Spoilers for Wednesday 30th March 2022 (Series 85, Prelim 63)

Discuss anything that happened in recent games. This is the place to post any words you got that beat Dictionary Corner, or numbers games that evaded Rachel.

Moderator: James Robinson

Post Reply
Gavin Chipper
Post-apocalypse
Posts: 13215
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:37 pm

Spoilers for Wednesday 30th March 2022 (Series 85, Prelim 63)

Post by Gavin Chipper »

Just after the time but 50 x (10 + 9) - 75 + 8 x 8 = 939
User avatar
Johnny Canuck
Kiloposter
Posts: 1647
Joined: Sun Oct 03, 2010 10:44 pm
Location: Montréal 😃, Québec 😕, Canada 😃

Re: Spoilers for Wednesday 30 March 2022 (Series 85, Prelim 63)

Post by Johnny Canuck »

Gavin Chipper wrote: Wed Mar 30, 2022 2:10 pm Just after the time but 50 x (10 + 9) - 75 + 8 x 8 = 939
Apparently the only way!
I'm not dead yet. In a rut right now because of stress from work. I'll be back later in S89. I also plan to bring back the Mastergram - if I can find a way to run a timer or clock through pure MediaWiki without having to upload to Vimeo every time.
Toby McDonald
Kiloposter
Posts: 1084
Joined: Thu Jan 19, 2017 4:23 pm

Re: Spoilers for Wednesday 30 March 2022 (Series 85, Prelim 63)

Post by Toby McDonald »

ABATONS in R2
ROWEITE in R5
TRAMPIEST in R11
Ryan Lam
Enthusiast
Posts: 391
Joined: Sat Dec 23, 2017 6:10 am

Re: Spoilers for Wednesday 30 March 2022 (Series 85, Prelim 63)

Post by Ryan Lam »

Just watched this episode and realised the airtime is one minute shorter than normal (Around 33 minutes 50 seconds excluding commercials). Most episodes have a length of between 34 min 45s and 35 min 15s.
Philip Wilson
Devotee
Posts: 642
Joined: Tue May 07, 2013 6:41 pm

Re: Spoilers for Wednesday 30 March 2022 (Series 85, Prelim 63)

Post by Philip Wilson »

Not sure about this but in round 1 I had 'celeries' as a risky 8 - restaurant rule - and a safe 6. Player 1 declares a 7 so I risk my 8. Player 1 has misdeclared. If I'd known I would have stuck with my 6. If celeries is disallowed, would the round be replayed, as I lose due to a foul by my opponent. Thanks.
Gavin Chipper
Post-apocalypse
Posts: 13215
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:37 pm

Re: Spoilers for Wednesday 30 March 2022 (Series 85, Prelim 63)

Post by Gavin Chipper »

Philip Wilson wrote: Tue May 03, 2022 11:33 am Not sure about this but in round 1 I had 'celeries' as a risky 8 - restaurant rule - and a safe 6. Player 1 declares a 7 so I risk my 8. Player 1 has misdeclared. If I'd known I would have stuck with my 6. If celeries is disallowed, would the round be replayed, as I lose due to a foul by my opponent. Thanks.
I doubt it would be replayed. There's always a chance that your opponent hasn't got a valid word of the length they declare. Whether it's because their word doesn't exist or they've miscounted the letters is neither here nor there.

Edit - Though if you disagree, it might be worth a discussion in the You Are the Ref thread.
Philip Wilson
Devotee
Posts: 642
Joined: Tue May 07, 2013 6:41 pm

Re: Spoilers for Wednesday 30 March 2022 (Series 85, Prelim 63)

Post by Philip Wilson »

Gavin Chipper wrote: Tue May 03, 2022 11:57 am
Philip Wilson wrote: Tue May 03, 2022 11:33 am Not sure about this but in round 1 I had 'celeries' as a risky 8 - restaurant rule - and a safe 6. Player 1 declares a 7 so I risk my 8. Player 1 has misdeclared. If I'd known I would have stuck with my 6. If celeries is disallowed, would the round be replayed, as I lose due to a foul by my opponent. Thanks.
I doubt it would be replayed. There's always a chance that your opponent hasn't got a valid word of the length they declare. Whether it's because their word doesn't exist or they've miscounted the letters is neither here nor there.

