A group for contestants and lovers of the Channel 4 game show 'Countdown'.
http://www.c4countdown.co.uk/
I quite liked the one on my special against Lucy Guile.Charlie Reams wrote:I think the most recent CoC had some of the nicest conundrums I've ever seen, including SEAPYTHON, FCRAVIOLA and (much as it pains me to admit) ELITEBOUT. The most recent finals also had some gems like NINECARAT and BADLYBEAT. Just wondering what other awesome ones you've seen (on the show or otherwise). Also I wonder how many people who watch even appreciate the craft that goes into making really nice ones like that.
I don't really understand how that's 'relevant', elucidate?Kirk Bevins wrote:I like anything where the scramble makes sense and is relevant, like the AMSPECIAL one
Damian posted in another thread that he put that in the finals as it would refer to the contestants.Michael Wallace wrote:
I don't really understand how that's 'relevant', elucidate?
I think the one in your avatar would probably come pretty near the top of any list I might compile.Chris Philpot wrote:The grand finals over the years have held some absolutely cracking conundrums. MUMLEDFOX is fairly simple but a lovely image, whilst TEEUPLATE and RANDYBUSH are harder and again both connote great imagery. HITPARADE is an excellent scramble, albeit with a not so nice solution, whereas AGOALDOWN from Series 32 is absolutely scrumptious in every way.
Actually, a real couple of favourites of mine come from the Countdown calendar: the first from 2009, MMIXIDEAS, and later in the year the superb BELFASTUK. The latter had me going for hours!
SOURCHIVE was my scramble (so cheers) but don't think it's been on the show. Incidentally, neither Tom Hargreaves nor Julian Fell solved it but it made Craig's list. There was also a furore about it caused by Gevin, who is not unlike a cunt aside from being useless.Charlie Reams wrote:A couple of other nice ones I've seen (can't remember where): SOURCHIVE, SETSQUARE, TOMCRUISE (think that was a series final).
I think Kirk is making immodest reference to his being special and he certainly is ...Michael Wallace wrote:I don't really understand how that's 'relevant', elucidate?Kirk Bevins wrote:I like anything where the scramble makes sense and is relevant, like the AMSPECIAL one
I posted the above, shut down the computer, made a sandwich and headed upstairs to watch Psychoville - and realised as I did so that it would have been much funnier had I said, "The one in your avatar appears to be unbeatable". But hey, I can't be witty all the time.Phil Reynolds wrote:I think the one in your avatar would probably come pretty near the top of any list I might compile.Chris Philpot wrote:The grand finals over the years have held some absolutely cracking conundrums. MUMLEDFOX is fairly simple but a lovely image, whilst TEEUPLATE and RANDYBUSH are harder and again both connote great imagery. HITPARADE is an excellent scramble, albeit with a not so nice solution, whereas AGOALDOWN from Series 32 is absolutely scrumptious in every way.
Actually, a real couple of favourites of mine come from the Countdown calendar: the first from 2009, MMIXIDEAS, and later in the year the superb BELFASTUK. The latter had me going for hours!
I have taken the liberty of amending this for you, it was obviously typed in a hurry.Phil Reynolds wrote: I posted the above, shut down the computer, made a sandwich and headed upstairs to watch Psychoville - and realised as I did so that it would have been much funnier had I said, "The one in your avatar appears to be unbeatable". But hey, I can't be witty any of the time.
Possibly you'd heard of it but forgotten it.Junaid Mubeen wrote:I'd much rather be beaten by this than, say, ELITEBOUT which I'd never heard of.
You told me about COMEAGAIN when we were in Unit One (yes, I was in a bar with a kid, and yes I was grooming him), which is awesome, although I don't know if that was one of your own.Kai Laddiman wrote:Strange, I've been thinking about this recently before this thread.
I came up with some rather nice scrambles:
INTRIGUED (booooring)
CREATEDUS
RESTILGOE
Er, I've forgotten the rest.
I set this in a MSN online game (Corby versus Travers) with the scramble RILESSLAG.Junaid Mubeen wrote:I have to say I liked LEGALSIRS
Oh yeh, that was one of them, and yes I did make it upCharlie Reams wrote:You told me about COMEAGAIN when we were in Unit One (yes, I was in a bar with a kid, and yes I was grooming him), which is awesome, although I don't know if that was one of your own.Kai Laddiman wrote:Strange, I've been thinking about this recently before this thread.
I came up with some rather nice scrambles:
INTRIGUED (booooring)
CREATEDUS
RESTILGOE
Er, I've forgotten the rest.
I'll admit that I had to look up the definition of "pronk" but, having done so, it's absolutely fantastic. Ditto COMEAGAIN, actually. Of those which I have devised myself, I definitely discovered SETSQUARE at some point but am not sure if I ever set it as a conundrum back in the pre-Apterous MSN Countdown days. Another of my devising is SURETHING which is like Kai's in its immediate recognisability as a common phrase, but it lacks the lovely neither common prefixed nor common suffixed solution.Charlie Reams wrote:Actually the real shuffle for that one (BIGPRONKS) is pretty damn clever in itself.
