c4countdown

After hearing it said for so many years I believe any contestant who - after being offered an `X` or a `Z` - says "And a better one please Carol", should be severely punished. Perhaps taken outside and horse-whipped, or automatically eliminated.
Or both.
Just to show how reasonable I am - I also find myself turn against any contestant who always chooses 3 consonants, 3 vowels, and 3 consonants. The `3,3,3` brigade for some strange reason irritate me.
You see, I`m perfectly reasonable.

Ralph wrote:After hearing it said for so many years I believe any contestant who - after being offered an `X` or a `Z` - says "And a better one please Carol", should be severely punished. Perhaps taken outside and horse-whipped, or automatically eliminated.

You mean you'd spare their lives? You're way too generous.

Just to show how reasonable I am - I also find myself turn against any contestant who always chooses 3 consonants, 3 vowels, and 3 consonants. The `3,3,3` brigade for some strange reason irritate me.

The proper way to choose letters is to attempt to get them to spell out a word on the board. Preferably a rude one.

Ralph wrote:After hearing it said for so many years I believe any contestant who - after being offered an `X` or a `Z` - says "And a better one please Carol", should be severely punished. Perhaps taken outside and horse-whipped, or automatically eliminated.
Or both.
Just to show how reasonable I am - I also find myself turn against any contestant who always chooses 3 consonants, 3 vowels, and 3 consonants. The `3,3,3` brigade for some strange reason irritate me.
You see, I`m perfectly reasonable.

I see your point, but I also think that Carol should be severely punished herself with some of the comments she makes when certain letters come up - like QT "Little cutie" - that's worth a horse-whipping.

It annoys me too, but I bet I can't resist it when my time comes. It's just one of those things you have to do innit?

Have to admit I was guilty of it during my appearances. Though I much preferred 'urgh' or 'oh dear' when one of the nasty ones popped out.

I think everyone is likely to say "and a better one" at one point during a Countdown game.

My letter banter with Carol:

I'll start with one of your finest consonants (then we discussed whether W merited that status - it didnt)

(After K and S appeared) Ooh my initials (wtf did I say that for!) Carol was uber confused and had to look at my name tag a few times beore it sank in, becase OBVIOUSLY she'd been calling me Dinos.

As for Carol sounding out any words that are spelt out, I find it endearing and cutesy-poo

Carol herself should be horsewhipped, because she encourages these people who say "and a better one please" by laughing as if the contestant has just said something original and witty. OK then, she's just being polite, but why does she feel she has to be?

Personally, if anyone ever says "and a better one please" they immediately go into my black books and I hope they lose. Unfortunately, today (I think) both contestants said it.

What's wrong with Q anyway? I quite like having it there, especially if there's no U, because it restricts the letter options and makes the round slightly easier. Stand up for Q!

Joseph Bolas wrote:I think everyone is likely to say "and a better one" at one point during a Countdown game.

Err nope.

Would be better actually if all the crud came out in one round, more likely to get 9s in the other rounds then.

Carol should also be horsewhipped for being pleased when the numbers game is piss-easy. She groans if the target is 101 and there is a 100 and a 1, but other than that she seems to prefer the easy games.

It's more of a challenge for contestants. I'm neutral about that.

I just enjoy the game.

I've decided not to apply until I've thought of something original to say when requesting the numbers.

My favourite request of the existing ones is the "Motown selection".

I've never thought X or Z particularly bad, given the chance of EX- or -IZE words: J is often more awkward.
I haven't applied yet, but I think it would be fun to ask for the two middle numbers from the top, the two under them in the next row, and the one to our left under them in the next two rows, to make my initial. Or, for short "can I have a P, please?"

harry wrote:I've decided not to apply until I've thought of something original to say when requesting the numbers.

My favourite request of the existing ones is the "Motown selection".

Yeah, I agree. I wish I'd thought of it; I must see if I can mention Phil Watson, as the originator of the 'Motown selection', in the finals.

I wish I'd wowed my chemist friends and gone for a benzene ring. Centre top, the 2 diagonally outwards, the 2 below those, then diagonally inwards. Sadly it was not to be...

harry wrote:My favourite request of the existing ones is the "Motown selection".

