With no octochamp yet on the horizon, we'll still have to make do with pure guesswork for now.
So, enjoy.
Countdown recap for Wednesday 22 January 2014.
C1: Champion Priscilla Munday (1 win, 62 points.) A retired pharmacist from Redhill, Surrey. She was previously on the show in Series 48, where she won 1 game and lost 1 game.
C2: Challenger Ian Williams. A site supervisor by Nottingham. He previously worked as a Royal Navy helicopter crewman in the Atlantic.
DC: Susie Dent and Matt Allwright.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: V C O I A T R G S
R02: R F N E I S R U D
R03: 100, 9, 10, 5, 2, 7. Target: 459.
TTT: CHIPIDEA - "This is likely to upset the Green Party in more ways than one"
R04: G N C E O E Z M A
R05: T E N I B L O E R
R06: 75, 6, 2, 3, 6, 9. Target: 524.
R07: L I R E M T I O V
R08: S R H E A S B F O
R09: 75, 9, 3, 6, 10, 8. Target: 473.
TTT: OARDOUBT - "There's doubt about needing an oar if you've got this motor"
R10: M H S E T E I D S
R11: T P E I O D P E S
R12: R N G U I Q L M O
R13: N T A O D S E I P
R14: 8, 6, 3, 3, 7, 10. Target: 845.
R15: B O N D F I R E D (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: V C O I A T R G S
C1: CAVORTS (7)
C2: GATORS (6)
DC: VICTORS (7) VIRAGOS (7) ORGASTIC (8)
Score: 7–0 (max 8)
A good start by our champion, as Priscilla CAVORTS her way into the lead, while DC get a slightly amusing 8.
Round 2: R F N E I S R U D
C1: REFUNDS (7)
C2: FINDERS (7)
DC: INFUSED (7) INSURED (7)
OT: DURRIES (7) FRIENDS (7) FUNDERS (7) FUNDIES (7) INFUSER (7) INSURER (7) NURDIER (7) UNFIRED (7)
Score: 14–7 (max 15)
A plethora of 7's in round 2 here sees Ian get into the came as well.
A DURRIE is a cotton carpet made in India, often in rectangular pieces fringed at the ends: sometimes used as a sofa cover, wall hanging, etc.
Round 3: 100, 9, 10, 5, 2, 7. Target: 459.
C1: 462.
C2: 459. (9 x 5 x 10) + 7 + 2 (10)
Score: 14–17 (max 25)
Hmmm, Ian takes a shock lead, as Priscilla can only manage 3 away here.
Teatime teaser: CHIPIDEA -> APHICIDE
Round 4: G N C E O E Z M A
C1: CONGEE (6)
C2: OMEGA (5)
DC: ECZEMA (6) GENOME (6)
OT: COZENAGE (8)
Score: 20–17 (max 33)
But, a 3 point deficit now turns into a 3 point lead for Priscilla, but there's a well weird darrenic 8 hidden away there.
COZENAGE is the practice of cozening, or the condition of being cozened.
Round 5: T E N I B L O E R
C1: NOBLER (6)
C2: TONER (5)
DC: TREBLE (6)
OT: BORNITE (7) EBONITE (7) RETINOL (7)
Score: 26–17 (max 40)
Another 6 to 5 beater in Priscilla's favour, as her lead is extending ever so slightly. All three 7's missed in the studio though, not that I can boast about, as I didn't get them either.
BORNITE is a common mineral and important ore of copper, copper iron sulfide, Cu5FeS4, occurring in masses, of brownish colour when first exposed to the air.
Round 6: 75, 6, 2, 3, 6, 9. Target: 524.
C1: 524. ((9 - 2) x 75) - (6 / 6) (10)
C2: 524. ((9 - 2) x 75) - (6 / 6) (10)
Score: 36–27 (max 50)
Nice and simple numbers here. This game is still nicely balanced.
Matt talks about "Big Nose" George, a member of the Sim Jan Gang, in the days of the Wild West, who was eventually lynched by the public, and even more amazingly was turned into shoes and a bag
Round 7: L I R E M T I O V
C1: VIOLET (6)
C2: REVOLT (6)
DC: LIMITER (7) VITRIOL (7)
OT: MOTLIER (7) RILIEVO (7) VOMITER (7)
Score: 42–33 (max 57)
A VIOLET REVOLT!! Well, I'd better set the LIMITERs on the VITRIOL then
RILIEVO is prominence, distinctness, or vividness due to contrast.
