c4countdown

Countdown recap for Monday 21 October 2013.

C1: Champion Bradley Cates (1 win, 111 points) is a return visitor to Countdown. Aged 11, he won three games in series 56 in 2007 before being defeated by our own Ian Volante on a crucial conundrum. Last Friday he debuted again and beat the strong champion Mark Hartnett in a game that ended 111-101.
C2: Challenger Sean Deloughry is an IT consultant from Dundalk who now lives in Maynooth, County Kildare. He has two sons watching at home, one called Eoghan, which is the Irish version of Owen. Nick asks about the spelling of Irish names like this one. Sean has another son called, erm, Oosheen. It probably isn't spelt like that, though. I've never really understood how Irish spelling works. If something like "Neve" can be spelt "Niamh" then "Oosheen" is just as likely to be spelt "Oranges". We finally know that the D in "Sean D" stands for Deloughry, which is pronounced "Quibblefoo". Anyway, I'm going to assume Sean's son spells his name Oranges. Clarification on any of these spelling points is welcome here, especially if your name is Sean Quibblefoo.
DC: Susie Dent and Arlene Phillips.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: H O M I N E R D U
R02: A E E L R S T I O
R03: 75, 3, 2, 10, 1, 6. Target: 842.
TTT: KENSTOLE - "Ken stole this key and gained access everywhere."
R04: E O A R N S C M G
R05: R E S A G O N T B
R06: 50, 75, 25, 100, 5, 5. Target: 959.
R07: S A L O M U F T V
R08: E O E L D T G I E
R09: 75, 10, 4, 1, 7, 8. Target: 608.
TTT: HUGEPLOD - "Took a huge plod through the field and carried on."
R10: I A E R N S D K P
R11: F A T I S O T H E
R12: A I E P G S M S P
R13: D A C E P U W V L
R14: 25, 75, 50, 100, 3, 2. Target: 466.
R15: F I F E R S U N G (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: H O M I N E R D U

C1: HEIRDOM (7)
C2: hounder
DC: MOURNED (7) HUMIDOR (7) INHUMED (7)
OT: MINORED (7) RHENIUM (7) RHODIUM (7)
Score: 7–0 (max 7)

Susie is surprised at HOUNDER^ not being in the dictionary, and Bradley's HEIRDOM gives him first blood.


Round 2: A E E L R S T I O

C1: OSTERIA (7)
C2: REALIST (7)
DC: LEASE (5) STERILE (7) LOITERS (7) TAILORS (7) EARLIEST (8)
OT: AEROLITES (18)
Score: 14–7 (max 25)

Very annoying selection with lots of sevens even though you know there's more. You might have spotted EARLIEST for eight, but nobody spots the exotic AEROLITES for nine. AEROLITES are meteorites made of stone.


Round 3: 75, 3, 2, 10, 1, 6. Target: 842.

C1: 842. (75+6+3)*10+2 (10)
C2: 842. (75+6+3)*10+2 (10)
Score: 24–17 (max 35)

Bradley picks one large, and a not insurmountable numbers game is the result.


Teatime teaser: KENSTOLE -> SKELETON


Round 4: E O A R N S C M G

C1: ROMANCES (8)
C2: morgans
DC: MOANERS (7) COARSEN (7) CARGOES (7) MORGENS (7)
OT: CRAGSMEN (8) MEGARONS (8)
Score: 32–17 (max 43)

Morgan, a breed of horse, is in the dictionary but has a capital M. Bradley's ROMANCES take him further into the lead.


Round 5: R E S A G O N T B

C1: RAGSTONE (8)
C2: ORANGES (7)
DC: TANGOES (7) BARONETS (8) SENATOR (7) TREASON (7)
OT: NEGATORS (8)
Score: 40–17 (max 51)

Sean can only see the name of his son Oranges, but Bradley finds one of the three eights.


Round 6: 50, 75, 25, 100, 5, 5. Target: 959.