Edit - Though if you disagree, it might be worth a discussion in the You Are the Ref thread.
Makes sense, thanks for that. I guess the score would still be 0-0 (if disallowed) so effectively we're starting again anyway. Just wondered really. Wouldn't feel comfortable appealing such a thing, so not disagreeing, lol.
Fiona T
Kiloposter
Posts: 1447
Joined: Mon Mar 18, 2019 12:54 pm

Re: Spoilers for Wednesday 30 March 2022 (Series 85, Prelim 63)

Post by Fiona T »

Philip Wilson wrote: Tue May 03, 2022 11:33 am Not sure about this but in round 1 I had 'celeries' as a risky 8 - restaurant rule - and a safe 6. Player 1 declares a 7 so I risk my 8. Player 1 has misdeclared. If I'd known I would have stuck with my 6. If celeries is disallowed, would the round be replayed, as I lose due to a foul by my opponent. Thanks.
No, it wouldn't be replayed. Part of the tactics of the game I think!
Philip Wilson
Devotee
Posts: 642
Joined: Tue May 07, 2013 6:41 pm

Re: Spoilers for Wednesday 30 March 2022 (Series 85, Prelim 63)

Post by Philip Wilson »

Fiona T wrote: Tue May 03, 2022 12:46 pm
Philip Wilson wrote: Tue May 03, 2022 11:33 am Not sure about this but in round 1 I had 'celeries' as a risky 8 - restaurant rule - and a safe 6. Player 1 declares a 7 so I risk my 8. Player 1 has misdeclared. If I'd known I would have stuck with my 6. If celeries is disallowed, would the round be replayed, as I lose due to a foul by my opponent. Thanks.
No, it wouldn't be replayed. Part of the tactics of the game I think!
Yeah that's fair. But in this case it negates any advantage a contestant with a risky word might have in declaring second.
User avatar
Callum Todd
Series 69 Champion
Posts: 1123
Joined: Tue Sep 10, 2013 3:38 pm
Location: Leeds

Re: Spoilers for Wednesday 30 March 2022 (Series 85, Prelim 63)

Post by Callum Todd »

Yeah, it's not a "foul" it's a mistake. Being able to take advantage of your opponent's mistakes is an important part of pretty much any competitive endeavour and Countdown is no different in this respect. You're not entitled to automatically benefit every time your opponent makes a mistake; you have to earn it!

But yeah, CELERIES should be valid if the restaurant rule is a thing (genuinely not sure if it is).
Mark Deeks wrote:Callum Todd looks like a young Ted Bundy.
Philip Wilson
Devotee
Posts: 642
Joined: Tue May 07, 2013 6:41 pm

Re: Spoilers for Wednesday 30 March 2022 (Series 85, Prelim 63)

Post by Philip Wilson »

Callum Todd wrote: Tue May 03, 2022 2:29 pm Yeah, it's not a "foul" it's a mistake. Being able to take advantage of your opponent's mistakes is an important part of pretty much any competitive endeavour and Countdown is no different in this respect. You're not entitled to automatically benefit every time your opponent makes a mistake; you have to earn it!

But yeah, CELERIES should be valid if the restaurant rule is a thing (genuinely not sure if it is).
Guess so. Could be a snooker foul though. They're accidental - usually!
Interesting about the restaurant rule. Haven't heard of it for a while.
Philip A
Kiloposter
Posts: 1081
Joined: Thu Jan 07, 2021 2:56 pm

Re: Spoilers for Wednesday 30 March 2022 (Series 85, Prelim 63)

Post by Philip A »

While Countdown does not have a rigorous rule set, they try their best to accept inflections of words that are sensible.

The “restaurant rule” is based around requesting a portion or unit of something.

Some foods which are mass nouns can take a plural on Countdown but not all of them.

If a food is a restaurant dish in its own right, then it certainly can be served in a portion or unit. You may ask the waiter/waitress, “I would like two tiramisus, please,” for example – hence TIRAMISUS is perfectly valid (it can be an uncountable noun or a countable noun).

Googling gives an article regarding celery as a restaurant item pre-1950: https://slicesofbluesky.com/celery-restaurant-menus/. The definition in ODO Premium and Lexico also states that celery itself can be a salad https://www.lexico.com/definition/celery, which restaurants do also sell.

As well as a portion of celery, you can also use the word ‘celeries’ when referring to different varieties of celery. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/celeries

Meats such as VENISON and MUTTON seem not to take a plural, and we also understand that mass nouns which are cheeses (e.g. RICOTTA) are also not countable.

It is a woolly practice but in short, they will go for what is reasonable. From my view, I would be happy to allow CELERIES.
Series 78 Runner-up
Fiona T
Kiloposter
Posts: 1447
Joined: Mon Mar 18, 2019 12:54 pm

Re: Spoilers for Wednesday 30 March 2022 (Series 85, Prelim 63)

Post by Fiona T »

Philip A wrote: Tue May 03, 2022 9:07 pm While Countdown does not have a rigorous rule set, they try their best to accept inflections of words that are sensible.

The “restaurant rule” is based around requesting a portion or unit of something.

Some foods which are mass nouns can take a plural on Countdown but not all of them.