Round 8: S R H E A S B F O
C1: BASHERS (7)
C2: BASHERS (7)
OT: FROSHES (7) SHOFARS (7)
Score: 49–40 (max 64)
And now we have a couple of BASHERS
In Hebrew, a SHOFAR is a ram's horn blown as a wind instrument, sounded in Biblical times chiefly to communicate signals in battle and announce certain religious occasions and in modern times chiefly at synagogue services on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
Round 9: 75, 9, 3, 6, 10, 8. Target: 473.
C1: 475. Mistake in working.
C2: 468. (75 x 6) + 10 + 8 (7)
RR: 473. ((75 / 3) x (10 + 9)) - (8 - 6) (10)
Score: 49–47 (max 74)
Ooooooooh, Priscilla falters on the numbers, letting Ian close up the gap to just 2 points.
Teatime teaser: OARDOUBT -> OUTBOARD
Round 10: M H S E T E I D S
C1: THEMES (6)
C2: DEMISTS (7)
DC: DEMISES (7)
OT: HEISTED (7) SMITHED (7) TIMESED (7) TIMESES (7)
Score: 49–54 (max 81)
And Ian has completely turned it around and retakes the lead
Round 11: T P E I O D P E S
C1: ESTOPPED (8)
C2: DOPIEST (7)
OT: EPITOPES (8) PEPTIDES (8) POETISED (8)
Score: 57–54 (max 89)
But, a super impressive spot by Priscilla lets her take the lead again
This game is getting more and more unpredictable by the second An EPITOPE is the site on an antigen at which a specific antibody becomes attached.
A PEPTIDE is a compound containing two or more amino acids in which the carboxyl group of one acid is linked to the amino group of the other.
Susie's Origins Of Words talks about the origins of "The Big Cheese", "stink", "sly", "crafty", "peculiar" and "fellow".
Round 12: R N G U I Q L M O
C1: MOGUL (5)
C2: misdeclared 4
DC: LIQUOR (6) LOURING (7)
OT: RONQUIL (7)
Score: 62–54 (max 96)
Oh dear, the pressure has suddenly got to Ian, as he can't even remember his 4, but with Priscilla only getting 5, the gap is still in single figures and all hope is not lost............. YET.
A RONQUIL is any of several percoid fishes of the family Bathymasteridae, ranging along the Pacific coast of North America.
Round 13: N T A O D S E I P
C1: POINTED (7)
C2: POINTED (7)
DC: ANTIPODES (18)
Score: 69–61 (max 114)
Well, there was a 9 there............, but it wasn't POINTED out to the contestants, and so we now head into a crucial phase, and Ian is about to do something very unusual...........
Round 14: 8, 6, 3, 3, 7, 10. Target: 845.
C1: 836. (((8 x 10) + 3) x (7 + 3)) + 6 (5)
C2: 818.
RR: 845. ((((3 + 7) x 10) + 6) x 8) - 3 (10)
Score: 74–61 (max 124)
Oh dear, Ian will have nightmares about that decision I'm sure (OK, probably not.
), but going 6 small when you're less than 10 points behind must mean that you're either super confident at your numbers, or hate conundrums. But, either which way, it's bad news for Ian, as he's too far away, and Priscilla's 5 points for her 9 away have given her the win. Round 15: B O N D F I R E D
No one buzzes. The answer was FORBIDDEN.
Final Score: 74–61 (max 134)
Quite like the 007 reference there, but this was actually the first one I failed to get this year
Ah well, but I'm not alone, as neither of our contestants got it either, so it's left to a gentleman in the audience to solve it for us all. Priscilla manages to scrape a 2nd win after another tricky challenge, but can she use all her hidden skills to get a hat-trick tomorrow
Join me for that, as we head into COLIN weekend for the most wide open series for a good while.
So, till then, bye for now.
Statistics Corner
Priscilla:
Total score - 74
Raw score - 87
Total % of max - 55
Raw % of max - 65
Total average score per round - 4.9
Raw average score per round - 5.8
Number of maxes - 4
Ian:
Total score - 61
Raw score - 84
Total % of max - 46
Raw % of max - 63
Total average score per round - 4.1
Raw average score per round - 5.6
Number of maxes - 5
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=70