C1: 953.
C2: 955. (75+100)*5+50+25+5 (7)
OT: 959. (50*100-75-5)/5-25 (10)
Score: 40–24 (max 61)

Sean D Loughry picks four large, and we get a puzzle so difficult that even Rachel can't solve it. Even Jack "25-(100/(75-50)) today" Worsley couldn't get it. The only solution is to divide 4920 by 5 and subtract 25.


Round 7: S A L O M U F T V

C1: SFUMATO (7)
C2: FAMOUS (6)
DC: FLOUTS (6) VAULTS (6) ALMOST (6)
OT: FLOTSAM (7) VATFULS (7)
Score: 47–24 (max 68)

A great spot from Bradley with SFUMATO, something you'd only expect seasoned aptoplayers to spot. There's no user by the name of Bradley Cates on apterous though. Maybe he plays under another name? Or maybe he just came across SFUMATO some other way?


Round 8: E O E L D T G I E

C1: TOILED (6)
C2: DELETE (6)
Score: 53–30 (max 74)

An unpromising selection, and our contestants find the only two sixes available.


Round 9: 75, 10, 4, 1, 7, 8. Target: 608.

C1: 608. (75+1)*8 (10)
C2: 608. (75+1)*8 (10)
Score: 63–40 (max 84)

Too easy for you? Here's something more difficult. I watched this Monty Python routine the other day, and it gave me the idea for this puzzle. Can you solve it?


Teatime teaser: HUGEPLOD -> PLOUGHED


Round 10: I A E R N S D K P

C1: SPRAINED (8)
C2: SPRAINED (8)
DC: SPANKED (7) KIDNAPS (7) PARKIES (7) DARKENS (7)
OT: SPIKENARD (18)
Score: 71–48 (max 102)

Eights for Bradley and Sean, but if you spotted SPIKENARD then get on the show if you haven't already. I'd have assumed this was a weapon of some kind, but it's actually a kind of ancient perfumed ointment.


Round 11: F A T I S O T H E

C1: ATHEIST (7)
C2: FATTIES (7)
DC: HOTTIES (7)
OT: FATTISH (7) OATIEST (7) STAITHE (7) TOASTIE (7)
Score: 78–55 (max 109)

FAT+L.

Susie's Origins of Words takes us for a read through some of the entries in the Oxford Dictionary of Humorous Quotations, compiled by Gyles Brandreth. We're used to dictionary corner guests plugging their book, but I like how Gyles is one of the few who can get away with it without actually appearing on the show.


Round 12: A I E P G S M S P

C1: IMAGES (6)
C2: IMAGES (6)
DC: AGEISM (6) MAGPIES (7)
OT: IMPASSE (7) PAPISMS (7)
Score: 84–61 (max 116)

Arlene finds AGEISM, which we'll be having none of on Countdown. Other shows may vary.


Round 13: D A C E P U W V L

C1: VALUED (6)
C2: PLACED (6)
DC: DEWLAP (6)
OT: CALVED (6) CLAWED (6) DECLAW (6) WAULED (6)
Score: 90–67 (max 122)

Six was the best here, so Bradley has sealed a second win. Susie finds DEWLAP, which is a fold of loose skin hanging from the neck or throat of an animal or bird.


Round 14: 25, 75, 50, 100, 3, 2. Target: 466.

C1: 462.
C2: 465. ((100+50+75/25)+2)*3 (7)
OT: 466. ((100+50)/25)*(75+3)-2 (10)
Score: 90–74 (max 132)

Sean's pick of four large defeats everyone including Rachel for a second time, but Sean once more beats Bradley on the numbers.


Round 15: F I F E R S U N G

Bradley buzzes on 1 second to say SUFFERING which is correct.
Final Score: 100–74 (max 142)

A quick conundrum spot gives Bradley his second century in two games and sets him on the road towards the quarter-finals, to be recorded in three weeks' time. Sean D showed some skill on the numbers today, and is clearly an above average player, especially on four large. But there's no shame in losing to Bradley when he's on this run of form.


