Spoilers for Thursday 14th September 2023 (Series 88, Heat 55)

[Toby McDonald]

PYCNITE in R2
MONOLATER in R5
OVERSWUM in R10
OILBERG in R11

[Philip A]

OVERSWAM and MEVROUWS also in R10.

[L'oisleatch McGraw]

Susie had a terrible day today. I wonder was there a talented back-room word getter who was missing for that episode?
Missing so much. Failing to point out that the R could go on the end of OBLIGE was a particular clanger. And there was a round where DC only got 7, when ANTEROOM (a regular CD word) and MONOLATER were both available. I wonder is Susie too comfortable in her role? Some healthy competition might help her up her game.

She misses AERONAT every single time. That is the 2020's LEOTARD equivalent. Really should be seeing it by now.
Maybe Maria Martin needs to fork out the £25 to get back on Apterous for a refresher course?

[L'oisleatch McGraw]

(BTW, I do like Susie... but the DC role should be about more than simply being likable and demure. Wouldn't kill her to put a small bit of effort in.)

[Gavin Chipper]

I don't really see being a word-spotter as Susie's primary job. In any case I think a lot of it comes through her ear piece from Damian. So he's as much to blame!

However, I agree on some of this. Whenever a word is offered that could plausibly take e.g. an S or R, Susie should be telling us whether it's valid or not. "You might be wondering if this could take an S..."

Plus sometimes the spelling or meaning of quite obscure words is often skipped over or obliquely addressed. The classic is "Aneroid as in aneroid barometer".

I always thought it was better when they rotated the lexicographer role anyway!

[L'oisleatch McGraw]

I don't really see being a word-spotter as Susie's primary job.

But it is part of her (and the shadowy back-room earpiece-lovin' word spotters') job.
When even Apterites at as crap a level me (aka Crapterites ) can best her at least once per show, she's let her standards slip too far.
At least learn the high probability new words that will crop up over and over.

[David Williams]

I don't really see being a word-spotter as Susie's primary job. In any case I think a lot of it comes through her ear piece from Damian. So he's as much to blame!

However, I agree on some of this. Whenever a word is offered that could plausibly take e.g. an S or R, Susie should be telling us whether it's valid or not. "You might be wondering if this could take an S..."

Plus sometimes the spelling or meaning of quite obscure words is often skipped over or obliquely addressed. The classic is "Aneroid as in aneroid barometer".

I always thought it was better when they rotated the lexicographer role anyway!

Am I misremembering, but was there not a time when everyone decamped to a new place for past and present contestants appearing under their own names because you expressed the opinion that Susie was rubbish? You, and everyone else, must have mellowed over the years.

[Gavin Chipper]

I don't really see being a word-spotter as Susie's primary job. In any case I think a lot of it comes through her ear piece from Damian. So he's as much to blame!

However, I agree on some of this. Whenever a word is offered that could plausibly take e.g. an S or R, Susie should be telling us whether it's valid or not. "You might be wondering if this could take an S..."

Plus sometimes the spelling or meaning of quite obscure words is often skipped over or obliquely addressed. The classic is "Aneroid as in aneroid barometer".

I always thought it was better when they rotated the lexicographer role anyway!

Am I misremembering, but was there not a time when everyone decamped to a new place for past and present contestants appearing under their own names because you expressed the opinion that Susie was rubbish? You, and everyone else, must have mellowed over the years.

Mellowed? Me? Well, my main criticism was allowing/disallowing words on a whim rather than by reference to the rules.