I can't remember the name but I liked the one where the contestant asked Carol for a selection similiar to the arm movements of a flight attendant (when showing the location of the exits etc).

Gevin-Gavin wrote:Carol should also be horsewhipped for being pleased when the numbers game is piss-easy. She groans if the target is 101 and there is a 100 and a 1, but other than that she seems to prefer the easy games.

I dunno, I imagine if it was my job I'd be constantly terrified of getting a game that I couldn't do and yet was somehow straightforward - big relief if you can relax straight away, I'd imagine.

Also, as mentioned above, clearly the optimal letter selection is that which aims to spell out words, alas I wasn't on long enough to actually manage anything rude

I think it would be good to ask for three from one of the rows that isn't the top and then three from any other row of your choice. So Carol has to choose between three large or no large. Or two from a non-top row and four from any other one row.

Gevin-Gavin wrote:I think it would be good to ask for three from one of the rows that isn't the top and then three from any other row of your choice. So Carol has to choose between three large or no large. Or two from a non-top row and four from any other one row.

Ooh thats brutal. She'd die!

I believe 6 small is her second favourite - I remember a show where the contestant asked her for her second favourite selection, and I was surprised by her choice

(of course, this is when someone with a better memory than me comes along and corrects me...)

Michael Wallace wrote:I believe 6 small is her second favourite - I remember a show where the contestant asked her for her second favourite selection, and I was surprised by her choice

(of course, this is when someone with a better memory than me comes along and corrects me...)

That person is here! I think I recall the game you mention and I thought she went for two large. Her preference is something like:

1 large
2 large
3 large
4 large/6 small

dinos_the_chemist wrote:That person is here! I think I recall the game you mention and I thought she went for two large. Her preference is something like:

1 large
2 large
3 large
4 large/6 small

Really? Damn. Although I suppose my only rationale was that I was surprised by her choice, rather than actually remembering what that choice was...

"I wish I'd wowed my chemist friends and gone for a benzene ring. Centre top, the 2 diagonally outwards, the 2 below those, then diagonally inwards. Sadly it was not to be...
dinos_the_chemist "

That's brilliant - I wish I'd thought of that; of course it could also be a cyclohexane, pyridine (and many more...)

Selecting 5 consecutive numbers from one row and another from the adjoining row, one from the end of the original 5, could be an "isohexane", but I suspect Carol would start throwing things.

Somehow it was easier to let Carol choose.....

Kevin

...oh no!...Richard has just said it - with a certain amount of emphasis too.

Kevin Thurlow wrote:It could also be a cyclohexane, pyridine (and many more...)

Pyridine is perhaps a more suitable match (Nitrogen could be the one large) but frankly no cyclic 6 carbon compound has the same iconic status as benzene

nerds

Gevin-Gavin wrote:I think it would be good to ask for three from one of the rows that isn't the top and then three from any other row of your choice. So Carol has to choose between three large or no large.

That's a neat idea but you're overcomplicating (that's not a word and I don't care) the request. You could just say " 3 from one row and 3 from another".

Oh no!
Diana has just said - "...and a better one..." - she will have to be punished.
Punishment should be more severe with each passing week.

Ralph wrote:Oh no!
Diana has just said - "...and a better one..." - she will have to be punished.
Punishment should be more severe with each passing week.

Haha. This should be an exhibition variant at Colin 2009.

Charlie Reams wrote:

Ralph wrote:Oh no!
Diana has just said - "...and a better one..." - she will have to be punished.
Punishment should be more severe with each passing week.

Haha. This should be an exhibition variant at Colin 2009.

How about a game of Countdown where the J, Q, X and Z are all removed so that noone can say "...and a better one..." .

Can someone who has memorised every episode tell me if there was an old guy on once who stayed for a few days and had a different pervy thing to say for each numbers round? Like "Two bigguns, and the rest from the bottom please Carol". Did I imagine it?

Mikey Lear wrote:Can someone who has memorised every episode tell me if there was an old guy on once who stayed for a few days and had a different pervy thing to say for each numbers round? Like "Two bigguns, and the rest from the bottom please Carol". Did I imagine it?