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

Graeme Cole wrote: Sean has another son called, erm, Oosheen. It probably isn't spelt like that, though.

I know someone with this name, it's actually Oisín (pronounced AW-sheen). You can be forgiven for not guessing so.

Thanks for the recap Graeeem Collay! Nick managed to pronounce DeLoughry ok (DeLockree) but yeh, two good Irish names in Eoghan (pronounced closer to Own than Owen) and Oisín (usually pronounced Ush-een, not Oo-sheen, and more like Oh-sheen in the North. Or Aw-sheen in Scotland! The accent on the second i is a fada, literally 'broad' in Irish, which broadens the 'ih' sound to an 'ee' sound. Pronunciation of groups of two or more vowels is always tricky and varies due to context.)

As discussed elsewhere Bradley says he's not on Apterous and there's no reason to doubt him really. He was very strong 7 years ago at 11, he's very very strong now. He plays the iPad app and has his own word lists, including art/music terms, hence SFUMATO. If he was on Apterous he probably would've handled 4 large better! Looking forward to seeing how far he can go.

I played ok, but a couple of bad misses I'd normally get on Apterous... MOURNED, EARLIEST, MAGPIE spring to mind. It wasn't an ideal time for me to be recording but there's never a perfect time, and even if I hadn't run into Bradley I would have run into Mark or Abdi or Callum. Or Jen or Dylan or Zarte! Crazy series... ah well, being a first time loser I might give it another go in 5 or 6 years time. And my apologies for coming across quite as dull as I did

Yep, when I played him, he had his nose stuck in a dictionary all the time he was sat in the green room. A geekier childhood even than mine I suspect.

Good God .... Pronunciation-gate has made page 3 of the Irish Daily Mail! Perhaps we should plant a leftist pro-immigration europhile article here and see how if it makes the Mail.

Wouldn't it be good if Bradley Cates had a brother or a son called Abdi.
Abdi Cates.

Graeme, I liked your puzzle. I think the answer is 160, but I fear I might be heading for the bottomless pit...

Heather Styles wrote:Graeme, I liked your puzzle. I think the answer is 160, but I fear I might be heading for the bottomless pit...

Glad you liked the puzzle.

But you've still fallen down the bottomless pit.

Graeme Cole wrote:

Heather Styles wrote:Graeme, I liked your puzzle. I think the answer is 160, but I fear I might be heading for the bottomless pit...

Glad you liked the puzzle.

But you've still fallen down the bottomless pit.

640?

Nice puzzle, Graeme. I get 480

I've got 40 but I'm famously shit at puzzles.

Bob wins. Everyone else has fallen down the pit.

Awesome. But then I suppose I did cheat by being one of the guards.

Heather Styles wrote:Graeme, I liked your puzzle. I think the answer is 160, but I fear I might be heading for the bottomless pit...

I made it that too Heather

Luckily I used a broom handle so eventually got there on about my sixth guess #tekkers

Explanation anyone?

You need to find by what factor Alice over-exaggerates and by what factor Bob under-exaggerates so that their sentences about each other are true. Let's assume that Bob is under by a factor of 3 and see if it works. His statement implies that Alice is over by a factor of 12 (he says she is over by a factor 4, so the truth would be three times as much). Now we take that information and look at Alice's statement. She says Bob is under by a factor of 36, but we know this is an exaggeration by a factor of 12, so the truth is that Bob is under by a factor of 3. This agrees with our initial assumption, so our assumption must be correct! Finally , now we know that Alice over-exaggerates by a factor of 12, we just divide the code by 12 to get the answer.

If you want to get mathsy, you need to solve the equations 4x = y and 36/y = x, where x is the factor of Bob's under-exag and y is Alive's over-exag.

Hmmm, not sure that's a great explanation!

I get it. You can't just do one and then the other which gets you answers like 160. Cool. Thanks.

About a quarter past 11, sir!

I just did it and got the same as Bob, which turns out to be correct, so that's good.

But really - hiding puzzles in recap threads!