I don't have a clue what you're talking about.David O'Donnell wrote:SOURCHIVE was my scramble (so cheers) but don't think it's been on the show. Incidentally, neither Tom Hargreaves nor Julian Fell solved it but it made Craig's list. There was also a furore about it caused by Gevin, who is not unlike a cunt aside from being useless.
Not any more.Gavin Chipper wrote:Is it an unwritten rule that when people talk about conundrums they don't mention the solution?
It was me who failed to spot that and not Julian. And Gavin, your own personalised conundrum!Gavin Chipper wrote:I don't have a clue what you're talking about.David O'Donnell wrote:SOURCHIVE was my scramble (so cheers) but don't think it's been on the show. Incidentally, neither Tom Hargreaves nor Julian Fell solved it but it made Craig's list. There was also a furore about it caused by Gevin, who is not unlike a cunt aside from being useless.
SCOURPAULPaul Howe wrote:DREARYGAV
That is fabulous - I can only offer THIGHWANK in riposte.Matt Morrison wrote:UPTHEARSE
SupoibMatt Morrison wrote:^ scratch that...
UPTHEARSE
Touche.Gavin Chipper wrote:
SCOURPAUL
That the best you can manage in 30 minutes?The first, and only, time.Dinos Sfyris wrote:I found EMMASCLIT last night
Sorry Dinos, mate, this made me LOL!Kirk Bevins wrote:The first, and only, time.Dinos Sfyris wrote:I found EMMASCLIT last night
Matt Morrison wrote:some more I found (not all for words currently used as conundrums though)
Surely a conundrum can be any valid nine-letter word - the only current exception I'm aware of is that -S plurals aren't used?The whole list of nine letter words was hand-filtered by Charlie (and Sid, I think), cutting out about half of the total words as they were too tough to use as conundrums.Phil Reynolds wrote:Surely a conundrum can be any valid nine-letter word - the only current exception I'm aware of is that -S plurals aren't used?Matt Morrison wrote:some more I found (not all for words currently used as conundrums though)
It's not all about Apterous! There is also a programme known as "Countdown".Matt Morrison wrote:The whole list of nine letter words was hand-filtered by Charlie (and Sid, I think), cutting out about half of the total words as they were too tough to use as conundrums.Phil Reynolds wrote:Surely a conundrum can be any valid nine-letter word - the only current exception I'm aware of is that -S plurals aren't used?Matt Morrison wrote:some more I found (not all for words currently used as conundrums though)
Matt Morrison wrote:The whole list of nine letter words was hand-filtered by Charlie (and Sid, I think), cutting out about half of the total words as they were too tough to use as conundrums.Phil Reynolds wrote:Surely a conundrum can be any valid nine-letter word - the only current exception I'm aware of is that -S plurals aren't used?
And doubles, like CRAFTIEST/TRIFECTAS.Phil Reynolds wrote:Matt Morrison wrote:some more I found (not all for words currently used as conundrums though)
Phil Reynolds wrote:Matt Morrison wrote:The whole list of nine letter words was hand-filtered by Charlie (and Sid, I think), cutting out about half of the total words as they were too tough to use as conundrums.Phil Reynolds wrote:Surely a conundrum can be any valid nine-letter word - the only current exception I'm aware of is that -S plurals aren't used?
Oh yeah, I was aware of (but had temporarily forgotten) that. Your example is an interesting one though. I'd assumed that a word like CRAFTIEST would be valid as a conundrum because its only anagram is a plural, which is invalid according to the other rule. (Also, of course, TRIFECTAS could be used as the scramble, like the notorious GERANIUMS incident.)Charlie Reams wrote:And doubles, like CRAFTIEST/TRIFECTAS.Phil Reynolds wrote:Surely a conundrum can be any valid nine-letter word - the only current exception I'm aware of is that -S plurals aren't used?
The plurals rule isn't really a rule, Damian just doesn't like setting them.Phil Reynolds wrote:Oh yeah, I was aware of (but had temporarily forgotten) that. Your example is an interesting one though. I'd assumed that a word like CRAFTIEST would be valid as a conundrum because its only anagram is a plural, which is invalid according to the other rule. (Also, of course, TRIFECTAS could be used as the scramble, like the notorious GERANIUMS incident.)Charlie Reams wrote:And doubles, like CRAFTIEST/TRIFECTAS.Phil Reynolds wrote:Surely a conundrum can be any valid nine-letter word - the only current exception I'm aware of is that -S plurals aren't used?
Matthew, seriously, get some help.Matthew Green wrote:AIDSCUNTS
CHILDRAPE
WANKSTAIN
ARSEBLEED
FUCKGEESE
According to Lexplorer, none of these have valid solutions.Matthew Green wrote:AIDSCUNTS
CHILDRAPE
WANKSTAIN
ARSEBLEED
FUCKGEESE
So we might see DINOSARSE one of these days?Charlie Reams wrote:The plurals rule isn't really a rule
Or even CHEERSKAIPhil Reynolds wrote:So we might see DINOSARSE one of these days?Charlie Reams wrote:The plurals rule isn't really a rule
LITERATIMKai Laddiman wrote:TIMETRIAL