Frank Mulvey? Any idea how long ago this was?

David Roe wrote:What's wrong with Q anyway? I quite like having it there, especially if there's no U, because it restricts the letter options and makes the round slightly easier. Stand up for Q!

unless of course you have intars there

(or is that SOWPODS only?)

QINTARS is also in the ODE2r. Makes quite a few appearances on Countdown.

Charlie Reams wrote:

Mikey Lear wrote:Can someone who has memorised every episode tell me if there was an old guy on once who stayed for a few days and had a different pervy thing to say for each numbers round? Like "Two bigguns, and the rest from the bottom please Carol". Did I imagine it?

Frank Mulvey? Any idea how long ago this was?

If it was Frank Mulvey who came up with those pervy remarks, maybe that's the reason he didn't come back to continue his run when looking like a dead cert for the finals, and remained unbeaten on 5 wins.

I don't care for the word old, Mikey. IIRC, he was a lot younger than me.

Not sure that it was Frank Mulvey, I remember his appearance but don't remember him saying anything like that. He struck me as being quite grumpy most of the time which may have had something to do with the fact that Richard couldn't understand his Scouse accent. I believe the reason why he didn't continue his run was because he turned up drunk on the second day of recording.

Ben now has red hair I see.
A good contestant because he is pleasant and he smiles (many don't).

However - - he has just said "...and a better one" after being dealt an "X", and the "better one"
turned out to be a "Q". Punishment, I suspect for saying "...and a better one...".

Oh dearie me no!
His opponent David has just said it too.
This is too much for one programme.

when you get X and Q next to each other, you know it's not your day

Ralph wrote:Ben now has red hair I see.
A good contestant because he is pleasant and he smiles (many don't).

Thankyou very much.

Benji Hanks wrote:when you get X and Q next to each other, you know it's not your day

Not unless you were extremely lucky to get a selection that offered the 9 letter word EXQUISITE

Joseph Bolas wrote:

Benji Hanks wrote:when you get X and Q next to each other, you know it's not your day

Not unless you were extremely lucky to get a selection that offered the 9 letter word EXQUISITE

i'd probably only see equities to be fair...

Benji Hanks wrote:

Joseph Bolas wrote:

Benji Hanks wrote:when you get X and Q next to each other, you know it's not your day

Not unless you were extremely lucky to get a selection that offered the 9 letter word EXQUISITE

i'd probably only see equities to be fair...

I would probably miss both EXQUISITE and EQUITIES and only come up with a 5 like EXITS or QUIET

Joseph Bolas wrote:
I would probably miss both EXQUISITE and EQUITIES and only come up with a 5 like EXITS or QUIET

surely you'd at least manage quiets

Benji Hanks wrote:

Joseph Bolas wrote:
I would probably miss both EXQUISITE and EQUITIES and only come up with a 5 like EXITS or QUIET

surely you'd at least manage quiets

I would possibly see QUIETS, but then convince myself its not a word so only stick with 5

Joseph Bolas wrote:

Benji Hanks wrote:

Joseph Bolas wrote:
I would probably miss both EXQUISITE and EQUITIES and only come up with a 5 like EXITS or QUIET

surely you'd at least manage quiets

I would possibly see QUIETS, but then convince myself its not a word so only stick with 5

of course... it's quietens...

*headdesk*

Benji Hanks wrote:

Joseph Bolas wrote:

Benji Hanks wrote:
surely you'd at least manage quiets

I would possibly see QUIETS, but then convince myself its not a word so only stick with 5

of course... it's quietens...

*headdesk*

I just checked and you can have QUIETS for 6. You can also have EQUITES for 7 too.

I remember in the mailing list that we worked out what was the longest word(s) you could have which contained at least two letters out of J, Q, X and Z. This is what we came up with:

JQ - JONQUILS
JX - JUXTAPOSE
JZ - JALFREZIS
QX - EXQUISITE
QZ - QUANTIZED, QUANTIZER, QUANTIZES, QUATORZES
XZ - OXIDIZING

Has anyone asked for a worse one after getting an E or some other common letter? Maybe if they got an M they could ask for one of similar quality.