If a food is a restaurant dish in its own right, then it certainly can be served in a portion or unit. You may ask the waiter/waitress, “I would like two tiramisus, please,” for example – hence TIRAMISUS is perfectly valid (it can be an uncountable noun or a countable noun).

Googling gives an article regarding celery as a restaurant item pre-1950: https://slicesofbluesky.com/celery-restaurant-menus/. The definition in ODO Premium and Lexico also states that celery itself can be a salad https://www.lexico.com/definition/celery, which restaurants do also sell.

As well as a portion of celery, you can also use the word ‘celeries’ when referring to different varieties of celery. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/celeries

Meats such as VENISON and MUTTON seem not to take a plural, and we also understand that mass nouns which are cheeses (e.g. RICOTTA) are also not countable.

It is a woolly practice but in short, they will go for what is reasonable. From my view, I would be happy to allow CELERIES.
I wouldn't :) I'd allow venisons and muttons tho! Far more likely to order "two roast venisons" than "two celeries" :)
Philip Wilson
Devotee
Posts: 642
Joined: Tue May 07, 2013 6:41 pm

Re: Spoilers for Wednesday 30 March 2022 (Series 85, Prelim 63)

Post by Philip Wilson »

Fiona T wrote: Tue May 03, 2022 10:04 pm
Philip A wrote: Tue May 03, 2022 9:07 pm While Countdown does not have a rigorous rule set, they try their best to accept inflections of words that are sensible.

The “restaurant rule” is based around requesting a portion or unit of something.

Some foods which are mass nouns can take a plural on Countdown but not all of them.

If a food is a restaurant dish in its own right, then it certainly can be served in a portion or unit. You may ask the waiter/waitress, “I would like two tiramisus, please,” for example – hence TIRAMISUS is perfectly valid (it can be an uncountable noun or a countable noun).

Googling gives an article regarding celery as a restaurant item pre-1950: https://slicesofbluesky.com/celery-restaurant-menus/. The definition in ODO Premium and Lexico also states that celery itself can be a salad https://www.lexico.com/definition/celery, which restaurants do also sell.

As well as a portion of celery, you can also use the word ‘celeries’ when referring to different varieties of celery. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/celeries

Meats such as VENISON and MUTTON seem not to take a plural, and we also understand that mass nouns which are cheeses (e.g. RICOTTA) are also not countable.

It is a woolly practice but in short, they will go for what is reasonable. From my view, I would be happy to allow CELERIES.
I wouldn't :) I'd allow venisons and muttons tho! Far more likely to order "two roast venisons" than "two celeries" :)
The context I was thinking about was ordering sandwiches in a restaurant/pub -
"Do you have any salad sandwiches?"
"We have cream cheese and celery and carrot and celery"
"Thanks. We'll have two cream cheese and celeries please."

(Hungry now!)
User avatar
Ian Fitzpatrick
Devotee
Posts: 615
Joined: Sat Jan 31, 2009 12:23 pm
Location: Wimborne, Dorset

Re: Spoilers for Wednesday 30 March 2022 (Series 85, Prelim 63)

Post by Ian Fitzpatrick »

Philip Wilson wrote: Wed May 04, 2022 10:43 am
Fiona T wrote: Tue May 03, 2022 10:04 pm
Philip A wrote: Tue May 03, 2022 9:07 pm While Countdown does not have a rigorous rule set, they try their best to accept inflections of words that are sensible.

The “restaurant rule” is based around requesting a portion or unit of something.

Some foods which are mass nouns can take a plural on Countdown but not all of them.

If a food is a restaurant dish in its own right, then it certainly can be served in a portion or unit. You may ask the waiter/waitress, “I would like two tiramisus, please,” for example – hence TIRAMISUS is perfectly valid (it can be an uncountable noun or a countable noun).

Googling gives an article regarding celery as a restaurant item pre-1950: https://slicesofbluesky.com/celery-restaurant-menus/. The definition in ODO Premium and Lexico also states that celery itself can be a salad https://www.lexico.com/definition/celery, which restaurants do also sell.

As well as a portion of celery, you can also use the word ‘celeries’ when referring to different varieties of celery. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/celeries

Meats such as VENISON and MUTTON seem not to take a plural, and we also understand that mass nouns which are cheeses (e.g. RICOTTA) are also not countable.

It is a woolly practice but in short, they will go for what is reasonable. From my view, I would be happy to allow CELERIES.
I wouldn't :) I'd allow venisons and muttons tho! Far more likely to order "two roast venisons" than "two celeries" :)
The context I was thinking about was ordering sandwiches in a restaurant/pub -
"Do you have any salad sandwiches?"
"We have cream cheese and celery and carrot and celery"
"Thanks. We'll have two cream cheese and celeries please."

(Hungry now!)
Mathematically that would be "two (cream cheese and celery)s please :)
I thought I was good at Countdown until I joined this forum
Post Reply