiman]

1 max to 3 - not good!

*doesn't point out a couple of tpyos*

[Howard Somerset]

*doesn't point out a couple of tpyos*

So glad you didn't. Wonders which two you found.

[David Williams]

Think you mean ONAGERS in round 4. Thought I'd point it out here rather than pming you discretely about it so we can all have a jolly good laugh.

discreetly

Good spot. My way of remembering the difference between -eet- and -ete- is that in the one meaning 'separate', the E's are separated by the T.

My way is that, when you think what they actually mean, discrete is the opposite of concrete.

[Charlie Reams]

My way is that, when you think what they actually mean, discrete is the opposite of concrete.

Possibly this is a joke, but isn't abstract the opposite of concrete?

[Phil Reynolds]

My way is that, when you think what they actually mean, discrete is the opposite of concrete.

Possibly this is a joke, but isn't abstract the opposite of concrete?

In normal usage possibly, but David's point (I assume) was that concrete literally means "grown together" while discrete means "grown apart".

[Charlie Reams]

In normal usage possibly, but David's point (I assume) was that concrete literally means "grown together" while discrete means "grown apart".

Cunning. FTR I use Alec's method.

[David Williams]

I knew chaos would reign when they started letting people into middling universities without basic Latin.