Gevin-Gavin wrote:Has anyone asked for a worse one after getting an E or some other common letter? Maybe if they got an M they could ask for one of similar quality.

I may steal that joke.

Gevin-Gavin wrote:Has anyone asked for a worse one after getting an E or some other common letter?.

I suppose if after 8 letters they had no E's and a crappy selection, they could ask Carol if she has an 'E' .

Joseph Bolas wrote: I just checked and you can have QUIETS for 6. You can also have EQUITES for 7 too.

I remember in the mailing list that we worked out what was the longest word(s) you could have which contained at least two letters out of J, Q, X and Z. This is what we came up with:

JQ - JONQUILS
JX - JUXTAPOSE
JZ - JALFREZIS
QX - EXQUISITE
QZ - QUANTIZED, QUANTIZER, QUANTIZES, QUATORZES
XZ - OXIDIZING

Quizzical? Or is there only the one Z in the stack Carol uses?

Benji Hanks wrote:

Joseph Bolas wrote: I just checked and you can have QUIETS for 6. You can also have EQUITES for 7 too.

I remember in the mailing list that we worked out what was the longest word(s) you could have which contained at least two letters out of J, Q, X and Z. This is what we came up with:

JQ - JONQUILS
JX - JUXTAPOSE
JZ - JALFREZIS
QX - EXQUISITE
QZ - QUANTIZED, QUANTIZER, QUANTIZES, QUATORZES
XZ - OXIDIZING

Quizzical? Or is there only the one Z in the stack Carol uses?

Yes, there is only 1 'Z' available.

Going by the letter frequencies in the first few series though, I think QUIZZICAL could've been possible.

Joseph Bolas wrote:Going by the letter frequencies in the first few series though, I think QUIZZICAL could've been possible.

Yes I think it was used as a VERY early conundrum if I'm not mistaken.

dinos_the_chemist wrote:

Joseph Bolas wrote:Going by the letter frequencies in the first few series though, I think QUIZZICAL could've been possible.

Yes I think it was used as a VERY early conundrum if I'm not mistaken.

It might've been.

I think there has also been some conundrums with 2 K's also.

And 3 Fs today

I posted a list of words, a little while back, that contained at least 2 of the letters 'J', 'Q', 'X' and 'Z', but I have now been able to find out all possible 9-letter words you can have:

JQ - JACQUARDS, JACQUERIE
JX - BANJAXING, JUKEBOXES, JUXTAPOSE
JZ - JALFREZIS, JARGONIZE
QX - EQUINOXES, EXCHEQUER, EXEQUATUR, EXQUISITE, QUIXOTISM
QZ - EQUALIZED, EQUALIZER, EQUALIZES, LIQUIDIZE, QUANTIZED, QUANTIZER, QUANTIZES, QUARTZITE, QUATORZES, SQUEEZERS, SQUEEZING
XZ - DEOXIDIZE, EXOENZYME, EXORCIZED, EXORCIZES, EXPERTIZE, MAXIMIZED, MAXIMIZER, MAXIMIZES, OXIDIZERS, OXIDIZING, OXYGENIZE, SEXUALIZE, TEXTURIZE

I've just been watching an old programme, from early on in series 57, and can report that Carol definitely encourages "and a better one". The first letter selected was Z. I was waiting for the contestant to ask for "a better one", but thankfully she didn't; she simply asked for "another". Carol, on the other hand, said "and here's a better one".

Howard Somerset wrote:... and can report that Carol definitely encourages "and a better one". The first letter selected was Z. I was waiting for the contestant to ask for "a better one", but thankfully she didn't; she simply asked for "another". Carol, on the other hand, said "and here's a better one".

Shame on Carol.
Perhaps she has become institutionalised.

Perhaps I have too much time on my hands.
But I was thinking today when watching the conundrum...
the contestant guessed..
Des said "Let's have a look shall we?"..
the letters flipped over ...
and - tension mounts - surprise - he was right.
I still hope to see when the letters flip over that the contestant was wrong.

I have also wondered why a number of contestants say
"A vowel" or "A consonent" with a long "A" (to rhyme with "main")
rather than just a short "A".
(I did say I had time on my hands; these things weight heavily on me.)