Enjoy.
Countdown recap for Wednesday 25 March 2015.
C1: Champion Tom Cappleman (4 wins, 484 points.) An Apterite and software developer from Enfield, Greater London.
C2: Challenger Angela Hopson. A commercial insurance underwriter from Birmingham. She's a big fan of Sir Ranulph Fiennes, and saw him do a talk show about his escapades in Birmingham.
DC: Susie Dent and Nicky Campbell.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: S D M N O A U T A
R02: B K T I E U S T I
R03: 25, 75, 50, 100, 3, 4. Target: 997.
TTT: SURESINS - "The boy wakes up at the crack of dawn"
R04: G J L E O A V N I
R05: S L R D E O U I E
R06: 50, 3, 9, 7, 1, 8. Target: 181.
R07: X S N O E A M V R
R08: D P F O I E S C I
R09: 100, 75, 25, 50, 7, 6. Target: 594.
TTT: BITITCOS - "He bit it cos he fancied a little nibble"
R10: Y P G H O U A D E
R11: W L G T U A I F O
R12: L R P N E A I T E
R13: S H M S O U E Z P
R14: 3, 6, 9, 8, 10, 3. Target: 684.
R15: T H I C K P R O F (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: S D M N O A U T A
Tom: AMOUNTS (7)
Angela: AMOUNTS (7)
DC: SONATA (6) OUTMANS (7)
OT: ASTOUND (7) DUSTMAN (7) MANTUAS (7) OSMUNDA (7)
Score: 7–7 (max 7)
Simple AMOUNTS for both players to start with today.
A MANTUA is a woman’s loose gown of a kind fashionable during the 17th and 18th centuries.
An OSMUNDA is a plant of a genus that includes the royal and cinnamon ferns. (Genus Osmunda, family Osmundaceae)
Round 2: B K T I E U S T I
Tom: BUTTIES (7)
Angela: BUTTIES (7)
OT: KITTIES (7)
Score: 14–14 (max 14)
Yum, yum, BUTTIES.
Round 3: 25, 75, 50, 100, 3, 4. Target: 997.
Tom: 997. ((100 + 75 + 50 + 25) x 4) - 3 (10)
Angela: 1,000.
Score: 24–14 (max 24)
The 4 large master shows his stuff and takes the first lead of this match.
Teatime teaser: SURESINS -> SUNRISES
Round 4: G J L E O A V N I
Tom: LEAVING (7)
Angela: JAVELIN (7)
DC: LOVING (6) GALJOEN (7)
Score: 31–21 (max 31)
JAVELIN comes flying up again, but Tom is clearly LEAVING it alone this time.
Round 5: S L R D E O U I E
Tom: SOLDIER (7)
Angela: LOUDER (6)
DC: URODELES (8)
OT: LEISURED (8)
Score: 38–21 (max 39)
The MAX GAME ends for Tom, but his lead extends thanks to him marching on like his SOLDIER.
Round 6: 50, 3, 9, 7, 1, 8. Target: 181.
Tom: 181. ((50 + 8) x 3) + 7 (10)
Angela: 180.
Score: 48–21 (max 49)
When it's the numbers game, nothing seems to be standing in Tom's way
Nicky talks about the scandalous nature of the ivory trade.
Round 7: X S N O E A M V R
Tom: OVERMANS (8)
Angela: SERMON (6)
Score: 56–21 (max 57)
Another darren for Tom, and he's motoring on now
Round 8: D P F O I E S C I
Tom: EPISODIC (8)
Angela: COPIED (6)
OT: CODIFIES (8)
Score: 64–21 (max 65)
And with superb 8's like this, the points total is just going all Jackie Wilson.
(maybe without the love bit. 
)Round 9: 100, 75, 25, 50, 7, 6. Target: 594.
Tom: 594. (100 - ((50 + 25) / 75)) x 6 (10)
Angela: 593.
Score: 74–21 (max 75)
Still going all 4 large, and why not, it's getting Tom the points and the plaudits too.
Teatime teaser: BITITCOS -> BISCOTTI
Round 10: Y P G H O U A D E
Tom: DOUGHY (6)
Angela: DOUGHY (6)
OT: HYPOGEA (7)
Score: 80–27 (max 82)
How DOUGHY was that
Well, not as DOUGHY as the missed darrenic 7.......A HYPOGEUM (plural HYPOGEA) is an underground chamber.
Round 11: W L G T U A I F O
Tom: OUTLAW (6)
Angela: AGOUTI (6)
OT: FUGATO (6) GALIOT (6)
Score: 86–33 (max 88)
Nothing more than 6, but win #5 is just around the corner for Tom............
FUGATO is in the style of a fugue, but not in strict or complete fugal form.
A GALIOT is a single-masted Dutch cargo boat or fishing vessel.
Susie's Origins of Words talks about the origins of "type", lower case" and "upper case".
Round 12: L R P N E A I T E
Tom: TRIPLANE (8)
Angela: plentier
DC: PRELATE (7)
OT: APERIENT (8) INTERLAP (8) PEARLITE (8) PERINEAL (8) PETALINE (8) TRAPLINE (8) TREENAIL (8)
Score: 94–33 (max 96)
Game wrapped up for Tom, and he celebrates by flying off in a TRIPLANE, giving Angela plenty (rather than plentier) of food for thought.
In North America, a TRAPLINE is a series of game traps.
A TREENAIL is a hard wooden pin used for fastening timbers together.
Round 13: S H M S O U E Z P
Tom: HOUSES (6)
Angela: PUSHES (6)
DC: POSSUM (6)
OT: MOSHES (6) MOUSES (6) MOUSSE (6) MUSHES (6) OPUSES (6) POSHES (6) SHMOES (6) SPOUSE (6) SPUMES (6) SUMPHS (6)
Score: 100–39 (max 102)
Plenty of 6's here, and Tom has yet another century sewn up.
In North America, a SHMO (or SCHMO) is a stupid person.
In Scotland, a SUMPH is a stupid or clumsy person.
Round 14: 3, 6, 9, 8, 10, 3. Target: 684.
Tom: 684. (8 x 9 x 10) - ((3 + 3) x 6) (10)
Angela: 680.
Score: 110–39 (max 112)
Angela decides to bring 6 small into the mix, but it seems that whatever you throw at Tom, he'll solve it
Round 15: T H I C K P R O F
Tom buzzes on 2.25 seconds to say PITCHFORK which is correct.
Final Score: 120–39 (max 122)
And that includes conundrums too
So, 120 points, 605 in total, 5 conundrums out of 5, and opponents decimated, left, right and centre.
Tom Cappleman is certainly making the most of his 2nd chance.The current #1 seed, Tracey Mills, will be watching with baited breath I'm sure......., and she'll recap the next show.
I'm not available next week, so I've asked Anthony Endsor to take my place, as there's no Friday show next week thanks to the horses again.....
So, see you in 2 weeks time. Till then, enjoy yourselves. Bye for now.
Statistics Corner
Tom:
Total score - 120
Raw score - 120
Total % of max - 98
Raw % of max - 98
Total average score per round - 8.0
Raw average score per round - 8.0
Number of maxes - 13
Angela:
Total score - 39
Raw score - 85
Total % of max - 32
Raw % of max - 70
Total average score per round - 2.6
Raw average score per round - 5.7
Number of maxes - 5
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=72